The Day of Adornment in the Quran: The Pharaonic Festival That Confirms Divine Revelation
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المعجزة في قوله تعالى — The Miracle in the Almighty’s Saying: “Your Appointment is the Day of Adornment”
About This Article An investigation into the Qur’anic verse of Surah Taha (20:59) — “Your appointment is on the Day of Adornment” — demonstrating that this expression precisely matches the famous Pharaonic festival known as the Opet Festival (Fête d’Opet), providing remarkable historical confirmation of the divine origin of the Qur’an.
Table of Contents
- The Qur’anic Verse
- Tafsir — Interpretation
- Pharaonic Evidence — The Opet Festival
- Objections and Responses
- Objection 1 — The Festival Lasted Many Days, Not One
- Response — The Most Important Day Was One Specific Day
- Objection 2 — The Holiday in the Verse May Be a Different One
- Response — The Opet Is Also Called the “Harem Festival” (Women’s Day)
- Objection 3 — Ramses May Not Be the Pharaoh of Moses
- Response — Evidence Ramses II Is the Pharaoh of Moses
- Objection 4 — Linguistic Expression Beyond Literal Definition
- Response — The Linguistic Evidence Fits
- Objection 5 — Another King May Have Celebrated It for One Day
- The Word “Adornment” — Linguistic Analysis
- Ramses II — Physical Descriptions Matching Islamic Narrations
- Conclusion
- Sources and Links
The Qur’anic Verse
Surah Taha — 20:59–60 “He said, ‘Your appointment is on the Day of Adornment, and that the people be gathered at noon.’ (59) But Pharaoh turned away and gathered his plan, then he came.” (60)
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم — Praise be to God and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of God and upon his family and companions, all of them.
Tafsir — Interpretation
Tafsir al-Tabari on Surah Taha 20:59 “God Almighty says: Moses said to Pharaoh when he asked him to set a time for the meeting between them: (Your appointment) for the meeting (is on the Day of Adornment) — meaning a day of celebration that they had.”
Pharaonic Evidence — The Opet Festival
The Festival of Decorations (Fête d’Opet) These are Pharaonic drawings that show that the Day of Adornment — the Fête d’Opet — was actually a day of celebration that the ancient Pharaohs celebrated:
Historical Details of the Opet Festival The Feast of Decorations — called in Pharaonic times “Heb-Nefer-Unepet” — was celebrated every year in the second month of the flood season (the Pharaonic month of Phaophi).
The duration of the celebration varied from one ruling Pharaonic family to another:
- Under the rule of Queen Hatshepsut: the duration was 11 days
- During the reign of Ramses III: the duration was 27 days
Objections and Responses
Objection 1 — The Festival Lasted Many Days, Not One
Objection “God Almighty says on the tongue of Pharaoh: ‘The Day of Adornment’ — which suggests that the holiday was one day. Otherwise, why did He not mention a specific day of this holiday? If it is true that it lasted 27 days, then there is no escape from one of the following possibilities:
- The holiday intended in the verse (the Adornment) is not this holiday mentioned here.
- This Pharaoh is not Ramses, but rather another Pharaoh who celebrates this holiday on one day only.
- If Ramses celebrates this holiday on one day only despite its continuation for 27 days, then this is acceptable, but it is something that lacks evidence.
The precision of the Qur’anic expression — if God wanted to express this holiday — requires that He say: ‘Your appointment is on one of the days of Adornment’, because it is 27 days or because it is more than one day.”*
Response — The Most Important Day Was One Specific Day
Response There is no doubt that the celebrations were — generally — between 11 and 27 days. But the special and most important day is the day of the start of Amun’s journey — it is the day on which sacrifices (bulls) are presented.
Translation from Egyptos.net “The celebrations can last for 27 days, dedicated to a set of rituals, the most important of which is presided over by the king (referring here to the pharaoh presiding over the launch of Amun’s journey). Sacrifices are presented to the gods in the form of bulls whose horns are decorated with flowers.”
The King Gives the Start of the Celebration The god Amun leaves his temple (in Karnak) to visit his wife in Luxor. The journey (in a decorated boat) will last 10 days.
Conclusion Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Pharaoh celebrated this holiday on one specific day — the day that gave the start of the celebration — while the rest of the people celebrated throughout the 27 days.
The following scene explains the matter further:
And the following document indicates that the Ramsesids (including Ramses II) extended the celebration to nearly a month:
Objection 2 — The Holiday in the Verse May Be a Different One
Objection “That the holiday referred to in the verse (Adornment) is not the holiday mentioned here.”
