Ya'tooka bikulli sahirin AAaleem (surah Araf: 112)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(7:112) to summon every skilful magician to your presence.' *89

Yaatooka bikulli saahirin `aleem

*89). The plan of Pharaoh's courtiers clearly suggests that they knew the difference between mere sorcery and a miracle. They were well aware that miracles are effective and have the capacity to bring about actual transformation whereas sorcery results merely in optic illusion. Hence, they dubbed Moses a sorcerer so as to refute his claim to prophethood. They claimed instead that the transformation of the rod into a serpent was not a miracle; that it was rather a magical performance which could be undertaken by any sorcerer. Therefore, they asked all the sorcerers of the land to come together and display how rods could be magically transformed into serpents. They believed that such a magical show would remove the awesome effect created by Moses' miracles on the people, or at least sow doubts in their minds about those miracles.