The Poets — Verse 45

26:45 · ash-Shu`ara`

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فَأَلۡقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِیَ تَلۡقَفُ مَا یَأۡفِكُونَ ۝٤٥
fa-alqā mūsā ʿaṣāhu fa-idhā hiya talqafu mā yafikūn
The Poets / ash-Shu`ara` (26:45)
Connections 14 single-source 2 commentators

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No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.

Single-source mentions (14) cited by only one commentator

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Abdel Haleem

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But Moses threw his staff and- lo and behold!- it swallowed up their tricker
fa-alqā mūsā ʿaṣāhu fa-idhā hiya talqafu mā yafikūn

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Tafsir Commentary

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
Between Musa, peace be upon him, and the Sorcerers Allah describes the actual encounter between Musa, peace be upon him,and the Egyptians in Surat Al-A` raf, Surah Ta Ha, and in this Surah The Egyptians wanted to extinguish the Light of Allah with their words, but Allah insisted that His Light should prevail even though the disbelievers disliked that. This is the issue of disbelief and faith; they never confront one another but faith always prevails: بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَـطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ (Nay, We fling the truth against the falsehood, so it destroys it, and behold, it disappears. And woe to you for that which you ascribe.) (21:18) وَقُلْ جَآءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَـطِلُ (And say: "Truth has come and falsehood has vanished.") (17:81) The sorcerers of Egypt were the most skilled in the art of illusion, but when a huge group of them gathered from all corners of the land, and the people came together on that day whose exact numbers are known to Allah Alone, one of them said: لَعَلَّنَا نَتَّبِعُ السَّحَرَةَ إِن كَانُواْ هُمُ الْغَـلِبِينَ (That we may follow the sorcerers if they are the winners.) They did not say: `we will follow the truth, whether it rests with the sorcerers or with Musa;' the people were followers of the religion of their king. فَلَمَّا جَآءَ السَّحَرَةُ (So, when the sorcerers arrived,) means, when they reached the court of Fir`awn, and a pavilion had been erected for him. There he gathered his servants, followers, administrators, and provincial leaders, and the soldiers of his kingdom. The sorcerers stood before Fir`awn, asking him to treat them well and bring them closer to him if they prevailed in this matter which he had brought them together for. They said: فَلَمَّا جَآءَ السَّحَرَةُ قَالُواْ لِفِرْعَوْنَ أَإِنَّ لَنَا لاّجْراً إِن كُنَّا نَحْنُ الْغَـلِبِينَ - قَالَ نَعَمْ وَإِنَّكُمْ إِذاً لَّمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ ("Will there surely be a reward for us if we are the winners" He said: "Yes, and you shall then verily be of those brought near.") meaning, `and you will be given more than what you are asking for; I will make you among those who are close to me, those who sit with me.' So they went back to their places: قَالُواْ يمُوسَى إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُواْ (They said: "O Musa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw" (Musa) said: "Nay, throw you (first)!") (20:65-66). Here the incident is described more briefly. Musa said to them: أَلْقُواْ مَآ أَنتُمْ مُّلْقُونَفَأَلْقَوْاْ حِبَـلَهُمْ وَعِصِيَّهُمْ وَقَالُواْ بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَونَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَـلِبُونَ ("Throw what you are going to throw!" So, they threw their ropes and their sticks, and said: "By the might of Fir`awn, it is we who will certainly win!") This is what the ignorant masses say when they do something: `this is by the virtue of So-and-so!' In Surat Al-A`raf Allah mentioned that they: 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). And in Surah Ta Ha He said: 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.) until Allah saying: وَلاَ يُفْلِحُ السَّـحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى (and the magician will never be successful, whatever the amount (of skill) he may attain) (20:69). And here Allah says: فَأَلْقَى مُوسَى عَصَـهُ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ (Then Musa threw his stick, and behold, it swallowed up all that they falsely showed!) by snatching up and catching them from every corner and swallowing them up, and it did not leave any of them untouched. Allah says: فَوَقَعَ الْحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ (Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect.) until رَبِّ مُوسَى وَهَـرُونَ (The Lord of Musa and Harun.) (7:118-122) This was a very serious matter, furnishing decisive proof leaving no room for any excuse. Fir`awn's supporters, who sought and hoped that they would prevail over Musa, were themselves defeated. At that moment they believed in Musa and prostrated to Allah, the Lord of Al-`Alamin Who sent Musa and Harun with the truth and an obvious miracle. Fir`awn was defeated in a manner the likes of which the world had never seen, but he remained arrogant and stubborn despite the clear evidence, may the curse of Allah and the angels and all of mankind be upon him. He resorted to arrogance and stubbornness and propagating falsehood. He began to issue threats against them, saying: إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِى عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ (Verily, he is your chief who has taught you magic) (20:71). إِنَّ هَـذَا لَمَكْرٌ مَّكَرْتُمُوهُ فِى الْمَدِينَةِ (Surely, this is a plot which you have plotted in the city) (7:123).
