Ta Ha (Ta Ha)
Verses 65-70 GROUP_761 20.65-70
65
قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى إِمَّا أَن تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى
They said, ‘Moses, will you throw down first, or shall we be the first to throw down?’
66
قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى
Moses said, ‘You throw down first.’ Suddenly their ropes and staffs appeared to him, by their magic, to be moving about rapidly,
67
فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَى
and in his heart Moses became apprehensive,
68
قُلْنَا لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْأَعْلَى
but We said, ‘Do not be afraid. It is you who shall prevail.’
69
وَأَلْقِ مَا فِي يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوا إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى
Throw down that [staff] which is in your right hand—it shall swallow up what they have wrought, for what they have wrought is only a magician’s trick. A magician shall never thrive, come whence he may.
70
فَأُلْقِيَ السَّحَرَةُ سُجَّدًا قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ هَارُونَ وَمُوسَى
The magicians then prostrated themselves. They said, ‘We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.’
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Commentary
(a) The competition started with the magicians throwing their ropes and sticks on the ground where they seemed to move about in the shape of snakes. But this was an illusory effect. In other words, the ropes and sticks had not really changed into snakes. The magicians had simply created an optical illusion to play upon the imagination of the audience, so that it would temporarily appear to them as if the ropes and sticks were wriggling on the ground like snakes. Then, in accordance with God’s orders, Moses threw his stick on the ground where it immediately assumed the shape of a big snake, and started moving along the ground. At its touch, the magicians’ spell broke, then all the things which had appeared to be moving about like snakes turned back into mere ropes and sticks. The magicians had already been impressed by Moses’ speech, and now that they had had a practical demonstration of his powers, they saw with their own eyes the truth of Moses’ stand. They were now absolutely certain that the power Moses possessed was not that of human magic, but the actual ability to perform a miracle of God. This conviction was so deep that they thereupon declared their conversion to Moses’ faith.