Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 613
UNVEILING OF THE ‘UNSEEN' BY THE QURAN · A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE. Again the problem is that according to the archaeological evidence of his mummy's condition, Rameses II who died at the ripe old age of ninety years had spent the last thirty years of his life as a bedridden, senile, tottering old man probably suffering from an extreme case of arteriosclerosis. . This state could be a direct consequence of his neardrowning, resulting in an insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain for an extended period. . Now the exile of Moses as to Midian and his entire stay there lasted only eight to ten years by the end of which period Rameses II could not be more than forty to fifty years old. Hence, the Biblical statement that God was only waiting for Pharaoh's death to commission Moses as as a prophet and command him to return to Egypt is unacceptable. Incidentally according to the Quran, the. Pharaoh to whom Moses as returned did accuse him of murder but appeared to be hesitant to take action against him because of the Divine signs which Moses as had displayed. Evidently, his escape from punishment was certainly not due to the death of one Pharaoh and the enthronement of another. . Again the life of Mosesas and Aaron's after their return to Egypt is described by the Quran and the Bible as very eventful and their confrontation with Pharaoh seems so drawn out that it must have taken a decade or so to come to its final conclusion. All the signs narrated could not have been packed in the mere short space of a year or two. As against this the historians estimate that the entire reign of. Merneptah from the day of his crowning to the day of his death is reported to have lasted only eight years or less. . Moreover, history describes Merneptah as a warrior king who repeatedly attacked the Palestinians year after year, while both the Quran and the Bible are absolutely silent about the Pharaoh of Moses as having carried out such 575