Allah, the Exalted, informs about the magicians when they met Musa, that they
said to Musa,
[إِمَّآ أَن
تُلْقِىَ]
("Either you throw first...'') meaning, "you go first.''
[وَإِمَّآ أَن
نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَىقَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُواْ]
("...or we be the first to throw'' (Musa) said: "Nay, throw you (first)!'')
This means, `you magicians should go first so that we can see what magic you are
going to perform and so that the true state of their affair will become obvious
to the people.'
[فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ
وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى]
(Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him
as though they moved fast.) In another Ayah it says that when they threw,
[وَقَالُواْ
بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَونَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَـلِبُونَ]
(Then said: "By the might of Fir`awn, it is we who will certainly win!'')
[26:44] And Allah, the Exalted, says,
[سَحَرُواْ أَعْيُنَ
النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَآءُو بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ]
(They bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they
displayed a great magic.) [7:116] Here, He says in this Surah,
[فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ
وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى]
(Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him
as though they moved fast.) They were a large numbered group and each one of
them threw a stick and a rope until the valley became full of snakes piled on
top of each other. Concerning Allah's statement,
[فَأَوْجَسَ فِى
نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُّوسَى ]
(So Musa conceived fear in himself.) This means that he feared for the people
that they would be tested and deceived by their magic before he could even have
a chance to throw what was in his right hand. Thus, Allah revealed to him at the
right moment, to throw what was in his right hand, which was the stick. When he
did so, it swallowed what they had made. It became a huge, monstrous creature
with legs, a neck, a head and fangs. It went after these ropes and sticks until
none of them remained, except that it was devoured and swallowed by this beast.
At the same time, the magicians and all of the people were watching with their
own eyes, seeing this amazing event in broad daylight. Thus, the miracle was
performed and the evidence was clear. The truth prevailed and the magic was
proven to be falsehood. This is why Allah said,
[إِنَّمَا صَنَعُواْ
كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلاَ يُفْلِحُ السَّـحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى]
(That which they have made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will
never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.) So when the
magicians saw the event and witnessed it with their own eyes, while they were
knowledgeable of the various tricks and methods in the sciences of magic, they
knew with conviction that what Musa had done was not magic or illusionary
tricks. They recognized that it was the truth without any doubt. They knew that
no one had any power to do this except for One Who says for a thing "Be,'' and
it is. Therefore, when this happened, they fell down into prostration to Allah.
They said, "We believe in the Lord of all that exists, the Lord of Musa and
Harun!'' This is why Ibn `Abbas and `Ubayd bin `Umayr both said, "At the
beginning of the day they were magicians and at the end of the day they were
outstanding witnesses of faith.''
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