Since this is the case with Him, and He has chosen and selected me for His message, it is incumbent upon me not to lie about Him or say anything about Him except the truth. Were I to say otherwise, He would swiftly punish me and seize me with the grasp of the Almighty, the Omnipotent.

This gave them every reason to submit to Moses and follow him, especially since he had brought them a clear proof from Allah confirming the truth of his message. They were therefore obliged to fulfil the purpose of his mission, which had two great aims: that they believe in him and follow him; and that they release the Children of Israel—the people whom Allah had favored above all others, the descendants of the prophets and the lineage of Jacob, peace be upon him, of whom Moses, blessings and peace be upon him, was one.

Pharaoh said to him, “If you have come with a sign, then produce it, if you are truthful.”

So Moses “threw down his staff” upon the ground, “and suddenly it was a manifest serpent”—that is, a plainly visible snake moving before their very eyes.

“And he drew out his hand” from the opening of his garment, “and suddenly it was radiant white to the beholders,” though entirely unharmed. These were two mighty signs demonstrating the truth of what Moses had brought, his own truthfulness, and the fact that he was a messenger from the Lord of all worlds. Yet those who refuse to believe would not believe even if every sign came to them—not until they saw the painful punishment.

Thus, “the chiefs among Pharaoh’s people said,” after being astounded by the signs they had witnessed yet refusing to believe and seeking corrupt explanations for them, “This is indeed a highly skilled sorcerer”—that is, one proficient in sorcery.

They then frightened the weak-minded and foolish by claiming that Moses, through this deed, “intends to drive you from your land”—that is, he intends to expel you (1) from your homeland. “What, then, do you advise?” In other words, they conferred among themselves about what to do with Moses and how, as they imagined, they might ward off the harm he posed. For unless what he had brought was countered by something that invalidated and refuted it, it would take root in the minds of most people.

They eventually agreed to say to Pharaoh, “Detain him and his brother”—that is, hold them and grant them respite—“and send men throughout the cities” to muster the inhabitants of the realm and bring every highly skilled sorcerer. In other words, they were to bring expert sorcerers to counter what Moses had brought. They then said, “Moses, appoint a meeting between us and you which neither we nor you will fail to keep, at a level place.”

“He said, ‘Your appointed time is the Day of Adornment, and let the people be assembled in the forenoon.’ Pharaoh then withdrew, gathered his schemes, and came.”

And here He says, “The sorcerers came to Pharaoh.” Seeking a reward from him if they triumphed, they asked, “Will we indeed have a reward if we are the victors?”

Pharaoh “said, ‘Yes’”—you will have a reward—“and you will certainly be among those brought near.” He thus promised them both a reward and proximity to him, together with an elevated rank in his court, so that they would exert themselves and devote all their effort and strength to defeating Moses.

When they and Moses stood before the vast assembly, “they said,” with boastful assurance and ⦗300⦘ utter disregard for what Moses had brought, “O Moses, either you cast” what you have, “or we shall be the ones to cast.”

Moses “said, ‘Cast!’” so that the people might see what they had and what Moses had.

“When they cast” their ropes and staffs, their sorcery made them appear as though they were snakes slithering about. Thus, “they bewitched the people’s eyes, struck terror into them, and produced mighty magic,” the like of which had never been seen.

“And We revealed to Moses, ‘Cast your staff.’” He cast it, “and suddenly it was” a moving snake, “swallowing up all that they had fabricated”—that is, all the lies and illusions they had produced.

“Thus the truth was established”—it became clear, manifest, and openly evident before that assembly—“and what they had been doing was nullified.”

“They were defeated there,” at that very gathering, “and returned humbled”—abased, their falsehood having vanished and their sorcery having come to nothing. They failed to achieve the outcome they had expected.

Those to whom this momentous truth became clearest of all were the practitioners of that craft—the sorcerers—who knew details of the various forms of sorcery that no one else knew. They therefore recognized that this was a mighty sign from among Allah’s signs, beyond anyone’s power to match.

“The sorcerers fell down in prostration * They said, ‘We believe in the Lord of all worlds * the Lord of Moses and Aaron.’”

That is, they affirmed the manifest signs with which Moses had been sent.