Surah 7

Surah 7:118

"So the truth came to pass, and what they were doing was invalidated."
Musa defeats the Magicians, Who believe in Him Verses 7:117-122
Show Full Scripture Context (7:117-122) — 6 Verses
Verse 117

۞وَأَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنۡ أَلۡقِ عَصَاكَۖ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلۡقَفُ مَا يَأۡفِكُونَ

And We inspired Moses: ‘Cast (down) your staff!,’ and suddenly it swallowed up what they were falsely contriving.

Verse 118

فَوَقَعَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ

So the truth came to pass, and what they were doing was invalidated.

Verse 119

فَغُلِبُواْ هُنَالِكَ وَٱنقَلَبُواْ صَٰغِرِينَ

They were overcome there, and turned back disgraced.

Verse 120

وَأُلۡقِيَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ سَٰجِدِينَ

And the magicians were cast (down) in prostration.

Verse 121

قَالُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

They said, ‘We believe in the Lord of the worlds,

Verse 122

رَبِّ مُوسَىٰ وَهَٰرُونَ

the Lord of Moses and Aaron.’

Quoted Scripture
"117. And We revealed to Musa (saying): "Throw your stick," and behold! It swallowed up straight away all the falsehood which they showed."

"118. Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect."

"119. So they were defeated there and returned disgraced."

"120. And the sorcerers fell down prostrate."

"121. They said: "We believe in the Lord of all that exists."

"122. "The Lord of Musa and Harun.""

Allah states that at that tremendous moment, in which Allah differentiated between Truth and Falsehood, He sent a revelation to His servant and Messenger Musa, peace be upon him, ordering him to throw the stick that he held in his right hand, {It swallowed straight away} and devoured, {all the falsehood which they showed.} the magic that they caused the illusion with, of magic with which they caused making it appear real, whereas it was not real at all. Ibn ‘Abbas said that Musa’s stick swallowed all the ropes and sticks that the magicians threw. The magicians realized that this was from heaven and was by no means magic. They fell in prostration and proclaimed, {"We believe in the Lord of all that exists. The Lord of Musa and Harun"}. Muhammad bin Ishaq commented, “It followed the ropes and sticks one after another, until nothing that the sorcerers threw remained. Musa then held it in his hand, and it became a stick again just as it was before. The magicians fell in prostration and proclaimed, 'We believe in the Lord of all that exists, the Lord of Musa and Harun. Had Musa been a magician, he would not have prevailed over us.’” Al-Qasim bin Abi Bazzah commented, “Allah revealed to Musa to throw his stick. When he threw his stick, it became a huge, manifest snake that opened its mouth and swallowed the magicians’ ropes and sticks. On that, the magicians fell in prostration. They did not raise their heads before seeing the Paradise, the Fire, and the recompense of their inhabitants.”

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 4)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.