God Arises
The Challenge of The Qur’an
~ 346 ~
On January 12, 1985, a gathering was held in the
Indian Institute of Islamic Studies at Tughlaqabad
in New Delhi, which was addressed by Ezra Kolet,
president of the Council of Indian Jewry. His topic
was: ‘What is Judaism?’ Naturally, he dealt with
Jewish history in his talk, mentioning among other
things, the Jews’ entrance into Egypt and their
exodus from that country. The names of both
Joseph and Moses figured in his talk as well as the
kings who were ruling in Egypt in their respective
times. For both kings, the contemporaries of Joseph
and Moses, used the term ‘Pharaoh’.
As everyone acquainted with the period knows, this
nomenclature is historically incorrect. The reign of
the kings known as Pharaohs only began in Moses’
time; in Joseph’s day, a different line of monarchs
ruled in Egypt.
When Joseph entered Egypt, the kings of a dynasty
known as the Hyksos ruled there. They were
ethnically Arabs, and had usurped the Egyptian
throne, ruling in that country from 2000 BC until
the end of the 15th century BC. The indigenous
