The epistemic transition from classical theories of power to critical approaches has shifted the analytical focus from observable physical coercion to hidden mechanisms of managing perceptions and preferences. In this context, the Qur’an’s portrayal of Pharaonic governance employs the key concept of underrate  to unveil a cognitive mechanism that closely parallels Steven Lukes’ third dimension of power, or the radical view of power.
The present study aims to examine the nature of underrate  as soft‑power technology and to elucidate how it becomes a strategic instrument for internalizing domination and generating voluntary obedience, drawing on modern theories in political sociology. Conducted through a descriptive–analytical method and an interdisciplinary approach (Qur’anic exegesis and political science), the research utilizes library data and qualitative content analysis of authoritative Qur’anic commentaries and major theoretical works on power, especially those of Lukes, Foucault, and Gramsci. The findings indicate that underrate, beyond functioning as mere verbal humiliation, represents a systematic strategy for emptying the subject of rational and moral weight. Through managing public perception and subtly manipulating preferences, Pharaoh normalized self‑objectification process within the collective unconscious. Targeting individuals’ self‑worth and human dignity and replacing them with a form of foundational shame, underrate leads individuals to believe that they are inherently unqualified for freedom.  Aligned with the radical theory of power, this mechanism demonstrates that durable domination is not achieved through overt coercion but through the engineering of consent and the transformation of citizens into passive instruments what can be described as self‑dehumanization. Ultimately, underrate, as a technology for producing internalized servitude, creates a condition in which the subject accepts subordination as an inevitable destiny.