26:51 Ash-Shu'araa (The Poets)

إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَايَانَا من الكفر والسحر, وغيرهما أَنْ كُنَّا أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بموسى, من هؤلاء الجنود، فثبتهم الله وصبرهم. فيحتمل أن فرعون فعل بهم ما توعدهم به, لسلطانه, واقتداره إذ ذاك ويحتمل, أن الله منعه منهم، ثم لم يزل فرعون وقومه, مستمرين على كفرهم, يأتيهم موسى بالآيات البينات، وكلما جاءتهم آية, وبلغت منهم كل مبلغ, وعدوا موسى, وعاهدوه لئن كشف الله عنهم, ليؤمنن به, وليرسلن معه بني إسرائيل, فيكشفه الله, ثم ينكثون، فلما يئس موسى من إيمانهم, وحقت عليهم كلمة العذاب, وآن لبني إسرائيل أن ينجيهم من أسرهم, ويمكن لهم في الأرض,

ولهذا قالوا "إنا نطمع أن يغفر لنا ربنا خطايانا" أي ما قارفناه من الذنوب وما أكرهتنا عليه من السحر "أن كنا أول المؤمنين" أي بسبب أنا بادرنا قومنا من القبط إلى الإيمان فقتلهم كلهم.

Between Fir`awn and the Sorcerers

His threats against them resulted only in an increase in their faith and submission to Allah, for the veil of disbelief had been lifted from their hearts and the truth became clear to them because they knew something that their people did not: that what Musa had done could not have been done by any human being unless Allah helped him, making it proof and an evidence of the truth of what he had brought from his Lord. Then Fir`awn said to them:

ءَامَنتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ ءَاذَنَ لَكُمْ

(You have believed in him before I give you leave.) meaning, `you should have asked my permission for what you did, and you did not consult with me; if I had given you permission you could have done it, and if I did not allow you, you should not have done it, for I am the ruler and the one to be obeyed.'

إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِى عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ

(Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic!) This is stubborn talk, and anyone can see that it is nonsense, for they had never met Musa before that day, so how could he have been their chief who taught them how to do magic No rational person would say this. Then Fir`awn threatened to cut off their hands and feet, and crucify them. They said:

لاَ ضَيْرَ

(No harm!) meaning, `no problem, that will not harm us and we do not care.'

إِنَّآ إِلَى رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

(Surely, to our Lord we are to return.) means, `the return of us all is to Allah, may He be glorified, and He will never allow the reward of anyone who has done good to be lost. What you have done to us is not hidden from Him, and He will reward us in full for that.' So they said:

إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَـيَـنَآ

(Verily, we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins,) `the sins we have committed and the magic you forced us to do.'

أَن كُنَّآ أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(as we are the first of the believers,) means, because we are the first of our people, the Egyptians, to believe. So he killed them all.

Indeed We hope our Lord will forgive us our iniquities for being the first to believe’ in our time.

قَالُوا لَا ضَيْرَ‌ ۖ إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

They said, "There is no harm. We are to return to our Lord. (26:50)

When the Pharaoh threatened the magicians to kill them, and to cut their limbs and to crucify them, the magicians replied rather indifferently, the gist of their reply was, ` You do whatever you can. We shall lose nothing. Even if we are killed we will go back to our Lord, where there is nothing but comfort'.

It is worth noting here that the magicians who had involved all their lives practicing the sinful sorcery and who believed in the Pharaoh's claim to be a god, rather, used to worship him, pronounced faith in Allah before that tyrant and despotic king and the entire nation. This was in itself something most astonishing and courageous, but it was not just the pronouncement of faith in Allah, but a demonstration of such deep devotion as if they could see the Dooms Day and the Hereafter before their eyes. The blessings and bounties of the Hereafter were within their sight, for which they raised themselves over and above any punishment or torment of this world, and said فَاقْضِ مَا أَنتَ قَاضٍ that is ` You do whatever you are to do (20:72). We are not going back from our faith'. This in fact was also a miracle of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) which was no less than the miracle of the staff and the luminous hand. Many incidents of similar nature have also occurred with our Holy Prophet ﷺ . In one such incident a drastic change had occurred in a seventy years old infidel in that within a minute he not only converted to Islam, but was ready to lay down his life to become a martyr.