Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 126

(Ayah 126) {وَ مَا تَنْقِمُ مِنَّاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ اٰمَنَّا …: ’’ نَقَِمَ مِنْهُ} (ض، ع) "And {’’اِنْتَقَمَ‘‘ عَاقَبَهُ} that is, the meaning of {’’نَقَمَ مِنْهُ‘‘} and {’’اِنْتَقَمَ مِنْهُ‘‘} is to take revenge, to punish, and the meaning of {’’ نَقَّمَ الْأَمْرَ‘‘ } is {’’ كَرِهَهُ‘‘ }, that is, to dislike or detest something. (Qamus) The meaning is that if we have any sin, it is only that we have believed in our Lord. The reality is that no one can know a skill as much as the expert of that skill, so when these magicians saw the miracle of Musa (peace be upon him), they immediately understood that this could never be magic, rather it is entirely a miracle from Allah Almighty, so they immediately believed in it, and their faith was so firm that they did not even care for their lives, rather they prayed to Allah Almighty for patience, steadfastness, and death upon faith and Islam.

According to the famous opinion, they were killed, so Tabari and other commentators have mentioned the statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that at the beginning of the day they were magicians and then in the latter part of the day they entered among the martyrs. Dr. Hikmat bin Basheer has written in the authentication of Tafsir Ibn Kathir regarding this statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Ibn Abi Hatim has narrated this statement with a weak chain from Sudi from Ibn Abbas, whereas Sudi did not hear from Ibn Abbas (therefore the narration is disconnected, not Sahih). The Noble Qur’an has not mentioned at this place what their end was, nor in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, nor in Surah Ta-Ha, nor anywhere else. The reason for this is that the purpose of the Noble Qur’an is to mention, for the sake of lesson, Allah’s help with Musa (peace be upon him), the defeat of Pharaoh, the magicians’ coming to faith, their determination to remain firm despite Pharaoh’s threats, and their prayer for patience and ending upon faith, not merely to narrate a story, as stated in Surah An-Nazi'at: «{ اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَنْ يَّخْشٰى }» [ النازعات : ۲۶ ] "Indeed, in that is surely a great lesson for whoever fears." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also did not say anything about this. Some scholars say that Pharaoh could not put his threats into action, as he had said to his chiefs: "Let me kill Musa." [ المؤمن : ۲۶ ] And that believer from the people of Pharaoh who opposed the killing of Musa (peace be upon him) in the full court, Pharaoh also plotted the worst against him, but he could not kill Musa (peace be upon him), and Allah Almighty saved that believer from his plots as well. See Surah Al-Mu’min (45). Allah Almighty had sent Musa (peace be upon him) with this reassurance: «{ سَنَشُدُّ عَضُدَكَ بِاَخِيْكَ وَ نَجْعَلُ لَكُمَا سُلْطٰنًا فَلَا يَصِلُوْنَ اِلَيْكُمَا بِاٰيٰتِنَاۤ اَنْتُمَا وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَكُمَا الْغٰلِبُوْنَ }» [ القصص : ۳۵ ] "We will certainly strengthen your arm with your brother and will give both of you dominance, so they will not reach you. With Our signs, you two and those who follow you will be the victors." Even at the place under commentary, if he had acted upon his threat, there would have been no need for his chiefs to incite him anew, as is coming in the next verse. (And Allah knows best what is correct)

126. 1. That is, in your view, this is our fault. Because of which you have become angry with us and are determined to punish us. Whereas, in reality, this is not a fault at all; rather, it is a virtue—a very great virtue—that when the truth became clear to us, we rejected all worldly interests in its favor and accepted the truth. Then they turned their attention away from Pharaoh and directed it towards Allah, raising their hands in supplication before Him.

126. 2. So that we may endure the punishment of this enemy of Yours, and remain steadfast upon truth and faith.

126. 3. May this worldly trial not cause us to deviate from faith, nor may we fall into any other tribulation.

126. And what fault do you find in us except that when our Lord’s signs came to us, we believed in them [122]? (Then they prayed:) "Our Lord! Pour upon us perseverance [123] and cause us to die as those who submit to You."

[122]
The Faithful Courage of the Magicians:

Pharaoh’s third scheme also failed miserably. What he wanted was to force the magicians, through threats of physical punishment and death, to confess to the accusation of conspiracy. But the magicians, by presenting themselves for any punishment, proved that their acceptance of faith was not the result of any conspiracy, but rather the result of acknowledging the truth. Remember, these are the same magicians who, before the contest, were asking Pharaoh: if we protect our religion from Moses’sؑ attack, will we receive some reward and honor? And now, after accepting faith, their state has become such that they are ready to accept every punishment from Pharaoh with a smiling face. On the other hand, the same Pharaoh who, besides rewards and honors, was promising them positions (high ranks), immediately after the contest became their mortal enemy.

[123] That is, the Lord whose signs we have believed in and for which, in your eyes, we have become criminals, we beseech Him to grant us patience against your severity and oppression, and to keep us steadfast on the straight path, lest we, out of fear, do anything contrary to His acceptance and pleasure.