قَالَ He said اَجِئْتَنَا Have you come to us لِتُخْرِجَنَا to drive us out مِنْ of اَرْضِنَا our land بِسِحْرِكَ with your magic یٰمُوْسٰی O Musa فَلَنَاْتِیَنَّكَ Then we will surely produce for you بِسِحْرٍ magic مِّثْلِهٖ like it فَاجْعَلْ So make بَیْنَنَا between us وَ بَیْنَكَ and between you مَوْعِدًا an appointment لَّا not نُخْلِفُهٗ we will fail it نَحْنُ [we] وَ لَاۤ and not اَنْتَ you مَكَانًا (in) a place سُوًی even قَالَ He said مَوْعِدُكُمْ Your appointment یَوْمُ (is on the) day الزِّیْنَةِ (of) the festival وَ اَنْ and that یُّحْشَرَ will be assembled النَّاسُ the people ضُحًی (at) forenoon فَتَوَلّٰی Then went away فِرْعَوْنُ Firaun فَجَمَعَ and put together كَیْدَهٗ his plan ثُمَّ then اَتٰی came قَالَ Said لَهُمْ to them مُّوْسٰی Musa وَیْلَكُمْ Woe to you! لَا (Do) not تَفْتَرُوْا invent عَلَی against اللّٰهِ Allah كَذِبًا a lie فَیُسْحِتَكُمْ lest He will destroy you بِعَذَابٍ ۚ with a punishment وَ قَدْ And verily خَابَ he failed مَنِ who افْتَرٰی invented فَتَنَازَعُوْۤا Then they disputed اَمْرَهُمْ (in) their affair بَیْنَهُمْ among them وَ اَسَرُّوا and they kept secret النَّجْوٰی the private conversation قَالُوْۤا They said اِنْ Indeed هٰذٰىنِ these two لَسٰحِرٰنِ [two] magicians یُرِیْدٰنِ they intend اَنْ that یُّخْرِجٰكُمْ they drive you out مِّنْ of اَرْضِكُمْ your land بِسِحْرِهِمَا with their magic وَ یَذْهَبَا and do away بِطَرِیْقَتِكُمُ with your way الْمُثْلٰی the exemplary
(20:57) He said: "Have you come to us to drive us out of our land by your sorcery?30
(20:58) We shall confront you with a sorcery like your own. So appoint a day when both of us might meet face to face in an open space; an appointment which neither we nor you shall fail to keep."
(20:59) Moses said: "The appointment to meet you is on the Day of the Feast and let all people come together before noon."31
(20:60) Pharaoh went back and concerted all his stratagem and returned for the encounter.32
(20:61) (At the time of the encounter) Moses said to them:33 "Woe to you! Do not invent falsehoods against Allah34 lest He destroy you with a scourge. Surely those who invent lies shall come to grief."
(20:62) Thereupon they wrangled among themselves about the matter and conferred in secret.35
(20:63) Some of them said:36 "These two are magicians, who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and to destroy your excellent way of life.37
30. ‘Sorcery’ here refers to the miracle of the rod and to Moses’ shining hand. Details of these miracles are mentioned in al-A ‘raf and al-Shu‘ara’ and refer to a miracle which Moses performed during his first meeting with Pharaoh when the latter’s court was in full attendance. This particular miracle totally unnerved Pharaoh, a fact which can be gauged by his response: ‘Have you come to drive us out of our land by your sorcery’ (verse 57).
Never before in the history of mankind, either before Moses’ and Pharaoh’s time or after it, was a magician able to establish his domination over a country by dint of his magic. In Pharaoh’s own land there were numerous magicians who went about demonstrating their magical feats and asking people for money in return. Hence Pharaoh’s statements that Moses was a magician, and that he constituted a threat to Pharaoh’s dominion only bespoke of his nervousness and bewilderment. The fact seems to be that Pharaoh was cognizant of Moses’ persuasive and well-argued discourse as well as of his impressive miracles. It would also appear that at this stage Pharaoh had begun to seriously believe that both his courtiers and the common people of his realm were being favorably impressed by Moses. He, therefore, had to resort to lies and fraudulent practices in an attempt to arouse his people’s latent prejudices.
He, therefore, argued that what Moses had demonstrated were simply magical feats rather than miracles; tricks which any magician of his realm could perform — transmuting a rod into a serpent. He also attempted to incite his people’s anger against Moses by saying in effect: ‘Look, Moses brands your ancestors to be ill-guided; as those who deserve to be cast into Hell-Fire.
Beware of him! He is no Prophet, but merely hungers for power. He merely wants the Israelites to be able to seize power from the Copts and rule over this country as in the time of Joseph.’ By resorting to such a stratagem Pharaoh tried to undermine Moses’ mission. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur’ an, vol. III, al-A‘raf 7, nn. 87-90, pp. 65-8 and vol. IV, Yunus 10, n. 75, p. 56 respectively). At this point it is also worth mentioning that the ruling classes, throughout all times, have maligned the votaries of truth, accusing them of hungering for power, misconstruing all their activities as being directed to that sole objective. (For some relevant instances see. al-A ‘raf 7: 110 and 123; Yunus 10: 78 and al-Mu’ minun. 23: 2.)
