English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 7: Al-Araf — The Elevated Places (Revealed at Makkah: 24 sections, 206 verses)
Section 14 (Verses 7:109–7:126): Pharaoh Summons Enchanters
Translation:
قَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَسٰحِرٌ عَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۰۹﴾ۙ
7:109 The chiefs of Pharaoh’s people said: Surely this is a skilful enchanter!
یُّرِیۡدُ اَنۡ یُّخۡرِجَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اَرۡضِکُمۡ ۚ فَمَا ذَا تَاۡمُرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۰﴾
7:110 He intends to turn you out of your land. (Pharaoh said:) What do you advise?
قَالُوۡۤا اَرۡجِہۡ وَ اَخَاہُ وَ اَرۡسِلۡ فِی الۡمَدَآئِنِ حٰشِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۱﴾ۙ
7:111 They said: Put him off and his brother, and send heralds into the cities,
یَاۡتُوۡکَ بِکُلِّ سٰحِرٍ عَلِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۱۲﴾
7:112 to bring to you every skilful enchanter.
وَ جَآءَ السَّحَرَۃُ فِرۡعَوۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ لَنَا لَاَجۡرًا اِنۡ کُنَّا نَحۡنُ الۡغٰلِبِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۳﴾
7:113 And the enchanters came to Pharaoh, saying: We must surely have a reward if we prevail.
قَالَ نَعَمۡ وَ اِنَّکُمۡ لَمِنَ الۡمُقَرَّبِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۴﴾
7:114 He said: Yes, and you shall certainly be among those who are near (to me).
قَالُوۡا یٰمُوۡسٰۤی اِمَّاۤ اَنۡ تُلۡقِیَ وَ اِمَّاۤ اَنۡ نَّکُوۡنَ نَحۡنُ الۡمُلۡقِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۵﴾
7:115 They said: Moses, will you throw, or shall we (be the first to) throw?
قَالَ اَلۡقُوۡا ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَلۡقَوۡا سَحَرُوۡۤا اَعۡیُنَ النَّاسِ وَ اسۡتَرۡہَبُوۡہُمۡ وَ جَآءُوۡ بِسِحۡرٍ عَظِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۱۶﴾
7:116 He said: You throw. So when they threw, they deceived the people’s eyes and overawed them, and they produced a mighty enchantment.
وَ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلٰی مُوۡسٰۤی اَنۡ اَلۡقِ عَصَاکَ ۚ فَاِذَا ہِیَ تَلۡقَفُ مَا یَاۡفِکُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۷﴾ۚ
7:117 And We revealed to Moses: Throw down your staff. Then lo! it swallowed up their lies.
فَوَقَعَ الۡحَقُّ وَ بَطَلَ مَا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۸﴾ۚ
7:118 So the truth was established, and what they did became null.
فَغُلِبُوۡا ہُنَالِکَ وَ انۡقَلَبُوۡا صٰغِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۹﴾ۚ
7:119 There they were defeated, and they went back humiliated.
وَ اُلۡقِیَ السَّحَرَۃُ سٰجِدِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۰﴾ۚۖ
7:120 And the enchanters fell down prostrate —
قَالُوۡۤا اٰمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۱﴾ۙ
7:121 They said: We believe in the Lord of the worlds,
رَبِّ مُوۡسٰی وَ ہٰرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۲﴾
7:122 the Lord of Moses and Aaron.
قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ اٰمَنۡتُمۡ بِہٖ قَبۡلَ اَنۡ اٰذَنَ لَکُمۡ ۚ اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَمَکۡرٌ مَّکَرۡتُمُوۡہُ فِی الۡمَدِیۡنَۃِ لِتُخۡرِجُوۡا مِنۡہَاۤ اَہۡلَہَا ۚ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۳﴾
7:123 Pharaoh said: You believe in Him before I give you permission! Surely this is a plot which you have plotted in the city, to turn out of it its people, but you shall know!
لَاُقَطِّعَنَّ اَیۡدِیَکُمۡ وَ اَرۡجُلَکُمۡ مِّنۡ خِلَافٍ ثُمَّ لَاُصَلِّبَنَّکُمۡ اَجۡمَعِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۴﴾
7:124 I shall certainly cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, then I shall crucify you all together!
قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّاۤ اِلٰی رَبِّنَا مُنۡقَلِبُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۵﴾ۚ
7:125 They said: Surely to our Lord do we return.
وَ مَا تَنۡقِمُ مِنَّاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ اٰمَنَّا بِاٰیٰتِ رَبِّنَا لَمَّا جَآءَتۡنَا ؕ رَبَّنَاۤ اَفۡرِغۡ عَلَیۡنَا صَبۡرًا وَّ تَوَفَّنَا مُسۡلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۶﴾٪
7:126 And you take revenge on us only because we believed in the messages of our Lord when they came to us. Our Lord, pour out on us patience and cause us to die in submission (to You)!1
Commentary:
- The Bible does not speak of the magicians as believing in the Divine mission of Moses when they were vanquished, but according to Rabbinical literature, some Egyptians accompanied Moses when he departed from Egypt. It should be noted that the magicians could not have believed unless they had heard the arguments of Moses as to the existence of God and as to a life after death in which they now believed so staunchly that they were ready to sacrifice their very lives for their faith. It shows that Moses had explained the essential religious truths to the whole gathering before he showed the signs. ↩