What Are the Magicians’ Options in the Face of Pharaoh’s Threats of Cutting, Killing, and Crucifixion?
ما موقف السحرة من تهديد فرعون لهم بالتقطيع والقتل والصلب؟
They announced to Pharaoh at once that they would not choose Pharaoh as a lord and god besides Allah, and would not prefer him to the Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of Moses and Harun, because He is the true Lord Whom one must worship and obey: we will never choose you over the One Who created us, so as to believe in you and disbelieve in Him; do to us whatever you wish, for we will not move from where we stand.
In response to his threat to kill them, they said to him: your judgment over us is only in this worldly life, because you have power in it; as for the Hereafter, you have no power there, for all power belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. They declared their faith in Allah, hoping that He would expiate their sins and acts of disobedience, for faith expiates evil deeds and repentance wipes out what came before it, and you forced us to oppose the truth that Moses brought.
In response to his words and 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 has is better than the reward, status and prestige you promised us, and more lasting in reward and kindness.
The magicians also admonished Pharaoh and reminded themselves of a matter of the utmost gravity: “Whoever comes to their Lord as an evildoer” (Ta-Ha 20:74), committing a crime against himself by corrupting it with polytheism and sins, his punishment is to enter the Fire, where he is not finished off by the torment so that he dies and is relieved of it, nor does he live the life of the happy. And whoever comes to his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, as a believer in Him who disbelieves in false gods, having acted on Allah’s laws, fulfilled Allah’s obligations and avoided His prohibitions, those will have high ranks with Allah, enjoying themselves in the Gardens, where they stay and never leave, as the reward for their faith and righteous deeds and their purification through faith and good deeds after abandoning polytheism, wrongdoing and sins.
Beneficial piece of knowledge: Where did the magicians get this knowledge from? They got it through the call of Moses and Harun, since they had stayed among them for a long time.
Beneficial piece of knowledge: Did Pharaoh force the magicians to perform magic, when they had asked him for a reward and a high position if they won? The answer: When Moses admonished them, as mentioned earlier, saying, “Woe to you! Do not fabricate a lie against Allah, or He will wipe you out with a torment” (Ta-Ha 20:61), it affected them and struck them deeply, which is why they quarreled after these words and this admonition. Then Pharaoh compelled them to it and forced them into the trick they performed, which is why they spoke his earlier words before they came, saying, “These two are only magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic” (Ta-Ha 20:63), and so they went along with what he had laid down for them and forced them into.
أعلنوا لفرعون قرارًا فوريًا، 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 سلطانًا 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 تجبّ ما قبلها، وقد أكرهتنا على معارضة ما جاء به موسى من الحق.
جوابًا عن قوله وتهديده: “وَلَتَعْلَمُنَّ أَيُّنَا أَشَدُّ عَذَابًا وَأَبْقَىٰ” (طه 20: 71)، قالوا له: “وَاللَّـهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ” (طه 20: 73)، أي ما عند الله خير مما وعدتنا من الأجر والمنزلة والجاه، وأبقى ثوابًا وإحسانًا.
كما وعظ السحرةُ فرعونَ وذكّروا أنفسهم بقضية في غاية الخطورة، وهي: “إِنَّهُ مَن يَأْتِ رَبَّهُ مُجْرِمًا” (طه 20: 74)، مرتكبًا للجرم في حق نفسه بإفسادها بالشرك والمعاصي، فإن عقوبته أن يدخل النار، لا يُقضى عليه بالعذاب فيموت ويستريح من العذاب، ولا هو حيٌّ حياة السعداء. ومن أتى ربه عز وجل، أي مؤمنًا به كافرًا 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 زمنًا طويلًا.
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 لَا تَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ كَذِبًا فَيُسْحِتَكُم بِعَذَابٍ”، أثّر معهم ووقع منهم موقعًا كبيرًا، 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 هَـٰذَانِ لَسَاحِرَانِ يُرِيدَانِ أَن يُخْرِجَاكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِكُم بِسِحْرِهِمَا”، فجروا على ما سنه لهم وأكرههم عليه.
1. An Immediate, Unshakable Declaration | إعلانٌ فوري لا يتزحزح
Facing Pharaoh’s threat of mutilation and crucifixion, the magicians answer without hesitation: they will not choose him over Allah, whatever he chooses to do to them. This is a striking reversal: men who had come seeking reward and status only shortly before now stand entirely unmoved by the harshest threats their recruiter can offer.
أمام تهديد فرعون بالتقطيع والصلب، يجيب السحرة دون تردد: لن يختاروه على الله، مهما اختار أن يفعله بهم. وهذا انقلاب لافت، فرجال جاؤوا قبل وقت قصير طالبين الأجر والمكانة يقفون الآن دون أي تأثر بأقسى تهديدات من جندهم.
