7:123 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

فـقَالَ لَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ متهددا على الإيمان: آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْ كان الخبيث حاكما مستبدا على الأبدان والأقوال، قد تقرر عنده وعندهم أن قوله هو المطاع، وأمره نافذ فيهم، ولا خروج لأحد عن قوله وحكمه، وبهذه الحالة تنحط الأمم وتضعف عقولها ونفوذها، وتعجز عن المدافعة عن حقوقها، ولهذا قال اللّه عنه: فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ وقال هنا: ( آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْ ) أي: فهذا سوء أدب منكم وتجرؤ عَليَّ.

ثم موه على قومه وقال: إِنَّ هَذَا لَمَكْرٌ مَكَرْتُمُوهُ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ لِتُخْرِجُوا مِنْهَا أَهْلَهَا أي: إن موسى كبيركم الذي علمكم السحر، فتواطأتم أنتم وهو على أن تنغلبوا له، فيظهر فتتبعوه، ثم يتبعكم الناس أو جمهورهم فتخرجوا منها أهلها.

وهذا كذب يعلم هو ومن سبر الأحوال، أن موسى عليه الصلاة والسلام لم يجتمع بأحد منهم، وأنهم جمعوا على نظر فرعون ورسله، وأن ما جاء به موسى آية إلهية، وأن السحرة قد بذلوا مجهودهم في مغالبة موسى، حتى عجزوا، وتبين لهم الحق، فاتبعوه.

ثم توعدهم فرعون بقوله: فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ما أحل بكم من العقوبة.

يخبر تعالي عما توعد به فرعون لعنه الله السحرة لما آمنوا بموسى عليه السلام وما أظهره للناس من كيده ومكره في قوله "إن هذا لمكر مكرتموه في المدينة لتخرجوا منها أهلها" أي إن غلبته لكم في يومكم هذا إنما كان عن تشاور منكم ورضا منكم لذلك كقوله في الآية الأخرى "إنه لكبيركم الذي علمكم السحر" وهو يعلم وكل من له لب أن هذا الذي قاله من أبطل الباطل فإن موسى عليه السلام بمجرد ما جاء من مدين دعا فرعون إلى الله وأظهر المعجزات الباهرة والحجج القاطعة على صدق ما جاء به فعند ذلك أرسل فرعون في مدائن ملكه ومعاملة سلطنته فجمع سحرة متفرقين من سائر الأقاليم ببلاد مصر ممن اختار هو والملأ من قومه وأحضرهم عنده ووعدهم بالعطاء الجزيل ولهذا قد كانوا من أحرص الناس على ذلك وعلى الظهور في مقامهم ذلك والتقدم عند فرعون. وموسى عليه السلام لا يعرف أحدا منهم ولا رآه ولا اجتمع به وفرعون يعلم ذلك وإنما قال هذا تسترا وتدليسا على رعاع دولته وجهلتهم كما قال تعالى "فاستخف قومه فأطاعوه" فإن قوما صدقوه في قوله "أنا ربكم الأعلى" من أجهل خلق الله وأضلهم وقال السدي في تفسيره بإسناده المشهور عن ابن مسعود وابن عباس وغيرهما من الصحابة في قوله تعالى "إن هذا لمكر مكرتموه في المدينة" قال التقى موسى عليه السلام وأمير السحرة فقال له موسى أرأيتك إن غلبتك أتؤمن بي وتشهد أن ما جئت به حق قال الساحر لآتين غدا بسحر لا يغلبه سحر فوالله لئن غلبتني لأومنن بك ولأشهدن أنك حق وفرعون ينظر إليهما قالوا فلهذا قال ما قال وقوله "لتخرجوا منها أهلها" أي تجتمعوا أنتم وهو وتكون لكم دولة وصولة وتخرجوا منها الأكابر والرؤساء وتكون الدولة والتصرف لكم "فسوف تعلمون " أي ما أصنع بكم.

Fir`awn threatens the Magicians after They believed in Musa and Their Response to Him

Allah mentions the threats that the Fir`awn - may Allah curse him - made to the magicians after they believed Musa, peace be upon him, and the deceit and cunning that Fir`awn showed the people. Fir`awn said,

إِنَّ هَـذَا لَمَكْرٌ مَّكَرْتُمُوهُ فِى الْمَدِينَةِ لِتُخْرِجُواْ مِنْهَآ أَهْلَهَا

(Surely, this is a plot which you have plotted in the city to drive out its people,) meaning Fir`awn proclaimed, `Musa's defeating you today was because you plotted with him and agreed to that.' Fir`awn also said,

إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِى عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ

(He (Musa) is your chief who has taught you magic.) 20:71 However, Fir`awn and all those who had any sense of reason knew for sure that what Fir`awn said was utterly false. As soon as Musa came from Madyan, he called Fir`awn to Allah and demonstrated tremendous miracles and clear proofs for the Truth that he brought. Fir`awn then sent emissaries to various cities of his kingdom and collected magicians who were scattered throughout Egypt. Fir`awn and his people chose from them, summoned them, and Fir`awn promised them great rewards. These magicians were very eager to prevail over Musa in front of Fir`awn, so that they might become closer to him. Musa neither knew any of them nor saw or met them before. Fir`awn knew that, but he claimed otherwise to deceive the ignorant masses of his kingdom, just as Allah described them,

فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ

(Thus he Fir`awn fooled his people, and they obeyed him.) 43:54 Certainly, a people who believed Fir`awn in his statement,

