Taha · Makki · ayah 65 of 135

Taha 20:65

قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَىٰ

“They said, "O Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Before the contest, the magicians courteously offer Musa the first throw; one commentator sees in that courtesy the seed of their faith.

A reflection

The courtesy that opened a door

Two finalists wait backstage before a national debate. The rules let the stronger seed choose the order. She turns to her opponent and says: you choose, whichever you prefer. It costs her a small advantage. Her opponent remembers it for twenty years.

The magicians had just closed ranks. They had a crowd behind them, a king's promise and an army of ropes. And their first words to Musa are not a taunt. They are an offer. O Musa, either you throw, or we will be the first to throw.

One classical commentator says simply: they showed good manners towards Musa, and that was the cause of their faith.

Another lingers on it. Offering him the choice, he says, was good courtesy, humility and a lowering of the wing towards him. It was also a sign that they were treating him fairly. And then he adds a remarkable line. It is as though Allah inspired them with it.

That is worth sitting with. These men had come to defeat a prophet. They were serving a tyrant. And yet one small gesture of respect, made in the middle of that wrong project, is remembered by the commentators. It was the door through which guidance came in.

We tend to think of conversion as the result of arguments. Sometimes it is. But often it is prepared by much smaller things: a habit of courtesy, a refusal to sneer, a willingness to treat an opponent fairly. Such things keep a heart soft enough to be reached.

The practical lesson is for the hard moments. When you are in a dispute, or facing someone you think is wrong, keep your manners. Offer the choice. Do not sneer. You may be protecting not only their dignity, but your own heart's ability to recognise the truth when it comes.

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.