Taha · Makki · ayah 73 of 135

Taha 20:73

إِنَّآ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَـٰيَـٰنَا وَمَآ أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلسِّحْرِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ

“Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us [to do] of magic. And Allāh is better and more enduring."[843]”

Saheeh International

Essence

Facing death, the new believers ask only for forgiveness, own the magic they were made to do, and return Pharaoh's boast: Allah lasts.

A reflection

They gave him back his own word

Two ayat earlier, Pharaoh ended his threat with a boast. You will know which of us is more severe in punishment, and more lasting, wa-abqā (20:71). He chose that word deliberately. His power, he implied, would outlast anything Musa's God could offer.

Now the magicians end their reply with the same word: wa-Allāhu khayrun wa-abqā. And Allah is better, and more lasting.

The commentators explain what each half answers. Allah is better than you in reward, if He is obeyed. And He is more lasting in punishment, if He is disobeyed. One commentator says plainly that this is the answer to Pharaoh's "which of us is more severe and more lasting". Another reads both words of reward and punishment together.

The root of abqā carries a quiet, powerful picture. What is still standing when everything else has gone. The good that lasts, and the Face of your Lord.

So the duel of words on that field ends with a reversal. Pharaoh claimed lastingness for his cruelty. The magicians returned it to its true owner. Pharaoh's punishments would end when their bodies did. His rewards would end when his reign did. His reign would end in the sea, as this surah will soon tell.

And what is still standing now, thousands of years later? Not Pharaoh's palace. Not his threat. What stands is a short sentence from men he crucified, recited every day: Allah is better, and more lasting.

When someone boasts that their power will outlast your faith, you do not need a long reply. Take the word they used, and give it back to the One it belongs to.

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.