The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 112
PT. 16 فَاجْمِعُوْا كَيْدَكُمْ ثُمَّ ائْتُوا صَفًّا your وَقَدْ اَفْلَحَ الْيَوْمَ مَنِ اسْتَعْلَى TRUE قَالُوا يُمُوسَى إِمَّا اَنْ تُلْقِيَ اَنْ نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى E * Sí jí JE فَإِذَا قَالَ بَلْ الْقُوا CH. 20 65. Concert, therefore, ṬĀHĀ E plan; and then come forward arrayed in a body. And, surely, he who gains ascendancy this day shall prosper. '2284 66. "They said, 'O Moses, either do thou cast first, or we shall be the first to cast. '2285 67. He said, "Nay, cast ye. ' Then lo! their cords and their وَعِصِيُّهُم يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ staves appeared to him, by their أَنَّهَا تَسعى magic as though they ran about. 2286 Commentary: a7:116. b7:117; 26:44. 7:117. The reference in the words, "they said," is to the members of Pharaoh's party. It is they who spoke these words to incite the reluctant magicians to take the field against Moses. They brought two charges against Moses and Aaron. First, that Moses and Aaron sought to turn them out of their country by deceitful means; secondly that they intended to destroy their religion and the sacred traditions which they (people of Pharaoh) had inherited from their forefathers. 2284. Important Words: (plan) means, a plan, a wile, an artifice, artful contrivance; device; a plot; a stratagem, art; cunning, ingenuity or skill (Lane). Commentary: could use any device, artifice or wile to defeat Moses. This implied a confession that with Pharaoh and his people the end justified the means. In the verse an appeal has also been made to the magicians' self-interest. They are told that if they were successful against Moses, it would be all to their good. 2285. Commentary: The words of the verse show that the magicians had behaved respectfully towards Moses and it is this respectful attitude of theirs which, perhaps, was mainly instrumental in enabling them to see the truth and accept it. 2286. Important Words: of (their staves). is the plural which means: (1) a piece of wood on which one reclines, a stick, a stave; a party; the tongue (Lane & The magicians were told that they | Aqrab). 2026