قَالَ لِلْمَلَإِ حَوْلَهُۥٓ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَسَـٰحِرٌ عَلِيمٌ 34
Translations
[Pharaoh] said to the eminent ones around him, "Indeed, this is a learned magician.
Transliteration
Qala lilmala'i hawlahu inna hadha lasahirun alim
Tafsir (Explanation)
Pharaoh addresses his court regarding Prophet Moses, dismissing him as merely a skilled magician rather than acknowledging his divine message. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that Pharaoh deliberately mischaracterized Moses's miracles as sorcery to discredit him before his people and maintain his authority. This ayah illustrates the arrogance and obstinacy of those who reject divine signs out of pride and fear of losing power.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Moses and Pharaoh in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, which details the confrontation between the prophet and the Egyptian ruler. The context shows Pharaoh's reaction upon witnessing Moses's miracles—particularly the staff turning into a serpent—and his attempt to rally his court to dismiss these signs as mere magic rather than acknowledge them as proofs of God's power.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The strongest of the strong is the one who controls his anger' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). This relates thematically to Pharaoh's prideful refusal to acknowledge truth despite clear signs, demonstrating how arrogance prevents spiritual understanding.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that those who reject truth often do so not from lack of evidence, but from pride, fear of losing status, or unwillingness to submit. We should examine our own hearts for similar tendencies to dismiss guidance due to ego or worldly interests rather than seeking truth sincerely.
Related Ayahs
فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ
So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
أَوْ تَقُولُوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَىٰ مِنْهُمْ ۚ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا ۗ سَنَجْزِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَصْدِفُونَ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْدِفُونَ
Or lest you say, "If only the Scripture had been revealed to us, we would have been better guided than they." So there has [now] come to you a clear evidence from your Lord and a guidance and mercy. Then who is more unjust than one who denies the verses of Allāh and turns away from them? We will recompense those who turn away from Our verses with the worst of punishment for their having turned away.
لَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَـٰرُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌ مَّسْحُورُونَ
They would say, "Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic."
وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فَكَانُوا۟ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ
And We gave them Our signs, but from them they were turning away.