20:73 Taa-Haa (Taa-Haa)

{ إِنَّا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَايَانَا } أي: كفرنا ومعاصينا، فإن الإيمان مكفر للسيئات، والتوبة تجب ما قبلها، وقولهم، { وَمَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ } الذي عارضنا به الحق، هذا دليل على أنهم غير مختارين في عملهم المتقدم، وإنما أكرههم فرعون إكراها. والظاهر -والله أعلم- أن موسى لما وعظهم كما تقدم في قوله: { وَيْلَكُمْ لَا 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، ولعل هذه النكتة، التي قامت بقلوبهم من كراهتهم لمعارضة الحق بالباطل وفعلهم، ما فعلوا على وجه الإغماض، هي التي أثرت معهم، ورحمهم الله بسببها، ووفقهم للإيمان والتوبة، { والله خير } مما وعدتنا من الأجر والمنزلة والجاه، وأبقى ثوابا وإحسانا لا ما يقول فرعون: { وَلَتَعْلَمُنَّ أَيُّنَا أَشَدُّ عَذَابًا وَأَبْقَى } يريد أنه أشد عذابا وأبقى. وجميع ما أتى من قصص موسى مع فرعون، يذكر الله فيه إذا أتى على قصة السحرة، أن فرعون توعدهم بالقطع والصلب، ولم يذكر أنه فعل ذلك، ولم يأت في ذلك حديث صحيح، والجزم بوقوعه، أو عدمه، يتوقف على الدليل، والله أعلم بذلك وغيره، ولكن توعده إياهم بذلك مع اقتداره، دليل على وقوعه، ولأنه لو لم يقع لذكره الله، ولاتفاق الناقلين على ذلك.

"إنا آمنا بربنا ليغفر لنا خطايانا" أي ما كان منا من الآثام خصوصا ما أكرهتنا عليه من السحر لتعارض به آية الله تعالى ومعجزة نبيه.وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا نعيم بن حماد حدثنا سفيان بن عيينة عن أبي سعيد عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس في قوله تعالى وما أكرهتنا عليه من السحر قال أخذ فرعون أربعين غلاما من بني إسرائيل فأمر أن يعلموا السحر بالفرماء وقال علموهم تعليما لا يعلمه أحد في الأرض قال ابن عباس فهم من الذين آمنوا بموسى وهم من الذين قالوا آمنا بربنا ليغفر لنا خطايانا وما أكرهتنا عليه من السحر وكذا قال عبد الرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم وقوله" والله خير وأبقى" أي خير لنا منك وأبقى أي أدوم ثوابا مما كنت وعدتنا ومنيتنا وهو رواية عن ابن إسحاق رحمه الله وقال محمد بن كعب القرظي والله خير أي لنا منك إن أطيع وأبقى أي منك عذابا إن عصي وروي نحوه عن ابن إسحاق أيضا والظاهر أن فرعون لعنه الله صمم على ذلك وفعله بهم رحمة لهم من الله ولهذا قال ابن عباس وغيره من السلف أصبحوا سحرة وأمسوا شهداء.

Fir`awn's turning against the Magicians, His threatening Them and Their Reply

Allah, the Exalted, informs of Fir`awn's disbelief, obstinance, transgression and haughtiness against the truth in favor of falsehood. When he saw what he saw of the magnificent miracle and the great sign, and he saw those whose help he sought accept faith in the presence of all of the people, and he was absolutely defeated, he began to behave arrogantly and cast accusations. He resorted to using his esteemed honor and might against the magicians. He warned them and threatened them saying,

ءَامَنتُمْ لَهُ

(Believe you in him (Musa)) This means, "Do you have faith in him"

قَبْلَ أَنْ ءَاذَنَ لَكُمْ

(before I give you permission) meaning, "I have not commanded you to do so, by which you have rebelled against me." Then he said a statement that he, the magicians and all creatures knew was a forgery and an utter lie.

إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِى عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ

(Verily, he is your chief who has taught you magic.) meaning "You all only took your magic from Musa and you have made an agreement with him against me and my subjects, that you would help him be victorious." Allah says in another Ayah,

إِنَّ هَـذَا لَمَكْرٌ مَّكَرْتُمُوهُ فِى الْمَدِينَةِ لِتُخْرِجُواْ مِنْهَآ أَهْلَهَا فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ

(Surely, this is a plot which you have plotted in the city to drive out its people, but you shall come to know.) 7:123 Then he began threatening them. He said to them,

فَلأُقَطِّعَنَّ أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ مِّنْ خِلاَفٍ وَلأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ فِى جُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ

(So I will surely cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of date palms,) meaning, "I will certainly make an example of you, I will kill you in a public execution." Ibn `Abbas said, "Thus, he was the first person to ever do this (public execution, crucifixion)." This was reported by Ibn Abi Hatim. Concerning Allah's statement,

وَلَتَعْلَمُنَّ أَيُّنَآ أَشَدُّ عَذَاباً وَأَبْقَى

(And you shall surely know which of us can give the severe and more lasting torment.) This means, "You say that my people and I are astray and that you (magicians), Musa and his people are following correct guidance, but you will come to know who will be punished and remain punished." So when he attacked with this and threatened them, their souls eased them because of their belief in Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. They exclaimed,

قَالُواْ لَن نُّؤْثِرَكَ عَلَى مَا جَآءَنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَـتِ

(They said: "We prefer you not over what have come to us of the clear signs...") meaning, "We do not chose you over the guidance and conviction that we have received. "

وَالَّذِى فَطَرَنَا

(and to Him (Allah) Who created us.) It could be that they were swearing, "By He Who has created us." It also could be connected in meaning to the clear signs mentioned before it. In this case it would mean, "We do not prefer you over our Originator and Creator, Who produced us from a beginning that was nothing. He created us from clay (or mud). Therefore, He alone deserves worship and humility and you do not (Fir`awn)!"

فَاقْضِ مَآ أَنتَ قَاضٍ

(So decree whatever you desire to decree,) "Do whatever you wish and whatever your hands are able to achieve."

إِنَّمَا تَقْضِى هَـذِهِ الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَآ

(for you can only decree (regarding) this life of the world.) meaning, "You only have power in this world and it is a world that will come to an end. Verily, we are hoping in the eternal abode."

إِنَّآ آمَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَـيَـنَا

(Verily, we have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults,) "Whatever evils that we did." It specifically means, `which we were forced to do of magic, in order to oppose the sign of Allah and the miracle of His Prophet.' Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said concerning Allah's statement,

وَمَآ أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ

(and the magic to which you compelled us.) "Fir`awn took forty boys from the Children of Israel and commanded that they be taught magic at Al-Farama. He said, `Teach them knowledge that no one in the land knows."' Ibn `Abbas then said, "They were of those who believed in Musa and they were of those who said,

آمَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَـيَـنَا وَمَآ أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ

(We have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults, and the magic to which you did compel us.)" `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said the same. Allah's statement,

وَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى

(And Allah is better as regards reward in comparison to your reward, and more lasting.) means, "He is better for us than you."

وَأَبْقَى

(and more lasting.) More lasting in reward than what you pro- mised us and made us aspire to. It is apparent that Fir`awn (may Allah curse him) was bent upon their punishment, and that what he did to them was a mercy from Allah for them. This is why Ibn `Abbas and others of the Salaf said, "They woke up in that morning as magicians, but they became witnesses of faith by the evening. "

Indeed We profess belief in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins in the way of ascribing partners to God and otherwise and the sorcery to which you forced us to learn and to perform in order to oppose Moses. And God is better than you in rewarding if he is obeyed and more enduring’ than you in chastisement if he is disobeyed.

وَمَا أَكْرَ‌هْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ‌ (And the magic you had compelled us on - 20:73). The magicians now accused the Pharaoh of having forced them to practice magic else they would not have taken it up. Here a question may arise that the magicians came to the contest of their own free choice and had even negotiated beforehand their reward if they were victorious. How, then, could they justify their accusation that the Pharaoh had forced them to practice magic? A possible answer can be that whereas the magicians, to begin with, were tempted by promises of generous rewards for taking part in the contest they soon realized that they stood no chance against miracles and wanted to withdraw from the contest. It was then that the Pharaoh forced them to take up the challenge of Musa (علیہ السلام) . Another explanation is that under a law passed by the Pharaoh everybody was compelled to learn magic.

The propitious end of 'Asiyah ؓ ، the Pharaoh's wife

Qurtubi has mentioned in his commentary that while the contest between vice and virtue was in progress, the Pharaoh's wife kept herself informed of the minute to minute developments and when she learned that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had emerged victorious, she at once declared her adherence to the True Faith. When the Pharaoh was informed of his wife's defection, he ordered that a huge rock be thrown upon her. When 'Asiyah saw the rock coming, she raised her eyes in supplication to Allah who took away her soul so that the rock fell on her lifeless body.