Proper Noun (Diptote) - Fir'aoun - Pharaoh

a King with acute Narcissistic personality disorder

There must be something especial and unique to this King: than all the kings who preceded him in history - that in the category of Proper Nouns his Name - Title finds mention in Qur’ān 74 times which is second maximum number of mentioning, first being the name of his contemporary, the elevated Messenger Mūsā [Moses alai'his'slaam] that numbers 136 times.

In this study, we will discuss the personality traits of Fir'aoun - Pharaoh reflected by his attitude and behaviour mentioned in Qur’ān. He was a king with acute Narcissistic personality disorder. Fir'aoun depicted in Qur’ān most closely matches the Ramesses II of Egypt found in hieroglyphic record.

Next time We will study the events of his reign mentioned in Qur’ān to estimate the period of his kingship in Egypt. This will give us  precise cues to near-accurately estimate the duration of his reign and life-span. It will lead us identifying and specifying him in the history which is available as Primary source in hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt.

We will however not find him ceremonially buried or mummified, as was the old funerary practice, because he was drowned along with his close aides and troops, whereby there was none to have done it. He met humiliation not to find place amongst various Pharaohs of ancient Misr Egypt - a civilization that emerged after unification of Two-Lands. What to say of getting a ceremonial burial in Egypt as a Pharaoh, none wept for him (44:29).

Thereby, the Mummy, which is placed in Cairo's Egyptian Museum with tag of Ramesses II, is not of that Fir'aoum (Pharaoh) who drowned in the Gulf of Suez while chasing Mūsā [Moses alai'his'slaam]. This Mummy cannot be of Ramesses II since its age is estimated as 90 years while the cues of his age in Qur’ān reveal his age at the time of drowning as 65-68 years. Therefore, dead body of real Ramesses II is still to be found. We will study it in a separate paper.

We may however not find mention of Mūsā [Moses alai'his'slaam] in hieroglyphics because in the consideration of Fir'aoun (Pharaoh) he was his "antagonist".

The distinct characteristic - personality disorder of Fir'aoun and his trusted Chieftains portrayed in Qur’ān is self-exaltation - self-aggrandizement - Narcissistic Personality Disorder. They had all the properties of self-aggrandizers like use of technique of "divide and conquer"; aggressive ruthless behaviour; taking advantage of the people around him; arrogant, haughty behaviours; engaging in false accusations, distortion campaigns; character assassination attempts; malicious gossip; amplifying their own image, and outburst of rage; but despite his facade he himself suffered from low - diminishing esteem.

All aspects of his Narcissistic Personality Disorder are explicitly obvious in the narrative of history of Egypt during his reign, starting from his age of mature adulthood to the day of his drowning in the Gulf of Suez. His history is described in Grand Qur’ān with the choice of such words and structuring of sentences that the reader can visualize as if he was witnessing the happenings.    

This Proper Noun finds mention in Grand Qur’ān 74 times in 27 Chapters. The person by this Name (or Title, since Kings are known to the majority of their subjects mostly by Title and are formerly addressed by their honorific title) is mentioned exclusively in the narrative of history period relating to the life of elevated Messenger Musa alahissalam, since his childhood to the death of this King.

It is a Non-Arabic proper noun, a diptote, that finds mention in nominative case as subject of verbs, addressee by vocative particle; in genitive case as object noun of Preposition and second noun in Possessive Phrases but with accusative marker; in accusative case as object of verb and subject noun of Verb-like Particle.

Classical Lexicons mentioned its Root as: ف ر ع ن.

Lane's Lexicon:

A three radical Root: ف ر ع Its primary signification is: He overtopped, or surpassed in height or tallness: in eminence, or nobility,

The picturesque portrayal of the personality of Fir'aoun is the best case-study for psychologists and psychiatrists to have insights about Narcissistic Personality Disorder as he is unique example and case of extreme of this Disorder in human history.

• Our Majesty recite unto you the Messenger [Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam] some of the narrative of the history of Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] and Fir'aoun (Pharaoh), loaded with factual circumstances obtaining. The objective is to particularly acquaint the people who have believed in you. [28:03]

• Indeed Fir'aoun (Pharaoh) had exalted himself in the Land (Egypt) —And he had rendered her society segmented in few classes—By design he kept causing weakening a group of them —
  For accomplishing his objective, he remained in search and desire to order slaughtering their sons and for well thought design let their women live. Indeed he was long been behaving on pattern of those who create imbalances, depravity, fasad. [28:04]

The verbal sentence: عَلَا comprising of  Verb: Perfect; Third person; Singular; Masculine; [intransitive]  Subject Pronoun hidden referent to Fir'aoun is the true depiction of his Arabic name/title. Its verbal noun is; مصدر-عُلُوٌ stemming from Root: ع ل و. It leads to the perception of eminence, loftiness, sublimity, elevation, exaltation, and up-rise; such exaltation and grandeur that nothing can deviate from it.

