وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ ٱئْتُونِى بِكُلِّ سَـٰحِرٍ عَلِيمٍ 79
Translations
And Pharaoh said, "Bring to me every learned magician."
Transliteration
Wa qāla firʿawnu ītūnī bi-kulli sāḥirin ʿalīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
Pharaoh, witnessing Moses and Aaron's miraculous staff turning into a serpent, commands his people to bring him every skilled magician to counter this sign. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Pharaoh's response reveals his arrogance and determination to resist the truth through worldly means (magic) rather than acknowledging divine signs. This ayah illustrates how those who reject faith often resort to their own resources and expertise to maintain their power and deny God's revelations.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh in Surah Yunus (a Meccan surah revealed to strengthen the Prophet Muhammad against Meccan opposition). The context describes the encounter at Pharaoh's court when Moses presented his first miracle—the staff becoming a serpent—and Pharaoh's immediate response was to summon magicians rather than accept the divine sign.
Related Hadiths
The story of Pharaoh and the magicians is referenced in Surah Taha 20:70, where the magicians eventually believe after witnessing the superiority of Moses' sign, contrasting Pharaoh's persistent disbelief. This echoes the hadith principle in Sahih Muslim about how some reject clear signs due to pride and stubbornness.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that those who reject divine truth often do so not from genuine doubt but from pride and attachment to worldly power. For believers today, it serves as a reminder that facing opposition to faith is inevitable, but the ultimate truth always prevails over human artifice and deception.