frightening all who looked on; even Moses himself felt a momentary anxiety within. Allah then strengthened him, saying, “lā takhaf innaka anta al-aʿlā (Do not fear; it is you who will be uppermost). And cast down what is in your right hand” (Ṭā Hā 20:68–69).
So he threw down what was in his right hand—the single staff—and behold, it swallowed up everything they had fabricated. Every rope and every staff was devoured by that one staff. Subḥān Allāh al-ʿAẓīm (Glory be to Allah, the Magnificent)! One cannot help but wonder: where did the staff go? It was not large enough to consume all of that, yet Allah is capable of everything. Thus it gulped down the ropes and the staffs.
Because the sorcerers were, without doubt, the most knowledgeable people in the art of magic, they immediately recognised that what had occurred through Moses and his staff was no sorcery; it was a sign from among the signs of Allah. Consequently, the sorcerers were cast down in prostration.
Notice the Qur’anic wording: “they were cast” (ulqiya) in prostration. It is as though the prostration burst forth from them involuntarily. The verse does not say, “they prostrated,” but rather, “they were cast down,” implying that, overwhelmed by what they saw, they were driven to the ground without conscious deliberation, submitting as believers in Allah and His Messenger.
They declared, “We believe in the Lord of all worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.”
Pharaoh then threatened them and levelled accusations—even though he himself had summoned them—saying, “inna-hu lakabīr-ukum alladhī ʿallamakumu-s-siḥr (Indeed, he is your chief who has taught you magic)” (Ṭā Hā 20:71). Glory be to Allah! You claim he taught them magic when you are the one who brought them here? Glory be to Allah! Yet obstinate pride drives a man to speak without reason.
He went on: “la-uqadṭtiʿanna aydiyakum wa arjulakum min khilāf (I will most certainly cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides)—that is, the right hand and the left foot—“wa-la-uṣallibannakum fī judhūʿi-n-nakhl wa-la-taʿlamunna ayyuna ashaddu ʿadhāban wa-abqā (and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees; then you will know which of us inflicts a more severe and longer-lasting punishment)” (Ṭā Hā 20:71).
How did they reply?
They said, “lan nuʾthiraka ʿalā mā jāʾanā mina-l-bayyināt (Never shall we prefer you to the clear proofs that have come to us).” In other words: we can never put you before the evidences we have just witnessed! You are a liar and no lord; the Lord is the Lord of Moses and Aaron.