Response — The Opet Is Also Called the “Harem Festival” (Women’s Day)
Response I don’t think so, my dear brother. The feast (Fête d’Opet) mentioned here is the most famous Pharaonic feast and is dedicated to honouring the god Amun. Perhaps it is a coincidence — and God knows best — that this feast is also called Fête du Harem (Harem Festival / Women’s Day).
Here are some sources, for example but not limited to:
First source: http://membres.multimania.fr/egyptedan/dico-o.html
Second source:
Source: http://khemet.online.fr/monuments/temples/louxor.html
Third source:
Source: http://pharaons.free.fr/index.php?tag/Temple
Here is the definition of the French word harem, which means a place designated for women:
Linguistic Note Sometimes the word harem is synonymous with the word women.
The Remarkable Connection Don’t you see, my dear brother, that there is a relationship — which is truly surprising — between the name of the holiday mentioned in the Qur’an (the Day of Adornment) and this holiday, Opet, which is also called Women’s Day? Everyone knows the passion and fondness of women (harem) for jewellery, ornaments, bracelets, and other forms of adornment!
Objection 3 — Ramses May Not Be the Pharaoh of Moses
Objection “Moses’ Pharaoh — with evidence — is Ramses II.” (This objection questions the identification.)
Response — Evidence Ramses II Is the Pharaoh of Moses
Response — Ramses II as the Pharaoh of Moses
Wikipedia — Ramses II “He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire.”
Ramses II as Supreme Deity Ramses II considered himself the living god — dieu vivant — the supreme deity above all other gods of the Pharaohs. All Egyptians bowed down to him; his power had no limits.
French Source “Ramses II was like a living god, all Egyptians bowed down to him, his power had no limits.”
From the Book — Egyptological Bibliography — International Association of Egyptologists, W. Hovestreydt, L.M.J. Zonhoven — Page 152 “The concept of the death and resurrection of the hidden god appeared in pharaonic theology during the reign of the 18th dynasty. The only visible part of the latter is a disk that he carries above his head and indicates the supreme divinity. In the tombs of the 19th dynasty (Seti I — Ramses II, Merneptah) theological phrases were found indicating this belief.”
Translation: The greatest pharaoh in history is Ramses II, who was considered the embodiment of the supreme divinity — émanation de la divinité suprême (embodiment or expression of the supreme divinity).
Source: https://books.google.co.ma/books?id=jcUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA152
Wikipedia’s Own Testimony Regarding Ramses II and Moses “King Ramses II was buried in the Valley of the Kings, in tomb KV7, but his mummy was transferred to the mummy cache at Deir el-Bahari, where it was discovered in 1881 by Gaston Maspero and transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo five years later. Ramses was 170 cm tall, and medical examinations of his mummy show traces of red or dyed hair. It is believed that he suffered from severe rheumatism in the joints in his later years, as well as gum disease.”
Tafsir al-Tabari — On Surah Yunus 10:92 “So today We will save you with your body that you may be a sign to those who come after you.”
Al-Tabari says: “God Almighty says to Pharaoh: So today We will carry you on the earth with your body… For those who come after you among the people, a lesson to learn from you, so that they may be deterred from disobeying God, disbelieving in Him, and striving to spread corruption on His earth.”
On the narration of the Children of Israel: “When the first army of Pharaoh reached the sea, the horses were afraid of the flames… So when the last army of Pharaoh was finished in the sea and the last of the Children of Israel came out, the sea was ordered to close in on them. So the Children of Israel said: Pharaoh did not die, and he would never die! So God threw him on the shore as if he were a red bull that the Children of Israel could see.”
And this is a picture of Ramses II with his red hair:
Note on Western Scholarship and the Old Testament Due to the reliance of Western scholars on the books of the Old Testament and tracking of the times mentioned in it, many orientalists and Western scholars thought that Ramses II is the Pharaoh of Moses who was a contemporary of the presence of the Children of Israel in Egypt. Among the proponents of this theory are: Albright — Isvelt — Roxy — Unger — Father R.P. de Vaux.
However, the information that the Book of Exodus asserts Ramses II was the Pharaoh of forced labour — and that according to historical sequence, the Pharaoh of the Exodus would be none other than Merneptah — has already been discussed in the Christianity catalogues.
Objection 4 — Linguistic Expression Beyond Literal Definition
Objection “That this is one of the expressions that go beyond the linguistic definition, which is one of the things that sometimes occurs in the speech of the Arabs or in the Qur’an, such as the metaphor that expresses the whole by a part of it or by some of its contents, or vice versa, and expressing a thing by its opposite, and using a word that has two opposite meanings: such as the word ‘mawlah’ = the man’s master or his slave or one of his allies whom he protects. But this possibility also lacks research (to apply it to this verse).”