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
Thereat Moses cast his staff and lo! it was swallowing talqafu one of the original two tā’ letters of taltaqifu has been assimilated what they had faked what they had transformed through illusion making their ropes and staffs appear to be moving serpents.
Tafsir Muyassar
فألقى موسى عصاه، فإذا هي حية عظيمة، تبتلع ما صدر منهم من إفك وتزوير.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir
وقال ههنا "فألقى موسى عصاه فإذا هي تلقف ما يأفكون" أي تخطفه وتجمعه من كل بقعة وتبتلعه فلم تدع منه شيئا.
Tafsir Al Wasit
ولذا جاء التعقيب السريع بما فعله موسى - عليه السلام - فقال - تعالى - : ( فألقى موسى عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ ) أى : تبتلع بسرعة ، وتأخذ بقسوة ( مَا يَأْفِكُونَ ) أى : ما فعلوه وما يفعلونه من السحر ، الذيى يقلبون به حقائق الأشياء عن طريق التمويه والتخييل . ورأى السحرة بأعينهم ومعهم الحشود من خلفهم ، رأوا ما أجراه الله - تعالى - على يد موسى - عليه السلام - رأوا كل ذلك فذهلوا وبهروا وأيقنوا أن ما جاء به موسى ليس سحرا وإنما هو شىء آخر فوق طاقة البشر ، ولو كان سحرا لعرفوه فهم رجاله ، وأيضا لو كان سحرا لبقيت حبالهم وعصيهم على الأرض ، ولكنها ابتلعتها عصا موسى - عليه السلام .
Tafsir al-Tabari
يقول تعالى ذكره: ( فَأَلْقَى مُوسَى عَصَاهُ ) حين ألقت السحرة حبالهم وعصيهم.( فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ ) يقول: فإذا عصا موسى تزدرد ما يأتون به من الفرية والسحر الذي لا حقيقة له, وإنما هو مخاييل (1) وخدعة.-----------------الهوامش :(1) مخاييل: جمع مخيلة، بمعنى المظنة، وأصله مخايل. والكوفيون يزيدون في مثل هذا الجمع ياء قبل آخره، مثل دارهيم وصياريف جمعى درهم وصيرف.
Tafseer Al-Baghawi
"فألقى موسى عصاه فإذا هي تلقف ما يأفكون".
Tafseer Tanwir al-Miqbas
فَأَلْقَى مُوسَى عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ (45)تقدم قريب منه في سورة الأعراف وفي سورة طه .
Tafseer Al Saddi
فَأَلْقَى مُوسَى عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ تبتلع وتأخذ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ فالتفت جميع ما ألقوا من الحبال والعصي, لأنها إفك, وكذب, وزور وذلك كله باطل لا يقوم للحق, ولا يقاومه. فلما رأى السحرة هذه الآية العظيمة, تيقنوا - لعلمهم - أن هذا ليس بسحر, وإنما هو آية من آيات الله, ومعجزة تنبئ بصدق موسى, وصحة ما جاء به.
Tafseer Al Qurtubi
لا يوجد تفسير لهذه الأية
Tazkirul Quran
The magicians threw down their ropes and sticks, and the spectators felt as if these ropes and sticks had changed into snakes and were running along the ground. But this was not a real change. It was simply an optical illusion, whereas, the changing of Moses’s rod into a snake was a miracle of God. So when Moses’s rod became a snake and started moving along the ground, it instantly nullified the spell cast by the magicians. Thereafter, the magician’s ropes and sticks reverted to being the ropes and sticks that they actually were. Earlier, the magicians had considered Moses to be a magician like themselves. But, the aforesaid experience opened their eyes. They were well versed in the art of magic. So, they immediately understood that this was not magic but prophethood. However, it was possible that they could have refused to accept the Truth and, like Pharaoh, could have uttered some falsities in order to reject Moses. But, it is impossible for a man who is intellectually alive not to accept the Truth when it fully reveals itself before him. The magicians were persons who were alive in this manner. So, they immediately accepted Moses’s truthfulness.
Ma'arif-ul-Quran
بِعِزَّةِ فِرْ‌عَوْنَ (By the majesty of the Pharaoh - 26:44). This was an expression of pledge from the magicians, which was in vogue in the olden times. It is unfortunate that similar oaths have now become common among the Muslims as well, which are even more evil and vile, for instance, 'by the king,' 'by the head of yours,' 'by the beard of yours,' 'by the grave of your father' etc. It is not permitted to make an oath of this nature under the Islamic law (because swearing in the name of someone other than Allah is a sin). Rather, it will not be wrong to say that swearing a true oath in this way is as much sinful as swearing a false oath in the name of Allah. (Ruh)
Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn 'Abbas
(Then Moses threw his staff and lo! it swallowed that which they did falsely show) of wizardry.
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