Fir'aoun is depicted as Narcissist with a long term pattern of abnormal behaviour characterized by Grandiosity. He was a man always thinking about achieving more and more power by using technique of "divide and conquer". He had rendered the subjects of his country divided: شِيَعٙا , a plural of paucity denoting few classes - a system of ordering society whereby people are divided into sets based on perceived social or economic status. The effected ethnic sub-group was Bani Iesraa'eela - the sons of Iesraa'eela who had long back settled in Misr (upper Egypt).

He was a ruthless monarch who indulged in genocide of one national group by determined and systematic killing of their new born sons and leaving women who were incorporated in the conquering group. By this he not only kept that group in subjugation - enslaved but it was also aimed at controlling their demographics and not to let increase the percentage of their young males. Slaughtering of their new born sons is also mentioned at other three places:

• [Reverting from parenthetic to favour of exodus from Egypt] Moreover, recall when Our Majesty delivered you people from the fold-ranks of Pharaoh — While you were in a situation wherein they were seeking-marking you people for inflicting the horrible torment —
  They remained in search for slaughtering your newly born sons. However, they had consciously and purposely decided to leave your wives alive —
  Of course, a hard trial was inherent therein that your Sustainer Lord let persist for a while for you. [2:49]

• Moreover, recall when Our Majesty delivered you from the fold-ranks of Pharaoh — While you were in a situation wherein they were seeking-marking you people for inflicting the horrible torment —
  They remained in search to assassinate-slaughter your newly born sons. However, they had consciously and purposely decided to leave your wives alive.
  And a hard trial was inherent therein that your Sustainer Lord let persist for a while for you. [7:141]

• Recollect the history; When Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] said to his nation: "Recall the Specific Favour of Allah the one which was bestowed upon you people as achievement award in the circumstances—:
  When He the Exalted delivered you people from the fold-ranks of Pharaoh — While you were in a situation wherein they were seeking-marking you people for inflicting the horrible torment —
  And they remained in search for slaughtering your newly born sons. However, they had consciously and purposely decided to leave your wives alive —
  And a hard trial was inherent therein that your Sustainer Lord let persist for a while for you. [14:06] 

Aggrandizement was deep rooted in Fir'aoun ever since he had become the King in young age.

It is the judgement of Allah the Exalted. Evaluee about whom judgement is made is Fir'aun. He is placed in the highest negative evaluation that he had become the top most self-aggrandizer in the group of transgressor and unjust rulers in human history. He was warned by Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] about his extreme abnormality:

We have seen in Qur’ān his first characteristic exactly matching the concept of rendition of his name in Arabic: . But could his tyrant behaviour towards a segment of the populace of his country and enslaving them be considered such a big crime to earn condemnation of topmost aggrandizer, transgressor and unjust ruler unprecedented in human history? Human experience shows that it still happens a group becoming target of harsh treatment by the Ruling elite. But he had over-brimmed:

The words stemming from Root: ع ل و signifying self-exaltation - self-aggrandizement which are typical to Narcissistic personality disorder are only used for Fir'aoun (Pharaoh) and his Chieftains. They do not find mention in the narratives of other annihilated civilizations. Why is Fir'aoun (Pharaoh) condemned in these words:

The answer is that in self-aggrandisement he went to the sublime stage by declaring himself as the only godhead of his Chieftains and as the sublime Sustainer lord of his peoples:

Fir'aoun as a typical narcissist alerted the people around him, belonging to his own nation, with whom he had strong, deep and close association, to counter the forceful speech of Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] who continued undisturbed by interruption:

Noticing concentrated attention of notables in the Levee listening the speech, Fir'aoun demonstrated typical behaviour of a narcissist by engaging in false accusation, distortion campaign, character assassination attempt. Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] continued introducing the true and real Sustainer Lord of the universes focussing on the notables, ignoring Fir'soun's malicious interruptions:

 Fir'aoun again demonstrated personality disorder of a narcissist by amplifying his own image and by outburst of rage:

We skip what happened after it which we will discuss as a separate topic "Presentation of Signs - Unprecedented displays and confrontation by magicians". Our present topic is Fir'aoun as case study of acute Narcissist Personality Disorder since he out-brimmed in self-aggrandizement by portraying himself in the image of deity god:

He did not restrain himself to self-aggrandizement in the image of god but also declared himself in public to be their exalted sustainer lord:

Thereby, Fir'aoun is the solitary king in human history who out brimmed in self-aggrandizement to divinity, combining in himself the trait of god and sustainer of people. He cannot be equated with  other kings who reigned Misr - Egypt since he is singularly condemned in the Grand Qur’ān.

Another characteristic feature of Narcissist Personality Disorder is that despite his facade he himself suffers from low - diminishing esteem. While for others he magnified his image as their god and sustainer, he himself needed miscellaneous gods:

When the magicians had publicly belittled Fir'aoun in response to his threats, the people around him showed their concern and love for him:

The people around him, who all were at that point in time in public, did not say "our gods" but referred to the abandoning of him as god along with others whom Fir'aoun considered his gods.

Where was Fir'aoun reigning?

Fir'aoun, in the restrictive address to his nation, used the Possessive Phrase: the country of Misr and not as the city Misr. He was highlighting his image of superiority over Mūsā [alai'his'slaam].