Response — The Linguistic Evidence Fits
Response Very likely — and I apologise, my dear brother, for using the French language in documenting the topic, as it gives me a wider scope for research and documentation.
On the Word “The Greatest” vs. “The Great” Ramses II is considered the greatest, most famous, and most powerful of the pharaohs of the Egyptian Empire.
The word “the greatest” is stronger and more significant than the word “the great.” Ramses II was not only a god — he considered himself above all the gods of the Pharaohs. He considered himself the lord of all gods — the only supreme deity.
Objection 5 — Another King May Have Celebrated It for One Day
Objection “Was there no other king during whose reign this holiday was celebrated for only one day?”
Response — Being Completely Fair To be completely fair: it is very possible that there was another king during whose reign this holiday was celebrated for only one day. However, combined with all the other evidence — the descriptions of the mummy, the red hair, the sea sand, the physical characteristics matching Islamic narrations — the identification of Ramses II as the Pharaoh of Moses remains the strongest position.
The Word “Adornment” — Linguistic Analysis
The Pharaonic Word “Opet” and Its Meanings
On the Word “Opet” / “Ipet” “I searched the internet for the word opet and found that it is the name of one of the Egyptian goddesses, the Hippopotamus.”
The word opet carries multiple meanings:
The Five Meanings of “Opet”
- The name of one of the Egyptian gods — the Hippopotame (hippopotamus goddess)
- The name of one of the gods of the New Kingdom that symbolises the Luxor Temple
- The name of a temple in Karnak
- The name of a temple in Luxor — also called ipet resyt = Harem of the South
- The name of a Pharaonic festival / party / holiday
The Key Point The Holy Verse spoke about a Pharaonic festival — and indeed there is a Pharaonic festival/holiday called Opet.
The Connection Between Opet and Adornment/Decoration
Literal Meaning of “Heb Nefer en Ipet” All the above sources say: Opet Festival / The Beautiful Harem
Breaking down the Pharaonic name:
- heb = festival / celebration
- nefer = beautiful
- ipet / opet = name of the temple in Luxor, also called ipet resyt = Harem of the South
Thus the full meaning is: The Beautiful Harem Festival / Ipet Festival
ipet resyt — The Harem of the South ipet resyt = Name of Luxor Temple = Harem of the South
Important Note When talking about the harem, we must talk about the decorations and adornment.
The Harem Connection
Key Statement — The Non-Islamic Sources Testify We did not insert the word “Day of Adornment” in any way. The non-Islamic sources above are the ones that mentioned that the “Opet” festival was called “Harim’s Festival.”
The Linguistic Proof of “Adornment” (Orner/Ornait) Recall the previous document that says: “The celebrations could last for 27 days, devoted to a group of rituals, the most important of which was presided over by the king. Offerings were made to the gods in the form of bulls whose horns were decorated with flowers.”
French Linguistic Confirmation The word ornait means: to decorate / to adorn The verb orner means: to beautify, to decorate.
Source: http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/definition/orner/
“Opet” was indeed a day of celebration and decoration.
Also Noted It is very likely that the Sham El Nessim holiday is the same as the Decoration Day, but many evidences make us favour the “Opet” holiday or the “Women’s Day”.
Ramses II — Physical Descriptions Matching Islamic Narrations
Research by Engineer Mohamed Abdel Razzaq Juwaili Part of a research that tells the story of the similarity of the descriptions of Moses’s Pharaoh with Ramses II.
Descriptions of Moses’s Pharaoh from Islamic Sources
Physical Descriptions from the Companions and Scholars It was mentioned in the interpretations that some of the Children of Israel lied about the death of Pharaoh and said that he does not die — so he was thrown on the seashore until the Children of Israel saw him, red and short like a bull.
There are many other narrations that described Pharaoh when they saw him after he drowned:
- He was bald
- He was Akhens (diminutive of Akhnas) — meaning: Al-Khans = the nose is set back from the face with a slight rise in the bridge of the nose
- There is a narration by Abu Bakr that he said: “I was told that Pharaoh was afflicted with a broken tooth” — (Affliction: the breaking of a tooth from its root, or a tooth from the incisors or canines, or specific to the incisor)
Thus we can gather the characteristics of the Pharaoh of Moses as described by the companions of the Messenger of God ﷺ: He was short, bald, and had a prominent/long nose.
