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Musa and Pharaoh in the Great Confrontation — Truth vs. Magic

stories Level: basic musa st-009
فَأُلْقِىَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ سُجَّدًۭا قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّ هَٰرُونَ وَمُوسَىٰٰ
— طه 70
Verse: "The sorcerers fell down in prostration, saying: 'We believe in the Lord of Harun and Musa!'" (20:70)

The sorcerers — fastest belief in history:
Experts in sorcery came to refute Musa for Pharaoh's pay — when they saw Allah's sign they prostrated immediately. Why? Because as experts they recognized it was not sorcery but a genuine divine miracle.

Pharaoh's threats did not frighten them:
"I will cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides and crucify you on the trunks of palm trees!" They said simply: "We will not prefer you over what came to us of clear proofs and He who created us." True faith is not terrorized by death.

Lesson of complete transformation:
They came wanting money and left as martyrs in Allah's cause — in one hour. Guidance needs no time when truth becomes clear.

Lesson: Sometimes experts in falsehood are the fastest to embrace truth when they see it — because they know the difference.
Source: Ibn Kathir (5/294); Al-Sadi; Al-Qurtubi (11/223)
Question: Why did the sorcerers immediately believe after seeing Musa's miracle?
Answer: As experts in sorcery, they knew the difference between illusion-based tricks and a genuine divine sign. What they saw was beyond human capability.
Printed from quran.zayenha.com — 7/28/2026