31. Pharaoh believed that his ‘magicians would be able to nullify the impression created in the minds of his people by Moses’ miracles. He, therefore, commanded his magicians to perform their wondrous feats, turning rods and ropes into serpents and the like. He fully believed that once such feats had been performed, Moses’ miracles would lose all their effect. So when Pharaoh himself suggested an encounter between Moses and the magicians, Moses was able to seize this opportunity to demonstrate the difference between sorcery and miracles. Hence Moses readily agreed, further adding that instead of fixing a special time and place for that purpose, the festival that was about to take place be made use of since it would attract people from all over the country. Moses preferred the encounter to take place before all those who were expected to attend the festival, and during broad daylight, so that no ambiguity concerning the question in dispute would remain thereafter.
32. Pharaoh and his courtiers considered this encounter to be of crucial importance. Messengers were sent to all parts of the country to summon all skilled magicians to the capital. Likewise, efforts were made to attract the maximum number of people in order that they might witness the magicians’ feats. It was hoped that the people’s minds would thus be disabused of the favorable impression that had been formed of Moses on account of his miracles. Furthermore, Pharaoh and his supporters publicly claimed that the survival of their faith would depend on the performance of these magicians. If they were victorious, their faith would prevail; if not, Moses would triumph. (See al-Shu‘ara’ 26: 34-51.)
At this stage one ought to recall that the religion of the Egyptian royalty and elites was perceptibly different from that adhered to by the general public; their respective deities and temples were different as were their rituals. Likewise, there was considerable diversity in their beliefs regarding Life-after-Death, a question considered of great importance in Egypt. (See. Arnold Toynbee, A Study of History, abridgement by D.C. Somerwell (London, Oxford University Press, 1962), pp. 31-2 — Ed.) Moreover, as a result of earlier changes in Egyptian religious life, some sections of the local population had begun to prefer, or at. least had developed a susceptibility towards, monotheistic as opposed to polytheistic doctrines. This is evident from the fact that the Israelites and their local co-religionists constituted at least ten percent of the population. Moreover, barely 150 years previously Amenophis or Akhnaton (1377-1360 B.C.) had brought about a religious revolution in Egypt. As a result of this revolution, only a single deity, Aton was worshipped whereas other deities were discarded. True, this revolution was subsequently reversed with the help of the same political power which had caused it. Nevertheless, the results of this revolution had some bearing on the peoples’ minds. If one bears these facts in mind, it is that much easier to understand the panic which seized Pharaoh on this occasion.
33, It is pertinent to recall that this was not addressed to the general public who had to decide whether Moses performed miracles or magical feats. Instead, Moses said this in the course of his address to Pharaoh and his courtiers who had accused Moses of being no more than a magician.
34. The people concerned were asked not to fabricate a lie against God; to refrain from calling Moses’ miracle a feat of magic, and from calling a true Messenger of God a magician, one much given to lying. (See al-Qasas 28: 4—- Ed.)
35. This shows that they had begun to feel weakened from within. They realized that what Moses had performed was not magic. Hence, they faced Moses in the encounter with considerable trepidation and reluctance, and when that encounter began, their resolve simply dissipated. The disagreement in Pharaoh’s ranks, to which the present verse refers possibly pertains to the time and venue of the encounter. They probably disagreed among themselves about whether the encounter should take place on the occasion of the great national festival and which would be attended by a large number of people from all parts of the land, and which would also take place in broad daylight enabling all to witness it. Some people in Pharaoh’s ranks seem to have been opposed to the idea, thinking that if they suffered a public defeat and people became aware of the difference between miracles and magic, then it would. be extremely difficult to avoid a crushing defeat.
36. This statement, in all probability, was made by those extremist members of Pharaoh’s court who were willing to go to any lengths in order to defeat Moses. The zealous followers of Pharaoh thought it advisable to go vigorously ahead, give up all circumspection, and plunge into a direct encounter, come what may. Those who were mature, however, and had a better understanding of things were reluctant to proceed in a direction that would force them into a headlong confrontation with Moses.
37. Their position rested on two points. First, if the magicians succeeded in - changing rods into serpents, this would impress upon the crowd that Moses was no more than a magician. Moreover, by fanning the fire of chauvinistic prejudice, they wanted to persuade the ruling classes that Moses’ victory would mean the former’s downfall and the extinction of their splendid way of life. They, thus, infused fear into the hearts and minds of influential members of the Egyptian society, advising that Moses’ rise to power would sound the death-knell of their own culture. Their arts, their attractive civilization, their varied entertainments, the unfettered freedom of their womenfolk (of which’ we find a conspicuous example in the story of the Prophet Joseph) (see Yusuf 12: 3-32 — Ed.); in sum, all the essentials of a life in pursuit of pleasure, would be destroyed. What would be left would be a life of cold and stark piety; a life so insufferable that it would be preferable for men of good taste to die rather than continue living.