Taha · Makki · ayah 70 of 135

Taha 20:70

فَأُلْقِىَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ سُجَّدًا قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّ هَـٰرُونَ وَمُوسَىٰ

“So the magicians fell down in prostration.[841] They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."”

Saheeh International

Essence

An hour after throwing their ropes for Pharaoh, the magicians threw themselves down before Allah, naming Him in words Pharaoh could not twist.

A reflection

Two throws, one hour apart

This whole passage has been built around one verb: to throw. Shall we throw first? No, you throw. They threw their ropes. Throw what is in your right hand. And now the verb turns back on the throwers themselves. Fa-ulqiya al-saḥaratu sujjadan: and the magicians were thrown down in prostration.

One classical commentator could not contain his wonder at it. Glory be to Allah, he writes, how astonishing their affair is. They threw their ropes and staffs for disbelief and denial. Then, an hour later, they threw their heads down for gratitude and prostration. How great the difference between the two throws.

Notice also that the verb is passive. Not "they prostrated" but "they were thrown". The commentators explain it. It does not mean they were forced; then they would not be praised for it. One early grammarian says it was the speed of their prostration that made them seem thrown. Another commentator says they saw something that overwhelmed them, and could not hold themselves back until they fell on their faces.

The same commentator adds a further meaning. The phrasing awakens the listener to Allah's subtle kindness. He moves whomever He wills among His servants from the very extreme of disbelief to the very height of faith.

So the story's central verb ends up describing a human heart. The same men, the same arms, the same field. In the morning they threw what they had made. By the afternoon they had thrown down the one thing they had never given anyone: themselves.

Ask yourself what you have been throwing, and for whom. The skills, the energy, the hours. It is never too late for a second throw.

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.