Taha · Makki · ayah 63 of 135

Taha 20:63

قَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ هَـٰذَٰنِ لَسَـٰحِرَٰنِ يُرِيدَانِ أَن يُخْرِجَاكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِكُم بِسِحْرِهِمَا وَيَذْهَبَا بِطَرِيقَتِكُمُ ٱلْمُثْلَىٰ

“They said, "Indeed, these are two magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and do away with your most exemplary way [i.e., religion or tradition].”

Saheeh International

Essence

After their whispered debate, the magicians settled on a slogan: these two are only magicians, come for your land and your cherished way.

A reflection

A grammar mistake in the Quran?

A grandmother from a northern village texts her grandson. Her phone's grammar checker underlines half of it. But every phrase is how her whole valley has spoken for centuries. The software knows the standard rules. It does not know her language.

This ayah contains one of the most discussed phrases in the Quran: in hādhāni la-sāḥirāni. Critics sometimes cite it as a grammatical error. The objection deserves a fair hearing and a full answer.

First, the text in front of you. In the reading of the Quran printed here, the first word is the lightened in, not the heavy inna. With the lightened form, the grammar is regular, and the meaning is: these two are nothing but magicians. There is no puzzle at all in this reading.

Second, the reading with the heavy inna and hādhāni is also mass-transmitted. One early commentator says it was the reading of the great body of reciters, and that it stands in the written text of the copies. He explains it as the speech of several Arab tribes. They kept the long a of the dual in every grammatical position. The grammarians cited poetry from these tribes to show it. One commentator calls this the strongest answer.

Third, the reports. The commentaries mention narrations attributing to early figures the view that a scribe erred here. The commentators reply firmly. The Companions were the most eloquent of Arabs. They learnt the Quran from the Prophet ﷺ and guarded it with great care. It is inconceivable that all of them agreed on an error, wrote it, and never corrected it. One commentator notes the report about Uthman has a weak, broken chain.

And another principle settles it. When transmission and a grammarian's rule conflict, transmission wins. The rules were drawn from the Arabs' speech, not the other way round.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.