Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:115
They said, "O Moses, either you throw [your staff], or we will be the ones to throw [first]."
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.
"They said: 'O Mūsā'", he says: The sorcerers said to Mūsā: O Mūsā, choose either that you cast your staff, or that we cast our staves. For this reason "an" (that) was inserted together with "immā" (either) in the utterance, because it occupies the position of a command to choose. "An" therefore stands here in the accusative (naṣb) on account of the meaning I have described, for the meaning of the utterance is: choose that you cast, or that we cast. And the utterance with "immā", when it is in the manner of a command, must necessarily contain "an", just as your saying to a man: "either that you go away, or that you remain seated" (immā an tamḍiya wa-immā an taqʿuda), in the sense of a command: go away or remain seated. But when it is in the manner of an informative statement (khabar), it does not contain "an", as in His word: وَآخَرُونَ مُرْجَوْنَ لأَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِمَّا يُعَذِّبُهُمْ وَإِمَّا يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِمْ ("And others are deferred for the command of Allah: either He punishes them, or He turns to them in forgiveness") [al-Tawba: 106]. And this is what is called "the choice" (al-takhyīr). And so it is with everything that is in the manner of an informative statement; and "immā" is in all those cases pronounced with a kasra (written with i: immā).
