What Was the Result of the Contest Between Moses (PBUH) and the Magicians?
كيف سارت تلك المناظرة بين موسى والسحرة؟ وما هي أحداثها؟
When the magicians came at Pharaoh’s command, the Prophet of Allah Moses said to them, warning and cautioning: Do not invent lies about Allah, attributing to Him what is false, for whoever does that, Allah will destroy him with a punishment from Him, that is, He will destroy you with a punishment of annihilation and extermination, and whoever does that is the loser.
This brief, eloquent admonition affected the gathered magicians and led them into dispute and disagreement over whether he was a magician or a Messenger from heaven. But they soon returned to their defiance of the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, and began talking secretly and urging one another to go ahead with the debate and the contest between them and Moses, because they claimed that Moses and his brother Harun were two magicians who wanted to disrupt the national unity of the Pharaonic kingdom, as Pharaoh had said, meaning your Egyptian homeland. They also claimed that the two wanted to make you equal, meaning the nobles of Pharaoh’s people, with the common people of the Children of Israel. So standing against Moses was not out of following the truth but to preserve social standing.
Based on that, they had to agree on one opinion: to overcome Moses and his brother in order to preserve the Pharaonic kingdom, and to preserve the social and religious state of that kingdom, even if that state was not right.
(Moses warned the magicians, “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.” So the magicians disputed the matter among themselves, conversing privately. They concluded, “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. So orchestrate your plan, then come forward in ˹perfect˺ ranks. And whoever prevails today will certainly be successful.”) Ta-Ha 20:61-64
After that, the magicians gave the Prophet of Allah Moses the choice of beginning or letting them begin, and Moses chose that the magicians begin and that his turn to cast would come after them. The people began by throwing the ropes and sticks, seeking help through Pharaoh’s might, eager to win the debate and the contest between them and the Prophet of Allah Moses.
(“O Moses! Either you cast, or let us be the first to cast.”) Ta-Ha 20:65
(“Moses said to them, ‘Cast whatever you wish to cast.’ So they cast down their ropes and staffs, saying, ‘By Pharaoh’s might, it is we who will surely prevail.'”) Ash-Shu’ara 26:43-44
The ropes and sticks turned into snakes that filled the place, and that was magic of illusion, meaning that through the magician’s act the onlooker imagines they are snakes, while in reality they have not changed. That stirred a feeling of fear in Moses’s heart, and the reason for his fear was that the people might be tempted by that magic before he cast the staff. Here the revelation came to reassure him: You are the victor, so cast the staff you hold in your right hand, for it will swallow up all the ropes and sticks with great speed, because your staff is a miracle from Allah, while what the people made is of the kind of magic that deceives the eyes and terrifies the mind, and such things neither last, nor endure, nor prevail.
(“Moses responded, ‘No, you go first.’ And suddenly their ropes and staffs appeared to him, by their magic, to be slithering. So Moses concealed fear within himself. We reassured ˹him˺, ‘Do not fear! It is certainly you who will prevail. Cast what is in your right hand, and it will swallow up what they have made, for what they have made is no more than a magic trick. And magicians can never succeed wherever they go.'”) Ta-Ha 20:66-69
(“They asked, ‘O Moses! Will you cast, or shall we be the first to cast?’ Moses said, ‘You first.’ So when they did, they deceived the eyes of the people, stunned them, and made a great display of magic. Then We inspired Moses, ‘Throw down your staff.'”) Al-A’raf 7:115-117
The Prophet of Allah Moses cast the staff as Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, commanded him, and the staff swallowed up all the magic the magicians had fabricated, as mentioned above. At that moment, what Pharaoh had not reckoned with took place: the magicians fell down in prostration at once, because they were astonished, the sign dazzled them, and they knew it was not magic, and they declared their faith in the true Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of Moses and Harun; as for Pharaoh, he is not a true lord.
(Then We inspired Moses, “Throw down your staff,” and, behold, it devoured the objects of their illusion!) Al-A’raf 7:117
(Moses said to them, “Cast whatever you wish to cast.” So they cast down their ropes and staffs, saying, “By Pharaoh’s might, it is we who will surely prevail.” Then Moses threw down his staff, and, behold, it devoured the objects of their illusion!) Ash-Shu’ara 26:43-45
لما حضر السحرة بأمر فرعون قال لهم نبي الله موسى مخوفًا ومحذرًا: لا تتقولوا على الله، فتنسبوا إليه ما هو كذب، فإن من فعل ذلك أهلكه الله بعذاب من عنده، أي يهلككم بعذاب إبادة واستئصال، ومن فعل ذلك فهو الخاسر.
