Surah TaHa ayat 69 Tafsir Quran 20:69

﴿وَأَلْقِ مَا فِي يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوا ۖ إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ ۖ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىٰ﴾
[ طه: 69]

20:69 And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted. What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."

And cast that which is in your right hand — and this was his staff. It shall swallow up that which they have produced. For what they have produced is only a sorcerer’s trick that is to say a kind thereof and the sorcerer does not succeed wherever he may go’ in his sorcery. So Moses cast his staff and it swallowed up all of that which they had produced.

He added, Cast down what you hold in your right hand. It shall swallow up all that they laid in fakes. Indeed, all they presented was simply an optical illusion made manifest by sorcerers, and no sorcerer can accomplish a useful purpose nor succeed in reaching a positive end no matter whence he came

The Competition, Musa's Victory, and the Magician's Faith Allah, the Exalted, informs about the magicians when they met Musa, that they said to Musa, إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ ( "Either you throw first..." ) meaning, "you go first." وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَىقَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُواْ ( "...or we be the first to throw" (Musa ) said: "Nay, throw you ( first )!") This means, `you magicians should go first so that we can see what magic you are going to perform and so that the true state of their affair will become obvious to the people.' فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى ( Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. ) In another Ayah it says that when they threw, وَقَالُواْ بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَونَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَـلِبُونَ ( Then said: "By the might of Fir`awn, it is we who will certainly win!" ) 26:44 And Allah, the Exalted, says, سَحَرُواْ أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَآءُو بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ ( They bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic. ) 7:116 Here, He says in this Surah, فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى ( Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. ) They were a large numbered group and each one of them threw a stick and a rope until the valley became full of snakes piled on top of each other.
Concerning Allah's statement, فَأَوْجَسَ فِى نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَى ( So Musa conceived fear in himself. ) This means that he feared for the people that they would be tested and deceived by their magic before he could even have a chance to throw what was in his right hand.
Thus, Allah revealed to him at the right moment, to throw what was in his right hand, which was the stick.
When he did so, it swallowed what they had made.
It became a huge, monstrous creature with legs, a neck, a head and fangs.
It went after these ropes and sticks until none of them remained, except that it was devoured and swallowed by this beast.
At the same time, the magicians and all of the people were watching with their own eyes, seeing this amazing event in broad daylight.
Thus, the miracle was performed and the evidence was clear.
The truth prevailed and the magic was proven to be falsehood.
This is why Allah said, إِنَّمَا صَنَعُواْ كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلاَ يُفْلِحُ السَّـحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى ( 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.) So when the magicians saw the event and witnessed it with their own eyes, while they were knowledgeable of the various tricks and methods in the sciences of magic, they knew with conviction that what Musa had done was not magic or illusionary tricks.
They recognized that it was the truth without any doubt.
They knew that no one had any power to do this except for One Who says for a thing "Be," and it is.
Therefore, when this happened, they fell down into prostration to Allah.
They said, "We believe in the Lord of all that exists, the Lord of Musa and Harun!" This is why Ibn `Abbas and `Ubayd bin `Umayr both said, "At the beginning of the day they were magicians and at the end of the day they were outstanding witnesses of faith." l The Number of Magicians Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "The magicians were seventy men who were magicians in the morning, but witnesses of faith by the time evening came." Ibn Abi Hatim also reported that Al-Awza'i said, "When the magicians fell down in prostration, Paradise was raised up before them until they were looking at it." It is reported from Sa`id bin Jubayr that he said concerning Allah's statement, فَأُلْقِىَ السَّحَرَةُ سُجَّداً ( So the magicians fell down prostrate. ) "They saw their places ( in Paradise ) made clear before them while they were in their prostration." `Ikrimah and Al-Qasim bin Abi Bizzah both said the same.

(20:69) Cast down what is in your hand, and it will swallow up all their sham creation; *42 for they are mere tricks of a magician; and a magician can never succeed, howsoever skilled he may be."

