Tafseer of Taa-Haa · Taa-Haa · 20:67
And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His word قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا — Allah the Exalted says: Mūsā said to the sorcerers: No, you throw first what you have with you, before me. His word فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى — and in this text an element is omitted which has been rendered superfluous by what the mentioned text indicates; that is: they threw what they had with them of ropes and staves; and then, suddenly, their ropes — the mention of this is omitted because the existing text already provides sufficient indication. It is reported that the sorcerers bewitched the eyes of Mūsā and the eyes of the people before they threw their ropes and staves, so that it appeared to Mūsā that they were moving.
As Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, he said: I was informed from Wahb ibn Munabbih, who said: the sorcerers said: "O Mūsā, إِمَّا أَنْ تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ نَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى * قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا ." The first thing they seized with their sorcery was the sight of Mūsā and the sight of Pharaoh, then the eyes of the people after that; thereupon each man threw what he had in his hand of staves and ropes, and suddenly they were serpents as large as ropes that filled the valley and crawled over one another.
The reciters have differed among themselves over the reading of يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ . The majority of the reciters of the great cities read يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ with yāʾ, with the meaning: it is shown to him as moving; when one reads it thus, "an" is in the nominative. From al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī it was transmitted that he read it as تُخَيَّلُ with tāʾ, with the meaning: their ropes and staves are shown as moving; whoever reads it thus has "an" in the accusative because "tukhayyalu" relates directly to it. From some it was also transmitted that they read: تُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ with the meaning: it shows itself to him — and when one reads it thus "an" is likewise in the accusative, with the meaning: it shows itself to them as moving.
The reading which in my judgment is the only acceptable one in this matter is يُخَيَّلُ with yāʾ, on account of the consensus of the authoritative reciters on this.
