سُوْرَةُ طٰهٰ

Surah Taa-Haa (20) — Ayah 69

Taa-Haa · Meccan · Juz 16 · Page 316

وَأَلْقِ مَا فِى يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوٓا۟ ۖ إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا۟ كَيْدُ سَـٰحِرٍ ۖ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلسَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىٰ ﴿69﴾
"And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain."
وَأَلْقِ wa-alqi And throw
مَا what
فِى (is) in
يَمِينِكَ yamīnika your right hand
تَلْقَفْ talqaf it will swallow up
مَا what
صَنَعُوٓا۟ ۖ ṣanaʿū they have made
إِنَّمَا innamā Only
صَنَعُوا۟ ṣanaʿū they (have) made
كَيْدُ kaydu a trick
سَـٰحِرٍۢ ۖ sāḥirin (of) a magician
وَلَا walā and not
يُفْلِحُ yuf'liḥu will be successful
ٱلسَّاحِرُ l-sāḥiru the magician
حَيْثُ ḥaythu wherever
أَتَىٰ atā he comes

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

The tafsir of this verse may be read with the following verses.

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

Throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up all that they have crafted. [48] What they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never succeed wherever he may come (in confrontation with the truth).

[48]
The Application of Trickery:

So you just do this: throw your staff in this field. This staff will become a very large serpent and will swallow up all these fake and artificial snakes, and nothing will remain in this field except this serpent. The magicians’ tricks, their staffs and ropes, will not even remain in existence. The reason is that some scholars have explained the meaning of "talaqqaf ma sana'u" as that the serpent made from the staff, wherever it turned and wherever it reached, the effect of the trick would disappear from there. Until, in the end, only the staffs and ropes of the magicians remained in the field, which the magicians had brought with them. In our view, this second interpretation is not correct. The reason is that the meaning of "talaqqaf" as "to swallow" or "to make a morsel" is linguistically correct, but this word does not mean "to nullify" or "to make."