أَنَاْ رَبُّكُمُ الاٌّعْلَى

("I am your lord, most high.") 79:24, are among the most ignorant and misguided creatures of Allah. In his Tafsir, As-Suddi reported that Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas, and several other Companions, commented,

إِنَّ هَـذَا لَمَكْرٌ مَّكَرْتُمُوهُ فِى الْمَدِينَةِ

("Surely, this is a plot which you have plotted in the city...") "Musa met the leader of the magicians and said to him, `If I defeat you, will you believe in me and bear witness that what I brought is the truth' The magician said, `Tomorrow, I will produce a type of magic that cannot be defeated by another magic. By Allah! If you defeat me, I will believe in you and testify to your truth.' Fir`awn was watching them, and this is why he said what he said." His statement,

لِتُخْرِجُواْ مِنْهَآ أَهْلَهَا

("to drive out its people"), means, so that you all cooperate to gain influence and power, replacing the chiefs and masters of this land. In this case, power in the state will be yours,

فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ

("but you shall come to know"), what I will do to you. He then explained his threat,

لأُقَطِّعَنَّ أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ مِّنْ خِلاَفٍ

("Surely, I will cut off your hands and your feet from opposite sides.") by cutting the right hand and the left leg or the opposite,

ثُمَّ لأصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

("then I will crucify you all.") just as he said in another Ayah,

فِى جُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ

("Fi the trunks of date palms") 20:71, Fi in this Ayah means "on". Ibn `Abbas said that Fir`awn was the first to crucify and cut off hands and legs on opposite sides. The magicians said,

إِنَّآ إِلَى رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

("Verily, we are returning to our Lord.") They said, `We are now sure that we will go back to Allah. Certainly, Allah's punishment is more severe than your punishment and His torment for what you are calling us to, this day, and the magic you forced us to practice, is greater than your torment. Therefore, we will observe patience in the face of your punishment today, so that we are saved from Allah's torment.' They continued,

رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا

("Our Lord! pour out on us patience"), with your religion and being firm in it,

وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ

("and cause us to die as Muslims."), as followers of Your Prophet Musa, peace be upon him. They also said to Fir`awn,

قَالُواْ لَن نُّؤْثِرَكَ عَلَى مَا جَآءَنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَـتِ وَالَّذِى فَطَرَنَا فَاقْضِ مَآ أَنتَ قَاضٍ إِنَّمَا تَقْضِى هَـذِهِ الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَآ - إِنَّآ آمَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَـيَـنَا وَمَآ أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى - إِنَّهُ مَن يَأْتِ رَبَّهُ مُجْرِماً فَإِنَّ لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ لاَ يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلاَ يَحْيَى - وَمَن يَأْتِهِ مُؤْمِناً قَدْ عَمِلَ الصَّـلِحَـتِ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمُ الدَّرَجَـتُ الْعُلَى

("So decide whatever you desire to decree, for you can only decide for the life of this world. Verily, we have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults, and the magic to which you did compel us. And Allah is better to reward and more lasting in punishment. Verily, whoever comes to his Lord as a criminal, then surely, for him is Hell, wherein he will neither die nor live. But whoever comes to Him (Allah) as a believer, and has done righteous good deeds, for such are the high ranks (in the Hereafter).) 20:72-75. The magicians started the day as sorcerers and ended as honorable martyrs! Ibn `Abbas, `Ubayd bin `Umayr, Qatadah and Ibn Jurayj commented, "They started the day as sorcerers and ended it as martyrs."

وَقَالَ الْمَلأ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَونَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ لِيُفْسِدُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَءالِهَتَكَ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِـى نِسَآءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَـهِرُونَ - قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَاصْبِرُواْ إِنَّ الأَرْضَ للَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَـقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

Pharaoh said ‘Have you believed a-āmantum read pronouncing both hamzas and replacing the second one with an alif in him in Moses before I gave you leave? Surely this that you have done is a plot you have plotted in the city that you may expel its people from it. But you shall come to know what I will do to you!

The foregoing verses had a detailed account of the contest between the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) and the sorcerers and that after their defeat the sorcerers declared their faith in Allah. Some historical reports say that subsequent to their declaration of faith in Allah, six hundred thousand more people followed suit and declared their belief in Allah. Before this open contest there were only two individuals believing in Allah. Now a great army of people became Muslims. It was, obviously an embarrassing situation for the Pharaoh. Like a clever politician he managed to conceal his state of mind before the people, and changed the situation by putting the blame of conspiracy and rebellion on the sorcerers. He claimed that they had joined hands with Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun in order to create disorder in the country. Then he said to the sorcerers, “ You have believed in him before I permitted you." This was a threat to the sorcerers on the one hand, and on the other, he tried to convince his people that the sorcerers made a hasty decision in accepting their faith and fell prey to the trap of Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun. Otherwise, he would have also believed in him in case Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun proved truthful in their claim.

It was a clever design of Pharaoh. He tried to keep his people stay in their former ignorance and make people believe that the contest was pre-plotted between the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) and the sorcerers. He cleverly twisted the fact that the miracle of Musa (علیہ السلام) and the open conversion of the sorcerers to the true Faith was purely to expose the ignorance and falsehood of the Pharaoh. He turned it into a political issue by saying, "So that you may expel its people from there." He wanted to make his people believe that they planned the whole matter to gain power over the country and expel the people from there.