Ash-Shu'ara 26:39
The Poets · Juz 19 · Page 368
وَقِيلَ لِلنَّاسِ هَلۡ أَنتُم مُّجۡتَمِعُونَ ٣٩
And it was said to the people, "Will you congregate
Tafsir · in English
Tazkirul Quran
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Commentary on 26:36–42
Pharaoh and his courtiers considered Moses’s feats as magical in nature. So, they planned to counter them by magic. Their imagination took them no further than thinking that if Moses could change a rod into a snake, their magicians could also change sticks into snakes. They had no knowledge beyond that. They considered Moses’s actions as those of a human being and that is why they wanted to counter them by human means. They did not know the secret that Moses’s mission was a divine mission, and which human being can clash with God? The annual national festival day of the Egyptians was appointed the day for the competition between Moses and the magicians. And for this purpose, a big open area was chosen so that a large number of people could gather and give as much encouragement to the magicians as possible.
Page 368
26:20
قَالَ فَعَلۡتُهَآ إِذٗا وَأَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ٢٠
[Moses] said, "I did it, then, while I was of those astray [i.e., ignorant].
26:21
فَفَرَرۡتُ مِنكُمۡ لَمَّا خِفۡتُكُمۡ فَوَهَبَ لِي رَبِّي حُكۡمٗا وَجَعَلَنِي مِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ ٢١
So I fled from you when I feared you. Then my Lord granted me judgement [i.e., wisdom and prophethood] and appointed me [as one] of the messengers.
26:22
وَتِلۡكَ نِعۡمَةٞ تَمُنُّهَا عَلَيَّ أَنۡ عَبَّدتَّ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ ٢٢
And is this a favor of which you remind me - that you have enslaved the Children of Israel?"
26:23
قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَمَا رَبُّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٢٣
Said Pharaoh, "And what is the Lord of the worlds?"
26:24
قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآۖ إِن كُنتُم مُّوقِنِينَ ٢٤
[Moses] said, "The Lord of the heavens and earth and that between them, if you should be convinced."
26:25
قَالَ لِمَنۡ حَوۡلَهُۥٓ أَلَا تَسۡتَمِعُونَ ٢٥
[Pharaoh] said to those around him, "Do you not hear?"
26:26
قَالَ رَبُّكُمۡ وَرَبُّ ءَابَآئِكُمُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ٢٦
[Moses] said, "Your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers."
26:27
قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَكُمُ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُرۡسِلَ إِلَيۡكُمۡ لَمَجۡنُونٞ ٢٧
[Pharaoh] said,1 "Indeed, your 'messenger' who has been sent to you is mad."
1 translator’s note
- Angrily addressing those present. ↩
26:28
قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقِ وَٱلۡمَغۡرِبِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآۖ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ ٢٨
[Moses] said, "Lord of the east and the west and that between them, if you were to reason."
26:29
قَالَ لَئِنِ ٱتَّخَذۡتَ إِلَٰهًا غَيۡرِي لَأَجۡعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡمَسۡجُونِينَ ٢٩
[Pharaoh] said, "If you take a god other than me, I will surely place you among those imprisoned."
26:30
قَالَ أَوَلَوۡ جِئۡتُكَ بِشَيۡءٖ مُّبِينٖ ٣٠
[Moses] said, "Even if I brought you something [i.e., proof] manifest?"
26:31
قَالَ فَأۡتِ بِهِۦٓ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ ٣١
[Pharaoh] said, "Then bring it, if you should be of the truthful."
26:32
فَأَلۡقَىٰ عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ ثُعۡبَانٞ مُّبِينٞ ٣٢
So [Moses] threw his staff, and suddenly it was a serpent manifest.1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., clearly genuine. ↩
26:33
وَنَزَعَ يَدَهُۥ فَإِذَا هِيَ بَيۡضَآءُ لِلنَّٰظِرِينَ ٣٣
And he drew out his hand; thereupon it was white for the observers.
26:34
قَالَ لِلۡمَلَإِ حَوۡلَهُۥٓ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَسَٰحِرٌ عَلِيمٞ ٣٤
[Pharaoh] said to the eminent ones around him, "Indeed, this is a learned magician.
26:35
يُرِيدُ أَن يُخۡرِجَكُم مِّنۡ أَرۡضِكُم بِسِحۡرِهِۦ فَمَاذَا تَأۡمُرُونَ ٣٥
He wants to drive you out of your land by his magic, so what do you advise?"
26:36
قَالُوٓاْ أَرۡجِهۡ وَأَخَاهُ وَٱبۡعَثۡ فِي ٱلۡمَدَآئِنِ حَٰشِرِينَ ٣٦
They said, "Postpone [the matter of] him and his brother and send among the cities gatherers
26:37
يَأۡتُوكَ بِكُلِّ سَحَّارٍ عَلِيمٖ ٣٧
Who will bring you every learned, skilled magician."
26:38
فَجُمِعَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ لِمِيقَٰتِ يَوۡمٖ مَّعۡلُومٖ ٣٨
So the magicians were assembled for the appointment of a well-known day.1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., the morning of the day of festival. See 20:58-59. ↩
26:39
وَقِيلَ لِلنَّاسِ هَلۡ أَنتُم مُّجۡتَمِعُونَ ٣٩
And it was said to the people, "Will you congregate