أثرت هذه الموعظة الوجيزة البليغة في السحرة المجتمعين، وأدت إلى تنازعهم واختلافهم في الرأي هل هو ساحر أم هو رسول من السماء، لكنهم سرعان ما عادوا إلى ما هم عليه من التحدي لنبي الله عليه السلام، فجعلوا يتحدثون سرًّا ويحثون بعضهم بعضا على الإقدام على المناظرة والمباراة بينهم وبين موسى؛ لأنهم يزعمون أن موسى وأخاه هارون ساحران يريدان الإخلال بالوحدة الوطنية للمملكة الفرعونية، كما ذكر فرعون، أي دياركم المصرية. كما أنهما يريدان أن يساويا بينكم، أي الشرفاء من آل فرعون، وبين البسطاء من بني إسرائيل، فالوقوف أمام موسى ليس تبعًا للحق وإنما للمحافظة على المكانة الاجتماعية.
بناء على ذلك: لا بد من الاتفاق على رأي واحد وهو مغالبة موسى وأخيه للمحافظة على المملكة الفرعونية، والمحافظة على الحالة الاجتماعية والدينية التي تعيشها تلك المملكة ولو كانت تلك الحالة غير صحيحة.
(قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰ وَيْلَكُمْ لَا تَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ كَذِبًا فَيُسْحِتَكُم بِعَذَابٍ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنِ افْتَرَىٰ فَتَنَازَعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ وَأَسَرُّوا النَّجْوَىٰ قَالُوا إِنْ هَـٰذَانِ لَسَاحِرَانِ يُرِيدَانِ أَن يُخْرِجَاكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِكُم بِسِحْرِهِمَا وَيَذْهَبَا بِطَرِيقَتِكُمُ الْمُثْلَىٰ فَأَجْمِعُوا كَيْدَكُمْ ثُمَّ ائْتُوا صَفًّا وَقَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْيَوْمَ مَنِ اسْتَعْلَىٰ) طه 20: 61-64
بعد ذلك خيّر السحرةُ نبي الله موسى، إما أن يبدأ أو يبدأ السحرة، فاختار موسى أن يبدأ السحرة ثم يكون الإلقاء عليه. ابتدأ القوم بإلقاء الحبال والعصي، مستعينين بعزة فرعون، حافين على كسبهم للمناظرة وربحهم للمباراة بينهم وبين نبي الله موسى.
(قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِمَّا أَن تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَىٰ) طه 20: 65
(قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰ أَلْقُوا مَا أَنتُم مُّلْقُونَ فَأَلْقَوْا حِبَالَهُمْ وَعِصِيَّهُمْ وَقَالُوا بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَالِبُونَ) الشعراء 26: 43-44
تحولت الحبال والعصي إلى حيات تملأ المكان، وكان ذلك سحر تخييل، أي أنه بفعل الساحر يتخيل الناظر أنها حيات وهي في الحقيقة لم تتحول، فأثار ذلك إحساسًا بالخوف في قلب موسى، وسبب خوفه أن يفتتن الناس بذلك السحر قبل أن يلقي العصا. وهنا جاءه الوحي يطمئنه: إنك أنت المنتصر، وألق العصا التي تحملها بيمينك، فإنها ستبتلع كل الحبال والعصي بسرعة فائقة، لأن عصاك معجزة من الله، وما صنعه القوم من قبيل سحر العيون وإرهاب العقول، ومثل ذلك لا يبقى ولا يدوم ولا ينتصر.
(قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىٰ فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَىٰ قُلْنَا لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْأَعْلَىٰ وَأَلْقِ مَا فِي يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوا إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىٰ) طه 20: 66-69
(قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِمَّا أَن تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَن نَّكُونَ نَحْنُ الْمُلْقِينَ قَالَ أَلْقُوا فَلَمَّا أَلْقَوْا سَحَرُوا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءُوا بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ) الأعراف 7: 115-117
ألقى نبي الله موسى العصا كما أمره الله عز وجل، فابتلعت العصا كل السحر الذي افتراه السحرة، كما تقدم. عند ذلك حدث ما لم يكن في حساب فرعون، فقد سجد السحرة فورًا، لاندهاشهم ولأن الآية أبهرتهم وعلموا أنها ليست من قبيل السحر، وأعلنوا إيمانهم برب العالمين الحقيقي، رب موسى وهارون، أما فرعون فهو ليس ربا حقيقيا.
(وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ) الأعراف 7: 117
(قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰ أَلْقُوا مَا أَنتُم مُّلْقُونَ فَأَلْقَوْا حِبَالَهُمْ وَعِصِيَّهُمْ وَقَالُوا بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَالِبُونَ فَأَلْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ) الشعراء 26: 43-45
1. A Warning Before Any Magic Was Shown | تحذيرٌ قبل عرض أي سحر
Before the contest even began, Musa warns the assembled magicians directly against fabricating lies about Allah, naming the exterminating punishment that would follow. This warning is delivered to men who had just been recruited as his opponents, showing genuine concern for their fate even in the moment of confrontation.
قبل أن تبدأ المباراة أصلا، يحذر موسى السحرة المجتمعين مباشرة من افتراء الكذب على الله، ذاكرا العذاب المستأصل الذي سيتبع ذلك. ويُوجَّه هذا التحذير إلى رجال جُندوا للتو خصوما له، مظهرا اهتماما حقيقيا بمصيرهم حتى في لحظة المواجهة.