And throw what is in your right meaning

*42) This is capable of two interpretations: ( 1 ) the staff, which was turned into a dragon by a miracle, actually swallowed up all the staffs and cords which had been trade to appear as serpents.
( 2 ) The dragon of the staff did not actually swallow up the serpents of the magicians but wiped out the effect of their magic from these things and they again became ordinary cords and staffs.
We prefer the second interpretation because the wording of VII: 117 and XXVI: 45 is this: " It swallowed up their false magic ", and here the wording is: " It will swallow up all their sham creation ".
Obviously, the staffs and cords were not their creation but the tragic which had made them appear like serpents.

 

The Competition, Musa's Victory, and the Magician's Faith Allah, the Exalted, informs about the magicians when they met Musa, that they said to Musa, إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ ( "Either you throw first..." ) meaning, "you go first." وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَىقَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُواْ ( "...or we be the first to throw" (Musa ) said: "Nay, throw you ( first )!") This means, `you magicians should go first so that we can see what magic you are going to perform and so that the true state of their affair will become obvious to the people.' فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى ( Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. ) In another Ayah it says that when they threw, وَقَالُواْ بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَونَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَـلِبُونَ ( Then said: "By the might of Fir`awn, it is we who will certainly win!" ) 26:44 And Allah, the Exalted, says, سَحَرُواْ أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَآءُو بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ ( They bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic. ) 7:116 Here, He says in this Surah, فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى ( Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. ) They were a large numbered group and each one of them threw a stick and a rope until the valley became full of snakes piled on top of each other.
Concerning Allah's statement, فَأَوْجَسَ فِى نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَى ( So Musa conceived fear in himself. ) This means that he feared for the people that they would be tested and deceived by their magic before he could even have a chance to throw what was in his right hand.
Thus, Allah revealed to him at the right moment, to throw what was in his right hand, which was the stick.
When he did so, it swallowed what they had made.
It became a huge, monstrous creature with legs, a neck, a head and fangs.
It went after these ropes and sticks until none of them remained, except that it was devoured and swallowed by this beast.
At the same time, the magicians and all of the people were watching with their own eyes, seeing this amazing event in broad daylight.
Thus, the miracle was performed and the evidence was clear.
The truth prevailed and the magic was proven to be falsehood.
This is why Allah said, إِنَّمَا صَنَعُواْ كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلاَ يُفْلِحُ السَّـحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى ( 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.) So when the magicians saw the event and witnessed it with their own eyes, while they were knowledgeable of the various tricks and methods in the sciences of magic, they knew with conviction that what Musa had done was not magic or illusionary tricks.
They recognized that it was the truth without any doubt.
They knew that no one had any power to do this except for One Who says for a thing "Be," and it is.
Therefore, when this happened, they fell down into prostration to Allah.
They said, "We believe in the Lord of all that exists, the Lord of Musa and Harun!" This is why Ibn `Abbas and `Ubayd bin `Umayr both said, "At the beginning of the day they were magicians and at the end of the day they were outstanding witnesses of faith." l The Number of Magicians Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "The magicians were seventy men who were magicians in the morning, but witnesses of faith by the time evening came." Ibn Abi Hatim also reported that Al-Awza'i said, "When the magicians fell down in prostration, Paradise was raised up before them until they were looking at it." It is reported from Sa`id bin Jubayr that he said concerning Allah's statement, فَأُلْقِىَ السَّحَرَةُ سُجَّداً ( So the magicians fell down prostrate. ) "They saw their places ( in Paradise ) made clear before them while they were in their prostration." `Ikrimah and Al-Qasim bin Abi Bizzah both said the same.

( Throw ) to the ground ( that which is in thy right hand ) O Moses! ( It will eat up ) it will swallow ( that which they have made ) that which they have thrown of staffs and ropes. ( Lo! that which they have made ) that which they have thrown to the ground is ( but a wizard’s artifice, and a wizard shall not be successful ) he shall not be safe nor escape Allah’s chastisement or succeed ( to whatever point (of skill ) he may attain) wherever he is.

"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, no matter whatever amount (of skill) he may attain."

Page 316 English transliteration