2. Worldly Power Against the Power That Actually Matters | سلطان الدنيا مقابل السلطان الحقيقي
The magicians directly reframe Pharaoh’s authority, telling him he controls only their fate in this world, while the Hereafter belongs entirely to the Lord of the Worlds. This response strips Pharaoh’s threat of the total power it was meant to project, reducing it to a limited, temporary reach against an eternal, unlimited one.
يعيد السحرة تأطير سلطة فرعون مباشرة، مخبرين إياه أنه يتحكم فقط بمصيرهم في هذه الدنيا، بينما الآخرة كلها لرب العالمين. ويجرد هذا الرد تهديد فرعون من القوة المطلقة التي قُصد أن يعرضها، مختزلا إياها إلى نفوذ محدود ومؤقت أمام نفوذ أبدي غير محدود.
3. Seeking Forgiveness for What They Were Forced to Do | طلب المغفرة عما أُكرهوا عليه
Rather than defending their earlier performance, the magicians ask Allah’s forgiveness specifically for the magic Pharaoh had forced them to carry out (Ta-Ha 20:73). This request acknowledges genuine wrongdoing on their part while also naming the coercion behind it, seeking mercy rather than excusing themselves entirely.
بدلا من الدفاع عن أدائهم السابق، يطلب السحرة مغفرة الله تحديدا عن السحر الذي أكرههم فرعون على تنفيذه (طه 20: 73). ويعترف هذا الطلب بخطأ حقيقي من جانبهم مع تسمية الإكراه وراءه، طالبين الرحمة لا تبرئة أنفسهم كليا.
4. Turning Pharaoh’s Own Words Back on Him | ردّ كلام فرعون نفسه عليه
When Pharaoh warns they will see whose punishment is more severe and lasting, the magicians answer using almost identical language, “Allah is far superior and more lasting,” directly echoing his own phrasing back at him. This deliberate mirroring turns Pharaoh’s own words into the very argument that defeats his threat.
حين يحذر فرعون بأنهم سيرون من أشد عذابا وأبقى، يجيب السحرة بلغة شبه مطابقة: “والله خير وأبقى”، رادين صياغته نفسها عليه مباشرة. وتحول هذه المحاكاة المتعمدة كلمات فرعون نفسها إلى الحجة التي تهزم تهديده.
5. A Theological Lesson the Magicians Now Deliver Themselves | درسٌ عقدي يقدمه السحرة أنفسهم
Newly converted, the magicians articulate a full picture of judgment: whoever comes to his Lord as an evildoer, having corrupted himself with polytheism, faces Hellfire, neither dying to escape it nor living in comfort, while the believer who obeys Allah’s commands enjoys eternal high ranks in Paradise. This detailed teaching, coming from men who had been sorcerers only shortly before, reflects, according to the answer, how much they had taken in from the call of Musa and Harun (peace be upon them) over a long time.
يصوغ السحرة، وهم مسلمون حديثا، صورة كاملة للحساب: من يأتي ربه مجرما، قد أفسد نفسه بالشرك، يواجه جهنم، لا يموت فيها ولا يحيا، بينما المؤمن الذي يطيع أوامر الله ينعم بدرجات عالية أبدية في الجنة. ويعكس هذا التعليم المفصل، الصادر عن رجال كانوا سحرة قبل وقت قصير فقط، بحسب الجواب، مدى ما استوعبوه من دعوة موسى وهارون على مدى زمن طويل.
6. Coercion, Not Free Collaboration | إكراهٌ لا تعاونٌ حر
Al-Sa’di, adding “and Allah knows best,” explains that Musa’s own warning had already shaken the magicians deeply before the contest, and that the accusing words they spoke about Musa and Harun wanting to drive the people out of their land (Ta-Ha 20:63) were Pharaoh’s words, which he had compelled them to repeat. This context helps explain their swift, sincere conversion: the verse itself shows that their earlier magic was done under compulsion (Ta-Ha 20:73).
يوضح السعدي، مع قوله “والله أعلم”، أن تحذير موسى نفسه كان قد أثّر في السحرة تأثيرا كبيرا قبل المباراة، وأن كلمات الاتهام التي قالوها عن رغبة موسى وهارون في إخراج الناس من أرضهم (طه 20: 63) كانت كلام فرعون الذي ألزمهم به. ويساعد هذا السياق على فهم تحولهم السريع والصادق، فالآية نفسها تدل على أن سحرهم السابق كان عن إكراه (طه 20: 73).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How did the magicians respond to Pharaoh’s threats?
They declared they would never choose him over Allah, whatever he did to them.
How did they reframe Pharaoh’s power over them?
By pointing out his authority reached only this life, while the Hereafter belonged entirely to Allah.
What did they ask forgiveness for?
The magic Pharaoh had forced them to perform.
Where did the magicians gain this theological understanding?
According to the answer, from the call of Moses and Harun over a long time.
Were the magicians’ earlier accusations against Moses their own genuine belief?
Al-Sa’di suggests, adding that Allah knows best, that those were Pharaoh’s words, which he compelled them to repeat.