Surah ash-Shu`ara' (The Poets ) 26 : 45

Explanatory Note

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.” 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.