Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 7 Al-A'raf, Ayat 112-126

يَاۡتُوۡكَ بِكُلِّ سٰحِرٍ عَلِيۡمٍ‏ ﴿7:112﴾ وَجَآءَ السَّحَرَةُ فِرۡعَوۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ لَـنَا لَاَجۡرًا اِنۡ كُنَّا نَحۡنُ الۡغٰلِبِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:113﴾ قَالَ نَـعَمۡ وَاِنَّكُمۡ لَمِنَ الۡمُقَرَّبِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:114﴾ قَالُوۡا يٰمُوۡسٰٓى اِمَّاۤ اَنۡ تُلۡقِىَ وَاِمَّاۤ اَنۡ نَّكُوۡنَ نَحۡنُ الۡمُلۡقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:115﴾ قَالَ اَلۡقُوۡا​ ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَلۡقَوۡا سَحَرُوۡۤا اَعۡيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسۡتَرۡهَبُوۡهُمۡ وَجَآءُوۡ بِسِحۡرٍ عَظِيۡمٍ‏ ﴿7:116﴾ وَاَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلٰى مُوۡسٰٓى اَنۡ اَلۡقِ عَصَاكَ​ ۚ فَاِذَا هِىَ تَلۡقَفُ مَا يَاۡفِكُوۡنَ ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:117﴾ فَوَقَعَ الۡحَـقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:118﴾ فَغُلِبُوۡا هُنَالِكَ وَانْقَلَبُوۡا صٰغِرِيۡنَ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:119﴾ وَ اُلۡقِىَ السَّحَرَةُ سٰجِدِيۡنَ ۙ‏ ﴿7:120﴾ قَالُوۡۤا اٰمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ ۙ‏ ﴿7:121﴾ رَبِّ مُوۡسٰى وَهٰرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:122﴾ قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ اٰمَنۡتُمۡ بِهٖ قَبۡلَ اَنۡ اٰذَنَ لَـكُمۡ​ۚ اِنَّ هٰذَا لَمَكۡرٌ مَّكَرۡتُمُوۡهُ فِى الۡمَدِيۡنَةِ لِتُخۡرِجُوۡا مِنۡهَاۤ اَهۡلَهَا​ ۚ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:123﴾ لَاُقَطِّعَنَّ اَيۡدِيَكُمۡ وَاَرۡجُلَكُمۡ مِّنۡ خِلَافٍ ثُمَّ لَاُصَلِّبَنَّكُمۡ اَجۡمَعِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:124﴾ قَالُـوۡۤا اِنَّاۤ اِلٰى رَبِّنَا مُنۡقَلِبُوۡنَ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:125﴾ وَمَا تَـنۡقِمُ مِنَّاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ اٰمَنَّا بِاٰيٰتِ رَبِّنَا لَمَّا جَآءَتۡنَا​ ؕ رَبَّنَاۤ اَفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡنَا صَبۡرًا وَّتَوَفَّنَا مُسۡلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:126﴾

(7:112) to summon every skilful magician to your presence.'89 (7:113) And the magicians came to Pharaoh and said: 'Shall we have a reward if we win?' (7:114) Pharaoh replied: 'Certainly, and you shall be among those who are near to me.' (7:115) Then they said: '0 Moses, will you [first] throw your rod, or shall we throw?' (7:116) Moses said: 'You throw.' So when they threw [their rods], they enchanted the eyes of the people, and struck them with awe, and produced a mighty sorcery. (7:117) Then We directed Moses: 'Now you throw your rod.' And lo! it swallowed up all their false devices.90 (7:118) Thus was the truth established, and their doings proved in vain. (7:119) Pharaoh and his men were defeated and put to shame, (7:120) and the magicians flung themselves prostrate, (7:121) saying: 'We believe in the Lord of the universe, (7:122) the Lord of Moses and Aaron.'91 (7:123) Pharaoh said: 'What! Do you believe before you have my permission? Surely this is a plot you have contrived to drive out the rulers from the capital. So you shall see, (7:124) I shall cut off your hands and feet on the opposite sides, and then crucify you all.' (7:125) They replied: 'We shall surely return to our Lord. (7:126) Will you punish us just because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us? Our Lord! Shower us with perseverance and cause us to die as those who have submitted [to You].'92

Notes

89. The plan of Pharaoh's courtiers clearly suggests that they knew the difference between mere sorcery and a miracle. They were well aware that miracles are effective and have the capacity to bring about actual transformation whereas sorcery results merely in optic illusion. Hence, they dubbed Moses a sorcerer so as to refute his claim to prophethood. They claimed instead that the transformation of the rod into a serpent was not a miracle; that it was rather a magical performance which could be undertaken by any sorcerer. Therefore, they asked all the sorcerers of the land to come together and display how rods could be magically transformed into serpents. They believed that such a magical show would remove the awesome effect created by Moses' miracles on the people, or at least sow doubts in their minds about those miracles.

90. It would be a mistake to believe that the rod of Moses swallowed up the rods and ropes cast by the other sorcerers and which had looked like serpents. The Qur'anic statement means that the rod of Moses swallowed up the falsehood faked by them. This clearly shows that wherever Moses' rod moved, it destroyed the magical effect which had caused the transformation of their ropes and rods. One blow of Moses' rod caused every other rod to revert to a rod, and every rope to revert to a rope. (For further elaboration see Tafhim al-Qur'an, (Ta Ha 20, n. 42)

91. Thus God turned the tables on Pharaoh and his courtiers they arranged the magic show in the hope that it would convince the people that Moses was just a sorcerer, and thus make them sceptical about his claim to prophethood. But the actual outcome was quite the opposite. The sorcerers who had been assembled were defeated. Not only that, it was also unanimously acknowledged that the signs displayed by Moses in support of his claim were not feats of magic. Rather, his signs rather manifested the might of God, the Lord of the universe, and hence could not be overcome by magic.

92. Faced with utter failure Pharaoh finally resorted to branding the whole magic tournament as a conspiracy concocted by Moses and his accomplice sorcerers. Under threat of death and physical torture he asked the sorcerers to confess that they had acted in collusion with Moses. This last move by Pharaoh was ineffectual. For the sorcerers readily agreed to endure every torture, clearly proving thereby that their decision to accept Moses' message reflected their sincere conviction and that no conspiracy was involved. Pharaoh was hardly left with any choice. He, therefore, gave up all pretence to follow truth and justice, and brazenly resorted to persecution instead.

The tremendous and instantaneous change which took place in the characters of the sorcerers is also of significance. The sorcerers had come all the way from their homes with the purpose of vindicating their ancestral faith and receiving pecuniary reward from Pharaoh for overcoming Moses. However, the moment true faith illumined their hearts, they displayed such resoluteness of will and love for the truth that they contemptuously turned down Pharaoh's offer, and demonstrated their full readiness to endure even the worst punishments for the sake of the truth that had dawned upon them.