Tafsir of Surah Yunus - Verse 81

Between Musa and the Magicians

Allah mentioned the story of the magicians and Musa in Surat Al-A`raf (there is a commentary on it in that Surah), this Surah,Surat Ta Ha, and in Surat Ash-Shu`ara'. Fir`awn, may Allah's curse be upon him, wanted to deceive the people and impress them with the tricks of the magicians in direct opposition to the plain truth that Musa brought. The result was the exact opposite and he therefore didn't attain his goal. The signs of the Lord prevailed in that public festival.

وَأُلْقِىَ السَّحَرَةُ سَـجِدِينَ - قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ - رَبِّ مُوسَى وَهَـرُونَ

(And the sorcerers fell down prostrate. They said: "We believe in the Lord of all that exists -- the Lord of Musa and Harun.")(7:120-122) Fir`awn thought that he would achieve victory through the magicians over the Messenger sent by Allah, the All-Knower of all hidden things. But he failed, lost Paradise and was deserving of the Hellfire.

وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ ائْتُونِى بِكُلِّ سَـحِرٍ عَلِيمٍ - فَلَمَّا جَآءَ السَّحَرَةُ قَالَ لَهُمْ مُّوسَى أَلْقُواْ مَآ أَنتُمْ مُّلْقُونَ

(And Fir`awn said: "Bring me every well-versed sorcerer." And when the sorcerers came, Musa said to them: "Cast down what you want to cast!") They stood in line after they received the promise of Fir`awn to become closer to him and obtain a generous reward. Musa wanted them to begin. He wanted the people to see what the magicians had made, then he would come with the truth after that to triumph over their falsehood.

قَالُواْ يمُوسَى إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُواْ

(They said: "O Musa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw" Musa said: "Nay, throw you (first)!") When the magicians cast their spells they bewitched the eyes of the people through their display of mighty sorcery. At that time,

فَأَوْجَسَ فِى نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَى - قُلْنَا لاَ تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الاٌّعْلَى - وَأَلْقِ مَا فِى يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُواْ إِنَّمَا صَنَعُواْ كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلاَ يُفْلِحُ السَّـحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى

(Musa conceived fear in himself. We (Allah) said: "Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand. And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.") (20:67-69) Upon that, Musa said:

فَلَمَّآ أَلْقُواْ قَالَ مُوسَى مَا جِئْتُمْ بِهِ السِّحْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَيُبْطِلُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ - وَيُحِقُّ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَـتِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُجْرِمُونَ

(What you have brought is sorcery, Allah will surely make it of no effect. Verily, Allah does not set right the work of the evildoers. And Allah will establish and make apparent the truth by His Words, however much the criminals may hate (it). )

It was said in the last verse (64) that, for the friends of Allah, there is the good news in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. As for the good news of the Hereafter, it will come at the time of death when the spirit of the deceased will be taken to Allah. At that time, he will hear the good news of Paradise being for him. Then, on the day of Qiyamah, when he rises from his grave, he will receive the good news of being welcome to Paradise. This is similar to what al-Tabarani has reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: ` People who recite: لا إلہ إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah: There is no god but Allah) will not experience any fright at the time of death, nor inside the grave, nor at the time they rise from it. This is as if my eyes are seeing the scenario of that time when these people will, shaking the dust off, rise from their graves, saying: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ (Praised is Allah who has removed from us [ all ] grief - 35:34) '

As for the good news in this world, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, `(they are) the true dreams one sees himself or are seen by someone else with him in it and, in which, there is good news for them. (Reported by al-Bukhri from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ .

Another basharah (good news) of this world unfolds in the form that Muslims at large love someone and take him to be good without any personal motive or interest. About it, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: تِلکَ عَاجِلُ بشرَی المؤمِن that is, ` being taken as good and praiseworthy is, for a true Muslim, good news in ready cash.' (Muslim and al-Baghawi)

When Pharaoh called upon expert magicians to perform, it was not because he thought that he would actually subdue Moses with their help. His action, rather than being a rational course to follow, was more the result of his over-anxiety to reject Moses. The plan to prove God’s Prophet wrong with the help of magicians was one whose failure could be foreseen. But when a man does not want to accept the truth and is bent upon rejecting it, this desire takes him to such extremes that he takes ill-advised steps to do so: he constructs a dam of tiny splinters to hold back a rising flood, though he knows full well that tiny splinters will be absolutely useless in this instance. So things happened as they were bound to happen. The magicians threw down on the ground ropes and sticks, which crept towards the people like snakes. Then Moses threw down his stick. This turned into a huge snake which started running along the ground. This ‘snake’ was not merely a snake; it was, in fact, a force of God which had appeared to establish truth as Truth and falsehood as falsehood. So, as soon as it appeared, the magicians’ ropes reverted to their original form. Thus Pharaoh was defeated in an arena he himself had chosen. But even then, Pharaoh did not accept defeat. He found words to contradict Moses as he had earlier done.