20:59 Taa-Haa (Taa-Haa)

فقال موسى: { مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِ } وهو عيدهم، الذي يتفرغون فيه ويقطعون شواغلهم، { وَأَنْ يُحْشَرَ النَّاسُ ضُحًى } أي: يجمعون كلهم في وقت الضحى، وإنما سأل موسى ذلك، لأن يوم الزينة ووقت الضحى فيه يحصل فيه من كثرة الاجتماع، ورؤية الأشياء على حقائقها، ما لا يحصل في غيره

فعند ذلك "قال" لهم موسى "موعدكم يوم الزينة" وهو يوم عيدهم وتفرغهم من أعمالهم واجتماع جميعهم ليشاهد الناس قدرة الله على ما يشاء ومعجزات الأنبياء وبطلان معارضة السحر لخوارق العادات النبوية ولهذا قال "وأن يحشر الناس" أي جميعهم "ضحى" أي ضحوة من النهار ليكون أظهر وأجلى وأبين وأوضح وهكذا شأن الأنبياء كل أمرهم بين واضح ليس فيه خفاء ولا ترويج ولهذا لم يقل ليلا ولكن نهارا ضحى قال ابن عباس وكان يوم الزينة يوم عاشوراء وقال السدي وقتادة وابن زيد كان يوم عيدهم وقال سعيد بن جبير كان يوم سوقهم ولا منافاة قلت وفي مثله أهلك الله فرعون وجنوده كما ثبت في الصحيح وقال وهب بن منبه قال فرعون يا موسى اجعل بيننا وبينك أجلا ننظر فيه قال موسى لم أؤمر بهذا إنما أمرت بمناجزتك إن أنت لم تخرج دخلت إليك فأوحى الله إلى موسى أن اجعل بينك وبينه أجلا وقل له أن يجعل هو قال فرعون اجعله إلى أربعين يوما ففعل وقال مجاهد وقتادة مكانا سوى منصفا وقال السدي عدلا وقال عبد الرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم مكانا سوى مُسْتَوٍ بين الناس وما فيه لا يكون صوت ولا شيء يتغيب بعض ذلك عن بعض مُسْتَوٍ حين يُرى.

Fir`awn describes Musa's Proofs as being Magic and Their Agreement to hold a Contest

Allah, the Exalted, informs of what Fir`awn said to Musa when he showed him the great proof. This great sign to Fir`awn was Musa casting down his stick which became a huge snake, and his pulling his hand out from under his arm while it was glowing white without any illness. At this, Fir`awn said, "This is magic that you have brought to us to bewitch us and conquer the people, so that they will follow you. Then you will outnumber us." Fir`awn then said, "Your plan will not work. We have magic just like yours, so do not let yourself be deceived by that what you are doing."

فَاجْعَلْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ مَوْعِداً

(so appoint a meeting between us and you,) Meaning, `a day that we can come together to present some of our magic to confront yours. It will be at a specified place and time.' With this, Musa said to them,

مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِ

(Your appointed meeting is the day of festival,) That was the day of their celebration and their New Year's festivity. It was a holiday for them when they took vacation from their work and came together for a large gathering. This day was selected so that all of the people could witness the power of Allah to do whatever He wills. They would see the miracles of the prophets and the futility of magic to contest the supernatural prophetic powers. This is why Musa said,

وَأَن يُحْشَرَ النَّاسُ

(and let the people assemble) meaning all of them.

ضُحًى

(when the sun has risen (forenoon).) meaning in the morning, just before noon. In this way the contest will be most visible, well lit, apparent and obvious in plain view. This is the way of the Prophets. Their work is always clear and apparent. It is never something hidden, or something for sale. This is why he did not say that the meeting should be at night, but rather, it was to be held during the bright part of the day. Ibn `Abbas said, "The day of their festivity was the day of `Ashura'." As-Suddi, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said, "It was the day of their great celebration." Sa`id bin Jubayr said, "It was the day of their great bazzar." These statements are not contradictory. I say that Allah destroyed Fir`awn and his armies on a day similar to this, just as is confirmed in the Sahih. `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "It was a flat place where all of the people were on the same level, having an equal view of the event. There was nothing there that would obstruct the view so that some people could see what others did not."

Said he Moses ‘Your tryst shall be the Day of Adornment — a festive day of theirs on which they adorn themselves and the public assemble — and let the people assemble let the inhabitants of Egypt gather at forenoon’ the time for this tryst to observe what will transpire.

مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِ وَأَن يُحْشَرَ‌ النَّاسُ ضُحًى (Your appointment is the festival day and that the people are assembled at forenoon - 20:59). يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِ has been explained differently by different authorities. Some say it was a special festival when the Egyptians, attired in beautiful dresses, gathered outside the towns, while others say that it was a Saturday (' یوم السَّبت), and according to some others it was the tenth day of Muharram (عاشُورا).

The great advantage in fixing for the contest

It was a wise move on the part of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) to fix festival day as the day of contest when all Egyptians, high and low, were expected to assemble at an appointed place. There was also a point in fixing early forenoon as the time for the contest because this is the time when people, having finished their daily chores, are free to engage in other things. Also daylight and visibility are at their best in the early forenoon and people, while dispersing after witnessing a momentous event, spread the news far and wide. Thus when, with Allah's help, Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) inflicted a crushing defeat on the Egyptian magicians, the story became known the same day to people living in far flung places.

Magic - its truth, forms and the rules governing it

For a detailed discussion on this subject reference may be made to the story of Harut and Marut in Surah Al-Baqarah at page 265 to 278 of Ma'ariful Qur'an vol. I.