His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿And Pharaoh said, 'Bring me every skilled magician.'﴾ ﴿So when the magicians came, Moses said to them, 'Throw down what you will throw.'﴾ ﴿So when they had thrown, Moses said, 'What you have brought is magic. Indeed, Allah will invalidate it. Indeed, Allah does not set right the work of the corruptors.'﴾ ﴿And Allah will establish the truth by His words, even if the criminals dislike it.'﴾

He informs that Pharaoh said to his servants and his officials: 'Bring me every magician.' This is the reading of the majority of the people. Talhah ibn Musarif, Yahya ibn Waththab, and Isa read: 'every sorcerer' for emphasis. Abu Hatim said: 'We do not read " , " except in Surah Ash-Shu'ara. It has been narrated that they brought to him the magicians of the Farama and others from the lands of Egypt, as has been mentioned before in other than this verse. When the magicians came prepared to oppose, they gave Moses a choice as mentioned in other than this verse. He said to them by the command of Allah: ﴿Throw down what you will throw.﴾

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿So when they had thrown﴾, the meaning is: when they had thrown their ropes and staffs and made them appear as if they had prevailed, Moses said to them this statement. The seven reciters read it except for Abu Amr. ﴿What you have brought is magic﴾, and this is the reading of the majority of the people. Abu Amr, Mujahid, his companions, and Ibn al-Qaqa' read: 'Is it magic?' with the alif of interrogation extended before 'magic.' As for those who read 'magic' without the alif of interrogation before it, then 'what' is in the position of رفع (subject) on the beginning, and it means what is connected to his saying: ﴿You have brought﴾, and the pronoun in 'it' refers back to 'what,' and its news is 'magic.' This reading and interpretation is supported by the fact that in the Mushaf of Ibn Mas'ud, it is written: 'What you have brought is magic,' and likewise Al-A'mash read it, and it is the reading of Ubayy ibn Ka'b: 'What you have brought is magic.' The definite article here in 'magic' is more appropriate because it had previously been mentioned in an indefinite form in their saying: 'Indeed, this is magic.' So it came here with the lam of definiteness, as it is said at the beginning of the letter: 'Peace be upon you,' and at the end of it: 'And peace be upon you.' It is also possible that 'what' is an interrogative in the position of رفع (subject) with the news being 'you have brought' and 'magic' is the news of an implied subject, which is: 'It is magic. Indeed, Allah will invalidate it.' The aspect of his questioning here is for confirmation and reproach. It is also possible that 'what' is in the position of نصب (object) meaning: 'What thing have you brought?' and 'magic' is raised on the news of the subject, and the meaning of the speech is: 'What thing have you brought is magic. Indeed, Allah will invalidate it.' As for those who read with the alif of interrogation and the elongation before 'magic,' then 'what' is an interrogative raised on the beginning, and 'you have brought' is the news. This is in the context of confirmation, and His saying: 'magic' is also an interrogative in the same way, and it is an alternative to the first interrogation. It is possible that 'what' is in the position of نصب (object) with an implied interpretation in His saying: ﴿You have brought﴾, and its meaning is: 'What thing have you brought is magic.' And His saying: ﴿Indeed, Allah will invalidate it﴾ is a promise from Allah, blessed and exalted is He." :

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And Allah will establish the truth﴾, it is possible that this is from the words of Musa, blessings and peace be upon him, and it is possible that it is from the news of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. The possibility that all of this is from the words of Musa, blessings and peace be upon him, is closer, and this is what al-Tabari mentioned. As for His saying: ﴿With His words﴾, its meaning is: with His previous eternal words in the promise of that. Ibn Salam said: ﴿With His words﴾ refers to His saying: ﴿Do not fear﴾ [Taha: 68]. And the meaning of: ﴿And even if the criminals dislike it﴾ is: even if the criminals dislike it. And the criminal is the one who commits wrongdoing and is riding into danger.