The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 582
CH. 7 AL-A'RĀF 117. He replied, 'Throw ye. ' And when they threw, they and struck them with awe and PT. 9 ðíkáªÞäíjé النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءُ وَ بِسِحْرٍ ,enchanted the eyes of the people عظيم وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ ,And We inspired Moses. 118 brought forth a great magic. 1008 be saying, Throw thy rod,' and lo! it swallowed up whatever they feigned, 1009 119. So was the द فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ فَوَقَعَ الْحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوا Truth يَعْمَلُونَ established, and their works proved vain. 120. Thus were they vanquished there, and they humiliated. 1010 returned فَغُلِبُوا هُنَالِكَ وَانْقَلَبُوا صِغِرِيْنَ "20:67; 26:45. 20:70; 26:46. 1008. Important Words: (a great magic). For the meaning of the word see 2:103 & 7:110. Commentary: Moses was not slow in availing himself of the opportunity offered and at once replied that they should throw first. The Prophets of God generally wait for an attack on the part of their opponents, for they prefer to defend and then look to God for succour. 1009. Important Words: (it swallowed up) is derived from They sayi. e. he took or seized the thing quickly; or he took or seized the thing quickly when it was thrown to him. لقف الطعام or تلقف الطعام means, he swallowed up the food (Aqrab). Commentary: It was certainly not the "serpent" made out of the rod, but the rod itself which undid the magic of the magicians. The rod of Moses, wielded with the spiritual force of a great Prophet and thrown at the command of God, exposed the deception they had wrought on the spectators by breaking to pieces the things which, by their magic, they had made the people take for real serpents. The words literally meaning "it swallowed up whatever they feigned" really signify that the rod quickly exposed the deception wrought by the magicians. 1010. Commentary: 1022 تلقف ما يافكون This verse refers to Pharaoh's party and not to the magicians. The latter