"As human beings,

it is only through others that we can truly see ourselves, hear ourselves, and speak to ourselves; but in his self-obsession, a tyrant is utterly incapable of such reflection. The example of Pharaoh, the archetypal tyrant in both the Bible and the Qur'an, best illustrates this point, with the Qur'an's reference to the his statement, "I am your lord, most high" (79:24). This statement captures a certain truth about the nature of the oppressor: he is an idolater, one who has chosen to worship his self rather than his Creator. His actions evince this, should his tongue fail to express it; and because he sees himself as a god in place of God, he is not to be crossed or confronted without the exacting of a terrible price.

-from the introduction to The Prayer of the Oppressed of Imam Muhammad b. Nasir al-Dar'i. Translation & Introduction by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, pg. 5