Moving the Mokattam
Mountain
What is a miracle?
• Can anyone tell me of a miracle that
they’re parents have told them? Or one
that you have heard of?
• What does it mean when something is a
miracle?
Miracle in Egypt
• God performed a huge
miracle in the days of
Caliph Al Moez.
• What is a Caliph?
• A leader of Islam
• This miracle actually
occurred in Cairo, Egypt.
It was done to save the
Christians that lived in
Egypt from further
persecution.
Faith of a mustard seed…
• Caliph Al Moez had a Jewish
minister who hated the Christians
and was looking for any
opportunity to persecute them.
• So one day, he came to Caliph Al
Moez and mocked Christianity by
saying that Christ said, “if you
have the faith of a mustard seed
you will say to the mountain,
‘move from here to there,’ and it
will move; and nothing will be
impossible for you.”
• This verse is found in Matthew
17:20
The test
• The Jewish minister obviously did
not believe a word of what Lord
Jesus Christ said, so he told the
Caliph to test the Christians and see
if this in fact will happen.
• He told the Caliph to ask the
Christians to move the Mokattam
Mountain so that the air will be purer
and the weather nicer in Cairo.
• He said that if it doesn’t move
according to their verse that the
Caliph should take all the homes
and possessions for themselves and
drive the Christians out of the
country.
• The Jewish minister convinced Al Moez
and sent for the Patriach at that time. His
name was Anba Abram the Syrian and
told him the plan of the Jewish minister.
• The Patriach was so upset, but he told the
Caliph to give him 3 days to figure
something out.
• Anba Abram went back to his church in
such grief! How will he make this
happen?!?!
Prayer and fasting
• Anba Abram sent letters to the
people, priests, and bishops all
around the area asking them to fast
for 3 consecutive days till evening
and pray masses everyday for the
church was in danger.
• Everyone in Cairo was in such grief
at the situation. What could they
do!? How would they survive?
• Anba Abram himself locked himself
in the Hanging Church in Cairo for
those 3 days without water or food.
• He kept praying to the Lord, “O Lord
help us…O Lord deliver us.”
The dream
• After he prayed and prayed and
prayed, he went to sleep and
had a dream.
• In his dream he saw a beautiful
lady (who was this beautiful
lady?)
• The Virgin Mary! She came to
him and told him that the Lord
had heard his prayers and the
prayers of the people and that
when he woke up and went out
to the market place there would
be a man with a jar of water and
he will tell him what to do.
Simon the Tanner
• As soon as he woke up, he knelt down and
thanked God over and over again for His
mercies!
• Anba Abram went out and found the man and
brought him to the church and told him what
happened. The man’s name was Simon the
Tanner or shoe fixer.
• Simon said a very important phrase: “The Lord
will fight for you and you will hold your peace.”
• Let’s repeat this important verse.
• When the time came, Anba
Abram came to the Caliph
with many people, deacons,
and priests.
• The minister started
mocking the Patriach by
saying, “ you have come to
say that you cannot move
the mountain of course!!!”
• Anba Abram made the sign
of the cross and repeated
what Simon the Tanner told
him.
• What was that?
The True Faith!
• The Caliph, statesmen, nobles, and
the ministers came out to see how
in the world was this mountain
going to move!
• The minister was really excited to
see how much the Christians would
be disappointed when the mountain
did not move.
• Anba Abram stood with deacons,
Simon the Tanner, other priests,
and the people after the liturgy
chanting, “Lord have mercy” over
and over again.
The moving of the mountain
• Suddenly!! An earthquake
occurred and the Mountain
started to move causing the
ground to shake underneath
them.
• All the leaders including the
Calipha were afraid and
asked the Pope to stop for
they thought that the city was
going to fall apart!
• Calipha Al Moez was so
amazed by this great
wonder that he was
baptized and became a
monk.
• His tomb is actually still
there in the church of Abu
Sefein in Cairo.
• The Christians were saved
thanks to the love and
wonders of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Questions
• What was the name of the Calipha?
• Where can we find the verse “if you have
the faith of a mustard seed…”?
• What is the name of the Patriach?
• What did the Patriach and the people do?
• Who gave an order that the Mountain
should be moved?
• What happened to the mountain?
Conclusion
•
The person who walks with God has nothing to fear. If you look at Anba
Abram, he had so much reason to give up and turn and run away. But he
didn’t! He told the Calipha to give him some time to find a solution.
•
We always say prayer and fasting are very important and here is a case
where it proved to be so crucial to the faith of the people.
•
Our Coptic church has gone through so much persecution, but throughout it
all we have stood firm and strong in our faith and trust in God and through
that Christ has delivered us and brought us through it all.
•
We should always thank God for everything he does for us, and realize how
important trusting Him no matter what the odds are against us because He
will help us overcome it all.
•
God is great, and mighty and can do anything even the things that we feel is
impossible. Nothing is impossible for lord Jesus Christ.
Memory Verse
“The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall
hold your peace.”
Exodus 14:14