And when Musa, blessings and peace be upon him, understood their intent from what this expression conveyed about the reality of its meaning, confirming their connected conscience with the separate one, and defining the news and inserting the separation, he was confident in Allah, glorified and exalted is He, regarding what He had promised him, proceeding with his intent, with no difference whether he advanced or delayed. He responded to their question, which was more effective in belittling their affair. So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, began the news about him by saying: ﴿He said, 'Throw'﴾ meaning: 'You, O magicians, what do you want to throw?' This is a matter of incapacitation.

And when He permitted them, they hastened to that, as I understand from the conjunction with the 'fa' in His saying: ﴿So when they threw﴾ meaning: what they had prepared for magic, ﴿they enchanted the eyes of the people﴾ meaning: from the correctness of their perception until they caused them to see what had no reality to it. Their ropes and staffs, which were very many, began to move and intertwine with each other. They sent a group calling out: 'O people, beware!' ﴿and they instilled fear in them﴾ meaning: they created their fear as one who desires it, seeking it to the utmost.

And when that was said, it might have been thought that they feared what should not be feared from such a thing. So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, clarified that they were excused in their fear by saying: ﴿And they brought a great magic﴾. The author of the Book of Beauty said: 'And magic has many forms, among them is the taking by the eye, and among them is what causes separation between a man and his wife, and among them is other than that. Its origin is taken from relying on falsehood and turning the matter from its face, as we have mentioned from the language of the Arabs.