They announced to Pharaoh immediately that they would not choose Pharaoh as a god other than Allah the Almighty, and that they would not prefer him to the Lord of the Worlds- the Lord of Moses and Harun- because He is the true Lord, Whom we should obey and worship. They said: We will never choose you (Pharaoh) over the One Who created us. We will never believe in you and disbelieve in Allah the Almighty. Do to us whatever you wish; we will hold firmly to our belief.
They said to him in response to threatening them with killing, “You will kill us in this worldly life, because you have control over us in it, but you have no control over us in the Hereafter, because the absolute control is in the Hand of the Lord of the Worlds. They declared their belief in Allah the Almighty hoping that He would forgive their sins, because repentance cancels what came before it, and faith is an expiation for sins. They said to Pharaoh, “May Allah forgive us for the sins you forced us to commit when you ordered us to reject the truth Moses brought from Allah.
In response to his threat: “You will really see whose punishment is more severe and more lasting.” (Ta-Ha 20: 71), they said to him: “And Allah is far superior ˹in reward˺ and more lasting ˹in punishment˺.” (Ta-Ha 20: 73) Meaning: What Allah the Almighty has is better and more enduring in reward and kindness, than what you promised us in terms of reward, status, and prestige.
The magicians preached Pharaoh and reminded themselves of a very serious issue, which is: “Whoever comes to their Lord as an evildoer” (Ta-Ha 20: 74) committing a crime against himself by corrupting it with polytheism and disobedience, his punishment is to be admitted to the Hell-fire where he can neither live nor die. On the other hand, whoever comes to his Lord, Exalted and Sublime be He, as a believer who believes in Him and disbelieves in transgression, and who acts upon Allah’s Order and refrains from His Prohibitions, will have high ranks in Allah’s Sight. This believer will enjoy himself in the Gardens, where he will stay forever. This is the reward for his faith, righteous deeds, and purification by faith and righteous deeds after his abandonment of polytheism and sins. Beneficial piece of knowledge: Where did the magicians get the above-mentioned knowledge from? They got the call of Moses and Aaron to believe in Allah, as they stayed among them for a long time.
Beneficial piece of knowledge: Did Pharaoh force magicians to do magic tricks, and they asked for a reward and a high position if they won?
The answer: When Moses warned them, saying: “Woe to you! Do not fabricate a lie against Allah, or He will wipe you out with a torment. Whoever fabricates ˹lies˺ is bound to fail.” (Ta-Ha 20: 61) He influenced them greatly, and so they quarreled after this speech and sermon. Besides, Pharaoh obliged them to fabricate a lie, and that was why they said the words mentioned previously: “These two are only magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic, and do away with your most cherished traditions.” (Ta-Ha 20: 63). They went on with their tricks and lies which pharaoh forced them to do and say.
أعلنوا لفرعون قرارًا فوريا، وهو: إنهم لن يختاروا فرعون ربًا وإلهًا من دون الله ولن يفضلوه على رب العالمين -رب موسى وهارون-؛ لأنه الرب الحق الذي تجب عبادته وطاعته، فلن نختارك على الذي خلقنا فنؤمن بك ونكفر به، افعل ما شئت بنا فنحن لن نتزحزح عما نحن فيه.
وجوابًا عن تهديدهم بالقتل: قالوا له: إن قضاءك علينا في هذه الحياة الدنيا لأن لك سلطان فيها، أما الآخرة فلا سلطان لك، بل السلطان لله رب العالمين، وأعلنوا إيمانهم بالله رغبة منهم في تكفير خطاياهم ومعاصيهم. فإن الإيمان مكفر للسيئات والتوبة تجب ما قبلها وقد أكرهتنا على معارضة ما جاء به موسى من الحق.
جوابًا عن قوله وتهديده: “ولتعلمن أينا أشد عذابا وأبقى” (طه 20: 71) : قالوا له: “والله خير وأبقى” (طه 20: 73) أي ما عند الله خير مما وعدتنا من الأجر والمنزلة والجاه، وأبقى ثوابا وإحسانا.
كما وعظ السحرةُ فرعونَ وذكروا أنفسهم بقضية في غاية الخطورة وهي: “إنه من يأت ربه مجرماً” (طه 20: 74) مرتكبًا للجرم في حق نفسه بإفسادها بالشرك والمعاصي، فإن عقوبته أن يدخل النار، لا يقضى عليه بالعذاب فيموت ويستريح من العذاب، ولا هو حييٌّ حياة السعداء. ومن أتى ربه عز وجل أي مؤمناً به كافراً بالطاغوت، قد عمل بشرائع الله وأدى فرائض الله واجتنب نواهيه، فأولئك لهم درجات عالية عند الله وهم يتنعمون في الجنات يقيمون فيها فلا يخرجون منها أبدًا، جزاء إيمانهم وعملهم الصالح وتطهرهم بالإيمان وصالح الأعمال بعد تخليهم عن الشرك والخطايا والذنوب.
فائدة: من أين حصل السحرة على هذا العلم؟
حصل لهم من طريق دعوة موسى وهارون إذ أقاموا بينهم زمناً طويلاً.
فائدة: هل أكره فرعون السحرة على السحر، وكانوا قد طلبوا أجرًا ورفعة عند فرعون إن حققوا الغلبة؟
الجواب: إن موسى لما وعظهم كما تقدم في قوله: “وَيْلَكُمْ لا تَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا فَيُسْحِتَكُمْ بِعَذَابٍ”، أثر معهم ووقع منهم موقعا كبيرا، ولهذا تنازعوا بعد هذا الكلام والموعظة، ثم إن فرعون ألزمهم ذلك وأكرههم على المكر الذي أجروه، ولهذا تكلموا بكلامه السابق قبل إتيانهم، حيث قالوا “إِنْ هَذَانِ لَسَاحِرَانِ يُرِيدَانِ أَنْ يُخْرِجَاكُمْ مِنْ أَرْضِكُمْ بِسِحْرِهِمَا” فجروا على ما سنه لهم وأكرههم عليه.