Description of Moses ﷺ from Islamic Sources Al-Tha’labi said: Ka’b al-Ahbar said: “Moses bin Imran, the Prophet of God, was a tall, curly-haired man, as if he were from the men of Azd Shanu’a, and there was a heavy knot in his tongue, and he was quick and hasty.”
And the Messenger of God ﷺ said: “I saw Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, may God’s prayers be upon them. As for Moses, he was a tall man, tall, and of straight line, resembling the men of the Zutt and the men of the people of Shabwa.”
And al-Tha’labi said: Ka’b al-Ahbar said: “Aaron bin Imran, the Prophet of God, was a man of eloquent tongue and clear speech, and when he spoke, he spoke slowly and knowledgeably. He was taller than Moses, and on his forehead was a mole.”
Descriptions of Ramses II from the Mummy Examination
Comparison — Ramses II Matches By comparing these characteristics with the mummy of Ramses II in the Egyptian Museum, we find:
- His head is bald with some hair on the sides and back of his head
- His nose is slightly prominent and slightly raised above the mouth, protruding at the top
- Medical examinations conducted on the mummy of Ramses II in France in the late seventies showed: Dr. Smith mentioned that there were fractures in his teeth and abscesses, especially in the teeth of the front of the mouth
- X-ray examination of the jaw and teeth showed foci of bone infection in an old man of about 90 years of age with advanced loss of the molar area
Thus, we find that all the characteristics mentioned in the stories about the drowned Pharaoh Moses almost match the mummy of Ramses II, except for one characteristic — his height. The stories mentioned that he was short, while the height of the mummy of Ramses II was 173 cm, meaning that he was of average height.
However, if the description of height is relative — then perhaps this was considered short if attributed to the majority of the men of his time, or to the Children of Israel who described him when they saw his body, given that Moses and Aaron were described as tall men.
The Sea Sand Discovery
A Remarkable Physical Finding The results of the medical examination conducted on the mummy of Ramses II in France between 1976 and 1977 (the mummy remained in France for about 8 months) showed the presence of:
- Sand of desert origin stuck to the body
- Sand of marine origin (sable marin = marine sand) stuck to the body of Pharaoh Ramses II
The Unanswered Question What is the secret of the presence of sea sand stuck to the body of Ramses II, I wonder?
Conclusion
IN SHORT — The Qur’an Mentioning This Event Is Historically Correct
The convergence of evidence:
- The Qur’an mentions “the Day of Adornment” as a Pharaonic festival — confirmed by Pharaonic archaeology as the famous Opet Festival (Heb-Nefer-Unepet)
- The Opet Festival was also independently called Fête du Harem (Women’s Festival / Day of Women’s Adornment) — a name that fits perfectly with the Qur’anic expression
- The French word ornait (to decorate/adorn) directly appears in historical descriptions of this very festival — without any insertion from Islamic sources
- The most important single day of the festival was the opening day presided over by the king — making the Qur’anic expression “the Day of Adornment” linguistically precise
- The physical descriptions of Moses’s Pharaoh from Islamic narrations almost entirely match the mummy of Ramses II
- The presence of marine sand on the mummy of Ramses II remains unexplained by secular scholarship
All of this points to one conclusion: the Qur’an’s knowledge of Pharaonic history was not humanly possible at the time of its revelation.
Sources and Links
Full Source List
Tafsir:
- Tafsir al-Tabari on Surah Taha 20:59: https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=3268&idfrom=3247&idto=3247&flag=0&bk_no=50&ayano=0&surano=0&bookhad=0#docu
Opet Festival:
- https://www.egyptos.net/egyptos/dico/mot-Fete-Opet.php
- http://pantheonegyptien.free.fr/la_fete_d_opet_598.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opet_Festival
- http://yp.voyages.free.fr/Egypte/Pharaon/opet.html
- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/429983/Opet
Opet / Ipet — Temple and Name:
- http://www.egyptologie.com/karnak.htm
- http://www.egypt-cairo.com/luxor/ipet_resyt.html
- http://egyptopedia.fr/entree.php?lettre=A&entree=Amon
- https://dictionnaire.sensagent.com/opet/fr-fr/
Harem / Women’s Day Connection:
- http://membres.multimania.fr/egyptedan/dico-o.html
- http://khemet.online.fr/monuments/temples/louxor.html
- http://pharaons.free.fr/index.php?tag/Temple
Ramses II as Supreme Deity:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II
- https://conseils-astuces.over-blog.com/article-ramses-ii-et-nefertari-71874808.html
- https://books.google.co.ma/books?id=jcUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA152
French Language References:
- https://www.linternaute.fr/dictionnaire/fr/definition/se-prosterner/
- http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/definition/orner/
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