Al-A'raf 7:115–122

They said,

قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِمَّا أَن تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَن نَّكُونَ نَحْنُ الْمُلْقِينَ ﴿115﴾

"0 Musa either you throw (first) or shall we be the ones to throw."

The Arabic word:'' اِلقَا ‘ ء ! 'ilga' means to drop something down. On the day of encounter the sorcerers asked the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) if he would drop down his staff first or should they throw theirs first? This question of the sorcerers was perhaps to show their complacency about their art, though the mode of their sentence indicated that they wanted to start first, but for giving an impression of power to their opponent they put that question. Since-the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) had nothing to fear about, he invited them saying 'you drop.'

Ibn Kathir has said that the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) behaved with them politely by inviting them to have their turn first. The effect of this behaviour was that they accepted the faith after their defeat. Here we are faced with a question. The sorcery is an impermissible act, especially when it is used to oppose a prophet sent by Allah it becomes an act of infidelity. How then the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) gave permission of magic to the sorcerers by saying 'you drop'? With a little thought we can find the answer. It was certain that the sorcerers will show their magic by all means. The point of conversation was to decide who should start the contest. The prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) allowed them to begin. Another advantage of this strategy was that the people could see their performance and the sorcerers had all the time to show their art and turn the staves into snakes. Then the staff of the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) should turn into a serpent and eat up all the snakes, thus the open defeat of magic should be exhibited before the people. (Bayan- al- Qur'an)

فَلَمَّا أَلْقَوْا سَحَرُ‌وا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْ‌هَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءُوا بِسِحْرٍ‌ عَظِيمٍ

So, when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and made them frightened, and came out with great sorcery. (116)

This verse indicates that this demonstration of their magic was just a bewitching of the eyes of the people which made them see the staffs and strings as snakes leaping on the ground, while the strings and the staffs did not change physically. It was a kind of mesmerism hypnotising the minds of the onlookers. This does not mean that sorcery is confined only in this kind and that it cannot change some-thing into another, as we do not have any proof against it. On the contrary, many forms and kinds of magic have been taken as being reality. The terms magic and sorcery are usually applied for all the acts that seem to be happening in unusual way. Sleight of hand, telepathic influences and mesmerism are sometimes called magic. Trans-formation of one thing into another through magic may be a possibility but we have no valid reason or proof for or against it.

The next verse 117 said, وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ ۖ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ ﴿117﴾ "And We revealed to Musa 'Throw your staff.' Then, of a sudden it began to swallow all that they had concocted." We find it reported in history, when thousands of staffs and ropes were turned into snakes leaping all over the ground, Allah commanded Musa to drop down his staff on the ground. It turned into a great snake and instantly began to eat up the snakes of the sorcerers. The crowd stood bewildered and stunned at this sight. Within no time all the snakes were eaten up by the great snake of the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) .

Next, the verse said:

فَوَقَعَ الْحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿118﴾ فَغُلِبُوا هُنَالِكَ وَانقَلَبُوا صَاغِرِ‌ينَ ﴿119﴾ وَأُلْقِيَ السَّحَرَ‌ةُ سَاجِدِينَ ﴿120﴾قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِرَ‌بِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿121﴾ رَ‌بِّ مُوسَىٰ وَهَارُ‌ونَ ﴿122﴾

"So, the truth prevailed and what they were doing became a nullity. So there they were overcome and turned humiliated. And the sorcerers were constrained to fall in prostration. They said, "We believe in the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Musa and Harun."

The sorcerers were so overawed by the miracle of the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) that they fell in prostration. This may also imply that Allah blessed them with favour and put them in prostration. They added the phrase, the Lord of Musa and Harun (علیہما السلام) after saying, the Lord of the worlds, to make it clear that the Lord worshipped by Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun (علیہ السلام) is, in fact, the Lord of the Universe, and not the Pharaoh as he pretended to be.