2. A Warning Sharp Enough to Cause Real Doubt | تحذيرٌ يثير شكًا حقيقيًا
The magicians’ brief private dispute, arguing among themselves over whether Musa was a magician or a true messenger, shows that his warning genuinely unsettled them before the contest had even started. Ibn Kathir reports one explanation of their dispute: some of them said, “This is not the speech of a magician; this is the speech of a prophet,” while others insisted he was a magician.
يُظهر الخلاف الخاص الموجز بين السحرة، تجادلهم فيما بينهم حول ما إذا كان موسى ساحرا أو رسولا حقيقيا، أن تحذيره أزعجهم فعلا قبل أن تبدأ المباراة أصلا. وذكر ابن كثير في تفسير تنازعهم قولا: أن قائلا منهم قال: ليس هذا بكلام ساحر، إنما هذا كلام نبي، وقال آخر: بل هو ساحر.
3. Social Status Overriding Genuine Doubt | المكانة الاجتماعية تتغلب على الشك الحقيقي
Despite their uncertainty, the magicians proceed anyway, claiming, as the answer explains, that Musa and Harun (peace be upon them) wanted to disrupt the kingdom and to make Pharaoh’s nobles equal with the common Israelites. As the answer puts it, their opposition to Musa was not out of following the truth but to preserve their social standing.
ورغم شكهم، يمضي السحرة قدما، زاعمين، كما تبين الإجابة، أن موسى وهارون يريدان الإخلال بالمملكة والمساواة بين شرفاء آل فرعون وبسطاء بني إسرائيل. وكما تقول الإجابة، لم يكن وقوفهم أمام موسى تبعا للحق وإنما للمحافظة على المكانة الاجتماعية.
4. Musa Lets Them Go First | موسى يترك لهم البدء
Given the choice of who would begin, Musa deliberately lets the magicians present their illusion first. This decision let the truth come after the falsehood and expose it in full view, since his sign would follow, and visibly overtake, whatever they produced.
وحين خُيّر من يبدأ، يترك موسى عمدا السحرة يعرضون تخييلهم أولا. وبهذا القرار جاء الحق بعد الباطل ليكشفه أمام الجميع، إذ ستأتي آيته بعد ذلك وتتفوق بوضوح على أي شيء أنتجوه.
5. An Illusion Convincing Enough to Frighten a Prophet | تخييلٌ مقنعٌ لدرجة إخافة نبي
When the ropes and staffs appeared to move like living snakes, Musa himself felt a moment of genuine fear, worried the crowd would be swept up by the spectacle before he had a chance to respond. The Quran’s honesty about this fear, rather than presenting Musa as unaffected by the scene, makes the reassurance that follows all the more significant.
حين بدت الحبال والعصي وكأنها تتحرك كحيات حية، شعر موسى نفسه بلحظة خوف حقيقي، قلقا من أن ينجرف الجمهور وراء المشهد قبل أن تتاح له فرصة الرد. وصدق القرآن في ذكر هذا الخوف، بدلا من تصوير موسى غير متأثر بالمشهد، يجعل الطمأنة التي تلي أكثر دلالة.
6. Reassurance, the Swallowing Staff, and Immediate Belief | طمأنة وعصا تبتلع وإيمانٌ فوري
Allah reassures Musa directly, “It is certainly you who will prevail,” and instructs him to throw the staff already in his hand, which swallows every illusion the magicians had produced. The outcome Pharaoh had never planned for follows immediately: the very magicians recruited to defeat Musa fall in prostration on the spot, recognizing genuine divine power when they saw it and declaring belief in the true Lord of the Worlds.
يطمئن الله موسى مباشرة: “إنك أنت الأعلى”، ويأمره بإلقاء العصا التي في يده بالفعل، فتبتلع كل تخييل أنتجه السحرة. وتتبع ذلك فورا نتيجة لم يخطط لها فرعون قط: فالسحرة أنفسهم الذين جُندوا لهزيمة موسى يسقطون ساجدين على الفور، مدركين قدرة إلهية حقيقية حين رأوها ومعلنين إيمانهم برب العالمين الحقيقي.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What was the result of the contest between Moses and the magicians?
Moses’s staff swallowed up their entire illusion, and the magicians immediately fell in prostration, believing in the true Lord of the Worlds.
What did Moses say to the magicians before the contest began?
He warned them not to fabricate lies about Allah, or they would be destroyed by His punishment.
Why did the magicians proceed despite their private doubts?
According to the answer, they chose to preserve their social standing rather than follow the truth; the Quran records their claim that Musa and Harun wanted to drive them from their land and do away with their cherished way (Surah Ta-Ha 20:63).
Did Moses show fear during the contest?
Yes, briefly, when the magicians’ ropes and staffs appeared to move, before Allah reassured him of victory.
How did the magicians react once Moses’s staff swallowed their illusion?
They fell in prostration immediately, recognizing it was not magic, and declared their belief in the Lord of Moses and Harun.