Surah 26. Ash-Shu'ara

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-33 [2], 34-51 [3], 52-68 [4], 69-104 [5], 105-122 [6], 123-140 [7], 141-159 [8], 160-175 [9], 176-191 [10], 192-227 [11]

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Quran Text of Verse 34-51قَالَHe saidلِلْمَلَاِto the chiefsحَوْلَهٗۤaround himاِنَّIndeedهٰذَاthisلَسٰحِرٌ(is) surely a magicianعَلِیْمٌۙlearned یُّرِیْدُHe wantsاَنْtoیُّخْرِجَكُمْdrive you outمِّنْfromاَرْضِكُمْyour landبِسِحْرِهٖ ۖۗby his magicفَمَا ذَاso whatتَاْمُرُوْنَ (do) you advise قَالُوْۤاThey saidاَرْجِهْPost pone himوَ اَخَاهُand his brotherوَ ابْعَثْand sendفِیinالْمَدَآىِٕنِthe citiesحٰشِرِیْنَۙgatherers یَاْتُوْكَThey (will) bring to youبِكُلِّeveryسَحَّارٍmagicianعَلِیْمٍ learned فَجُمِعَSo were assembledالسَّحَرَةُthe magiciansلِمِیْقَاتِfor (the) appointmentیَوْمٍ(on) a dayمَّعْلُوْمٍۙwell-known وَّ قِیْلَAnd it was saidلِلنَّاسِto the peopleهَلْWillاَنْتُمْyouمُّجْتَمِعُوْنَۙassemble 26. Ash-Shu'ara Page 369لَعَلَّنَاThat we mayنَتَّبِعُfollowالسَّحَرَةَthe magiciansاِنْifكَانُوْاthey areهُمُthey areالْغٰلِبِیْنَ the victorious فَلَمَّاSo whenجَآءَcameالسَّحَرَةُthe magiciansقَالُوْاthey saidلِفِرْعَوْنَto FiraunاَىِٕنَّIs thereلَنَاfor usلَاَجْرًاa rewardاِنْifكُنَّاwe areنَحْنُwe areالْغٰلِبِیْنَ the victorious قَالَHe saidنَعَمْYesوَ اِنَّكُمْand indeed youاِذًاthenلَّمِنَsurely (will be) ofالْمُقَرَّبِیْنَ the ones who are brought near قَالَSaidلَهُمْto themمُّوْسٰۤیMusaاَلْقُوْاThrowمَاۤwhatاَنْتُمْyouمُّلْقُوْنَ (are) going to throw فَاَلْقَوْاSo they threwحِبَالَهُمْtheir ropesوَ عِصِیَّهُمْand their staffsوَ قَالُوْاand saidبِعِزَّةِBy the mightفِرْعَوْنَ(of) Firaunاِنَّاindeed weلَنَحْنُsurely weالْغٰلِبُوْنَ (are) the victorious فَاَلْقٰیThen threwمُوْسٰیMusaعَصَاهُhis staffفَاِذَاand behold!هِیَItتَلْقَفُswallowedمَاwhatیَاْفِكُوْنَۚۖthey falsified فَاُلْقِیَThen fell downالسَّحَرَةُthe magiciansسٰجِدِیْنَۙprostrate قَالُوْۤاThey saidاٰمَنَّاWe believeبِرَبِّin (the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَۙ(of) the worlds رَبِّLordمُوْسٰی(of) Musaوَ هٰرُوْنَ and Harun قَالَHe saidاٰمَنْتُمْYou believedلَهٗin himقَبْلَbeforeاَنْ[that]اٰذَنَI gave permissionلَكُمْ ۚto youاِنَّهٗIndeed heلَكَبِیْرُكُمُ(is) surely your chiefالَّذِیْwhoعَلَّمَكُمُhas taught youالسِّحْرَ ۚthe magicفَلَسَوْفَso surely soonتَعْلَمُوْنَ ؕ۬you will knowلَاُقَطِّعَنَّI will surely cut offاَیْدِیَكُمْyour handsوَ اَرْجُلَكُمْand your feetمِّنْofخِلَافٍopposite sidesوَّ لَاُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْand I will surely crucify youاَجْمَعِیْنَۚall قَالُوْاThey saidلَاNoضَیْرَ ؗharmاِنَّاۤIndeed weاِلٰیtoرَبِّنَاour Lordمُنْقَلِبُوْنَۚ(will) return اِنَّاIndeed weنَطْمَعُhopeاَنْthatیَّغْفِرَwill forgiveلَنَاusرَبُّنَاour Lordخَطٰیٰنَاۤour sinsاَنْbecauseكُنَّاۤwe areاَوَّلَ(the) firstالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَؕ۠(of) the believers

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Translation of Verse 34-51

(26:34) He said to the eminent ones around him, ‘This indeed is a skilled magician.

(26:35) He plans to drive you out of your land by his magic.⁴⁵ So, what is it then that you would advise?’⁴⁶

(26:36) They said, ‘Put him and his brother off (for a while), and send in the cities musterers -

(26:37) To bring you every accomplished skilled magician.’⁴⁷

(26:38) So the magicians were assembled at the appointed time⁴⁸ of a day well-known.⁴⁹

(26:39) And the people were asked, ‘Will you assemble?!⁵⁰

(26:40) Haply we shall follow the magicians if they are the ones who overcome.’

