His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "So the magicians fell down prostrate. They said, 'We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.'" He said, "Did you believe in him before I had given you permission? Indeed, he is your chief who taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and your feet from opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees. And you will surely know which of us is more severe in punishment and more lasting." In this verse, there is an implied meaning and omission indicated by the apparent wording. The implied meaning here is: "So Moses threw down his staff, and it swallowed all that they brought." Or something like this. It has been narrated that when the magicians saw that the staff had no effect from the magic, then they saw it transform into a snake, and it consumed the ropes and staffs, then it returned to its state without the ropes and staffs. They were certain of the prophethood of Moses, peace be upon him, and that the matter was from Allah, the Most High. He mentioned "Aaron" before "Moses" so that the heads of the verses would align with the meaning of the magicians' words. This is similar to His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Pairs of various plants" [Ta-Ha: 53]. The delay of "various" is only to balance the heads of the verses. Likewise, His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And if it had not been for a word that had preceded from your Lord, it would have been obligatory and a specified term" [Ta-Ha: 129]. The delay of His saying: "and a specified term" is only to align the heads of the verses. Ibn Kathir, and Hafs from Asim, and Warsh from Nafi read: "Did you believe?" in the indicative form. Nafi, Abu Amr, and Ibn Amer read: "Did you believe?" with two hamzas. His saying: "before I had given you permission" is a kind of approximation from him and some submission. His saying: "from opposite sides" means cutting off the right hand along with the left foot. His saying: "on the trunks of palm trees" is an expansion in that he is tied to the trunk, and it is not like your saying: Zayd is in the house. It is suitable in this meaning for "on" in that he is tied to its top, and it is not like your saying: I rode on the horse. His saying: "which of us" means himself and the Lord of Moses, peace be upon him. Al-Tabari said: he means himself and Moses, peace be upon him. The first interpretation aligns better with the context of Pharaoh's arrogance.