Faawjasa fee nafsihi kheefatan moosa (surah TaHa: 67)

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

(20:67) and Moses' heart was filled with fear. *41

Fa awjasa fee nafsihee kheefatam Moosa

*41) It appears that no sooner did Prophet Moses say, "Cast down", than the magicians immediately cast their staffs and cords and it seemed as if hundreds of serpents were running towards him, and he instinctively felt e dread of them. And there is nothing strange in this because a Prophet is after all a human being. Besides this, it is also possible that Prophet Moses apprehended that the demonstration of the magic might create a misunderstanding among the people about his miracle.
This is also a proof that a Prophet too can be influenced by magic to a certain extent like the common people, though magicians have no power to produce any effect on his Prophethood or interfere with Revelation, or misguide hint. Therefore there is no reason why one should consider as false those traditions in which it has been stated that the Holy Prophet suffered temporarily from the effect of magic.