Surah TaHa ayat 70 Tafsir Quran 20:70

﴿فَأُلْقِيَ السَّحَرَةُ سُجَّدًا قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ هَارُونَ وَمُوسَىٰ﴾
[ طه: 70]

20:70 So the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."

Thereat the sorcerers cast their heads down prostrating they fell down prostrating to God exalted be He They said ‘We now believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses’.

There and then fell the necromancers prostrate in adoration and they prostrated their reason to divine revelation and said: We do recognize Allah, the Creator, of Mussa and Harun

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.

(20:70) Accordingly, at the end of the encounter, all the magicians were cast down to prostration *43 and they cried out, "We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses. " *44

So the magicians fell down in prostration. meaning

*43) When they saw the power of the staff of Moses, they involuntarily fell prostrate as if some one had trade them do so, because they were convinced that it was a miracle and not a feat of tragic.

*44) This profession of faith by the magicians shows that every one was aware of the basic object of the encounter.
It was not an encounter between the feats of the magicians and those of Prophet Moses, but it was to decide whether the claim of Prophet Moses that he was a Messenger of Allah was true or not.
If this staff was actually turned into a dragon, it was by means of a miracle.
On the other hand, Pharaoh intended to prove by the feats of his magicians that it was not a miracle but a feat of magic.
Incidentally, this also shows that Pharaoh and his magicians and the common people fully understood the distinction between a miracle and a feat of magic.
,That is why when the magicians saw that it was a miracle shown by the power of Allah which had exposed their magic, they did not say that Moses was a more skilful magician, but straightway fell prostrate, saying, " We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses. "
It is obvious that the defeat turned the tables on Pharaoh who had himself arranged the encounter " to expose " Prophet Moses.
He had mustered all his magicians with a view to demonstrating before the public that there was nothing extraordinary in turning a staff into a serpent for this could be done by every magician.
But the defeat of the magicians and their acknowledgment testified that Moses was real]y a Messenger of Allah and the transformation of the staff was not a feat of magic but a miracle.

 

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.

( Then the wizards were (all ) flung down prostrate) their prostration was so quick that one had the impression they were thrown to the ground, ( crying ) i.e. the magicians: (We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.

So the magicians fell down prostrate. They said: "We believe in the Lord of Harun (Aaron) and Musa (Moses)."

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