(26:41) Then, when the magicians arrived they asked Fir`awn, ‘Shall we indeed have a reward if we are the winners?’⁵¹

(26:42) He said, ‘Of course. And, in that case, you shall surely be of those brought nigh.’

(26:43) Musa told them, ‘Throw down, whatever you are going to throw.’

(26:44) So they threw down their ropes and their staffs, and said, ‘By the might of Fir`awn,⁵² it is we who will be the ones to overcome.’

(26:45) Then Musa threw his staff⁵³ and lo, there she was swallowing⁵⁴ what they had devised.

(26:46) Consequently, the magicians were thrown prostrate.⁵⁵

(26:47) Saying, ‘We believe in the Lord of the worlds.⁵⁶

(26:48) Lord of Musa and Harun.’⁵⁷

(26:49) Said he, ‘Have you believed before I granted you permission!? Why, he is your chief who taught you magic,⁵⁸ so you shall presently know. I will indeed cut off your hands and feet on the opposite sides and shall crucify you all.’

(26:50) They said, ‘No harm.⁵⁹ To our Lord indeed we are to return.

(26:51) We do hope that our Lord will forgive us our errors for that we were first of the believers.’⁶⁰

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Commentary

45. That is, he will deprive you of your political power (Ibn Kathir).

The verse also throws hint that the ruling Syksos were foreigners in the land, colonizers of Egypt (Au.).

46. The textual word allows for two possible meanings: one, as in translation (from mu’aamarah), another, command (Kashshaf).

Fir`awn wasn’t of course waiting for a command from them or for advice. Perhaps by using such terms he aimed at beefing up their ego. He needed all of it to fight out Musa’s influence (Au.).

47. The qualifying noun “every” (and “accomplished”: Au.) was meant to attenuate the emperor’s anxiety (Kashshaf).

48. The textual word “meeqat” covers both time and place of appointment, hence mawaaqit of ihraam which are for time as well as place (Kashshaf, Razi, Alusi).

49. The “well-known” day was the day of festivities (Zamakhshari).

It was actually Musa himself who had suggested that the appointed day be the day of festivities, as stated in Taa Haa, verse ##59. And, initially, Fir`awn was hesitant about it but accepted in fond hope that his sorcerers will win out. Yusuf Ali wrote at that point: “Pharaoh was apparently taken aback at Moses appointing a solemn day of public Festival, when there would be a large concourse and there would sure to be some people not in the Court clique, who might be critical of Pharaoh's own sorcerers. But probably there was something more in their dark counsels, something unfair and wicked, to which Moses refers in his speech in the next verse (which said, ‘So Fir`awn withdrew, got together his tricks and then came back:’ Au.)‏”

50. “(to witness the glory of State religion and the discomfiture of these pretenders)” – Majid.

Yusuf Ali adds: “.. the object was to get together as large a concourse of people as possible. It was confidently expected that the Egyptian sorcerers with all their organization will win with their tricks against those amateur Israelites, and so the State cult of the worship of Pharaoh would be fastened on the necks of the people more firmly than ever.”

51. “There was no such thing as pure loyalty to an exploiting ruler like this Pharaoh. The sorcerers, who were probably also priests, were venal, and they hoped to establish their own hold on both king and people by the further enrichment of themselves and their order” (Yusuf Ali).

52. It was an oath (Kashshaf, Alusi). Ibn `Atiyyah however (as well as a few others) have thought that it was for the purpose of drawing benediction (barakah), and a way to honor their earthly deity Fir`awn (Alusi).

53. Majid comments: “The Bible, wrong and muddled as usual, attributes this miracle instead of Moses to Aaron. (Ex. 7: 9,10).”

54. The textual talqafu has the connotation of quick swallowing (Alusi).

55. The belief and involuntary prostration was due to the fact that the magicians – being skilled as they were, and masters of their time - knew better than anyone else that what had nullified their magic was not any magic, but a true miracle. Also, they must have guessed that if what Musa presented was also magic, their own staffs and ropes would not have disappeared altogether. And the lesson is, expert knowledge serves you sometime, in some place (Razi and Alusi paraphrased).

Perhaps since the news of the nature of Musa’s miracle had spread far and wide before the actual encounter, the magicians had come prepared with the same kind of magic in order to fitfully refute him. They hadn’t brought, for example, apples that could become rabbits or rabbits to become bananas. So, when their only tools of magic: staffs and ropes, disappeared, they were left with nothing on hand to try something else. Their helplessness would have affected them to consider Musa’s feat seriously, which, along with Allah’s tawfiq, led them to declare their change of heart (Au.).

56. This demonstrates that Musa’s message and mission were fairly well propagated by that time and so they knew what he stood for (Au.).

57. They added these words to disqualify Fir`awn (Kashshaf) who claimed Lordship, and to dispel any doubt about the identity of the Deity they had believed in (Au.).

58. Although Musa had been out of the kingdom for a decade, and hadn’t had the chance to travel through the land teaching the sorcerers magic, Fir`awn knew this ploy would still work, for, such is the mental disposition of the masses. In our own times, the American leaders work similar ploys on their masses with good success (Au.).

59. They did not mean that they could not or would not be put to any harm, but rather that the harm they would face was nothing in comparison with the blessings of the Hereafter (Razi).

60. That is, as a group from among the Copts.