'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And We inspired to Musa, 'Throw down your staff.' And when he threw it down, it swallowed what they were falsifying." "And the truth was established, and what they were doing was made void." "So they were defeated there and turned humiliated." "And the magicians fell down prostrate." "They said, 'We have believed in the Lord of the worlds.'" "The Lord of Musa and Harun." "Pharaoh said, 'Did you believe in him before I gave you permission? This is surely a plot you have plotted in the city to drive out its people. But you will surely know.'" "I will cut off your hands and your feet from opposite sides, and I will crucify you all together." The word "أن" is in the accusative case with "أوحَيْنا," meaning 'to throw down,' and it is possible that it is an explicative meaning 'that,' so it does not have a grammatical position. It has been narrated that when Musa, peace be upon him, was on the Day of Gathering, he came out leaning on his staff with his hand in the hand of his brother. The magicians had lined up for him in a great number as has been mentioned. When they threw down and terrified, Allah, the Exalted, inspired him, so he threw down his staff, and behold, it was a clear serpent. It grew until it was like a mountain, and it was said that it extended until it crossed the Nile. It was said that the gathering was in Alexandria and it grew until it crossed the city of the lake. It was said that the gathering was in Egypt, and it grew until its tail crossed the sea of Qulzum. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is a statement far from correctness, excessively exaggerated, and it should not be attended to. It has been narrated that when the magicians threw down and Musa threw down his staff, they began to chant, and their ropes and staffs grew larger. Musa's staff grew until it filled the horizon and swallowed everything, and then it returned to being a staff. At that point, the magicians believed. It has been narrated that Musa's staff was the staff of Adam, peace be upon them, and it was from Paradise. It was said that it was from the eye that is in the center of the leaves of basil. It was said that it was a branch of khubayzah. It was said that it had two branches. It was said that it was the staff of the prophets kept with Shu'ayb, peace be upon him. When Musa was called, he was told, 'Go take the staff.' He went to the house, and it flew to his hand. Shu'ayb commanded him to return it and take another, and he did so, and it flew to his hand. He informed Shu'ayb of that, and he left it for him. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said: An angel from the angels pushed the staff to Musa on the way to Madyan. And "تَلْقَفُ" means: it swallows and engulfs, and "ما يَأْفِكُونَ" means: what they depicted in their falsehood and lies. The majority of the people read: "تَلَقَّفُ," and 'Asim in the narration of Hafs read: "تَلْقَفُ" with the lam being silent and the qaf being opened. Ibn Kathir read in some of what was narrated from him: "تَّلَقَّفُ" with the ta being emphasized on the idgham of the ta from "تَتَلَقَّفُ," and this reading is only applicable in connection. However, at the beginning of the verb, it is not possible. Sa'id ibn Jubayr read: "تَلْقَمُ" with the mim, meaning it swallows like a morsel.

It has been narrated that the serpent fully consumed those ropes and sticks, and Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, caused them to disappear. Then Moses stretched his hand to his mouth, and it returned to being a staff as it was. At that moment, the magicians knew that this was not from human beings, so they fell down in prostration, believing in Allah and His Messenger.

And His saying, the Exalted, "Then the truth was established," means: it descended and was found. And "the truth" refers to the brilliance of the proof and the manifestation of the miracle and the continuation of the challenge to the religion to all of the world. And "what they used to do" is a term that encompasses the magic of the magicians and the efforts of Pharaoh and his followers. The pronoun in His saying, "So they were defeated," refers to all of them, from the magicians and from the efforts of Pharaoh and his followers. And in His saying, "And they turned back, humbled," if we assume the turning back of the group before the belief of the magicians, then they are included in the pronoun. But if we assume it after their belief, then they are not included in the pronoun, nor did they suffer humiliation that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, describes them with; because they believed and were martyred, may Allah be pleased with them.

And His saying, the Exalted, "And the magicians were thrown down, prostrating," when the magicians saw from the great power what they were certain of regarding the prophethood of Moses, peace be upon him, they believed with their hearts. Additionally, there was astonishment and awe and fear from the power of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, so they fell down in prostration to Allah, the Exalted, in a state of submission, and they believed verbally with their tongues. Their acknowledgment of the Lord by mentioning Moses and Aaron was a denial of the lordship of Pharaoh and what the ignorant thought of him as being the Lord of the people. And Aaron is the elder brother of Moses by three years.

And Pharaoh's saying, "Before I give you permission," is evidence of the weakness of his matter. Because he only made their sin the act of disobedience to the permission, and he did not make it the act of belief except with a condition. And Asim read in the narration of Hafs from him in all of the Qur'an: "Did you believe" in the news. And Nafi, Abu Amr, and Ibn Amer read: "Did you believe" with a hamzah and a prolongation in the interrogative. Likewise in Ta-Ha and Ash-Shu'ara. And Hamzah and Al-Kisai read in the three places: "Did you believe" with two hamzahs, the second being prolonged. And it was narrated by Al-Amash from Abu Bakr from Asim. And Ibn Kathir read in the narration of Abu Ikhrith from him: "And you believed," and it is in the form of the interrogative hamzah, but he made it easy as a waw, so he treated the separated as if it were connected in their saying "Tuwadah" in "Tu'addah." And Qunbul read from Al-Qawwas: "And you believed," and it is in the reading with two hamzahs "Did you believe" except that he made the hamzah of the interrogative easy as a waw, and he left the hamzah of "Did you do" as it is.

The pronoun in "by it" may return to the name of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and it may return to the name of Musa, peace be upon him. Pharaoh rebuked them for believing before his permission, then he insisted that this was by their agreement. It has been narrated in this regard from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with them, that Musa, peace be upon him, met with the chief of the magicians, whose name was Sham'un. Musa said to him: 'Do you see, if I defeat you, will you believe in me?' He replied: 'Yes.' Pharaoh learned of this, and that is why he said: "Indeed, this is a plot you have plotted in the city." Then he said to the magicians: "I will surely cut off your hands and your feet," the verse. Pharaoh returned in this statement to betrayal, oppression, and the habit of evil kings when they are defeated.

Hamid al-Makki, Ibn Muhaisin, and Mujahid read: "I will surely cut off" with a fatḥah on the hamzah and ṭāʾ and a sukun on the qāf, "and I will surely crucify" with a fatḥah on the hamzah and a sukun on the ṣād and a ḍammah on the lām. It has been narrated with a kasrah, and "from both sides" means: right and left.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

The apparent meaning of these verses is that Pharaoh threatened, and there is no text in the Qur'an indicating that he carried that out. However, it has been narrated that he crucified some of them and cut off their limbs. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Pharaoh was the first to crucify and cut off from both sides. Ibn Abbas and others said about them: They became magicians and ended up as martyrs, and as for the threat, it was for all of them.