Surah ash-Shu`ara' (The Poets ) 26 : 43

Overview (Verses 43 - 48)

Turning the Scales against Pharaoh

The sūrah then draws before our eyes the whole contest and the great events that follow: Moses said to them: ‘Throw whatever you are going to throw!’ So they threw their ropes and staffs, and said: ‘By Pharaoh’s might, it is we indeed who will prevail.’ Then Moses threw his staff and it swallowed up their false devices. The sorcerers fell down prostrating themselves, and said: ‘We believe in the Lord of all the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.’ (Verses 43-48)

It all starts with an ordinary, quiet scene; yet it gives us the sense that Moses was perfectly reassured that he represented the truth. Hence, he cared little for the multitude of sorcerers gathered from all over Egypt, ready to employ their skills to prove Pharaoh’s case. His reassurance is reflected in his allowing them to be the first to start: “Moses said to them: Throw whatever you are going to throw!” (Verse 43) His words imply that whatever they could produce was of little interest to him. For their part, the sorcerers mustered their best efforts and skills, starting the match in Pharaoh’s name and with his help: “So they threw their ropes and staffs; and said: ‘By Pharaoh’s might, it is we indeed who will prevail.’“ (Verse 44) The sūrah does not tell us what happened to their ropes and staffs, which is detailed in Sūrahs 7 and 20, The Heights and Ţā Hā respectively. Thus it retains the atmosphere of reassurance and steadfastness in support of the truth. Instead, the sūrah moves straight on to tell us of the result of the encounter, since this is its main purpose: “Then Moses threw his staff and it swallowed up their false devices.” (Verse 45) This was a great surprise to the sorcerers who were not expecting anything of the sort. They had mustered all their power, using their best skills in an area in which they were the undisputed masters. What they produced was the best any sorcerer could produce. Besides, they were many, gathered from all over Egypt, while Moses stood alone, with nothing in his hand other than his staff. Yet it immediately swallowed in one fast movement all they could produce. Besides, they were fully aware that magic relied on delusion, but his staff swallowed their ropes and staffs for real, leaving nothing of them. Had Moses used trickery, their ropes and staffs would have remained there after an imaginary scene suggesting that they were being swallowed. But as they looked around, they could see nothing remaining of their ropes and staffs. Hence, they had no choice but to submit to the clear truth staring them in the face. They were the first to know that it was the truth: “The sorcerers fell down prostrating themselves, and said: ‘We believe in the Lord of all the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.’” (Verses 46-48)

Only a moment earlier they were ready to lend their skills for pecuniary gain, looking forward to handsome wages for their skilful manipulation. The question of faith and principle meant little to them. Now, however, as the truth touches their hearts, they undergo a complete transformation. They are shaken to the bottom of their hearts, and all falsehood is removed. Within a brief moment, their hearts are clear, ready to respond to the truth, full of faith. Thus, they voluntarily prostrate themselves and repeat the words declaring their unshakeable faith: “We believe in the Lord of all the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.” (Verses 47-48) The human heart is amazing. A single touch on the right spot changes it completely. The Prophet states the truth as he says: “Every human heart is held within two fingers in God’s hand: He sets it straight or leaves it to stray, as He pleases.” [Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.] Thus, the hired sorcerers were transformed into a group of the best believers, in front of the assembled masses as well as Pharaoh and his noble chiefs. They did not think of the consequences that their declaration of conversion to faith would produce. They cared little for Pharaoh’s reaction or what he would do to them.

Such a transformation must have dealt a great blow to Pharaoh. The masses were led to believe the great lie reiterated by Pharaoh’s men that Moses, the Israelite, was a mere sorcerer who wanted to take over their land by means of his sorcery. If he won, he would give power to his own people. But the sorcerers were sure to overpower him and put him in his place, or so they were told. The masses were witnesses to the great encounter that unfolded, with the sorcerers producing their tricks in Pharaoh’s name and under his protection. Yet in no time, they were utterly defeated, acknowledging their defeat, declaring that Moses delivered the message of the truth, and that they themselves now believed in God, the Lord of all the worlds.

Their transformation meant that they disowned Pharaoh’s worship only a brief moment after they were expecting to receive their wages from him. The sorcerers’ transformation represented a real threat to Pharaoh, as it deflated the legend on which his power relied, namely the legend that he was a deity, or the son of gods. The transformation was declared by the sorcerers at a time when sorcery was a sacred profession preserved for Egypt’s priesthood. It was these very sorcerers that now declared their belief in the Lord of all the worlds, He who had given Moses and Aaron their message. The masses always followed the priests in their beliefs. If these were to abandon Pharaoh, what would be left for him except brute force? Such force cannot, on its own, provide reliable support to protect a regime of government.