فَأَلْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ 45
Translations
Then Moses threw his staff, and at once it devoured what they falsified.
Transliteration
Fa-alqa Musa 'asahu fa-idha hiya talqafu ma ya'fikun
Tafsir (Explanation)
When Prophet Musa (Moses) threw his staff, it miraculously transformed into a serpent that swallowed all the false serpents and ropes that the Egyptian sorcerers had produced, thereby exposing their deception and demonstrating the superiority of Allah's truth over their illusions. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the word 'talqafu' (swallows/engulfs) indicates the staff consumed everything the sorcerers had conjured, which was merely trickery ('aifk') meant to deceive. This miracle served as decisive proof of Musa's prophethood and Allah's absolute power over creation.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within Surah Ash-Shu'ara, a Meccan chapter that recounts stories of previous prophets and their struggles against their peoples. The narrative here describes the famous confrontation between Musa and Pharaoh's sorcerers at Pharaoh's court, where Allah granted Musa this miraculous sign to convince the people of his divine mission and to overcome the sorcerers' attempts to discredit him.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly details this miracle, the event is corroborated in Surah Al-A'raf (7:107-109) and Surah Taha (20:65-69). The general principle is found in hadith collections affirming that Allah granted prophets miracles appropriate to their times—for Musa, it was miracles that countered Egyptian sorcery.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that truth, backed by divine power, will always prevail over deception and falsehood, no matter how impressive they appear superficially. It reminds believers that Allah provides clear signs to distinguish His guidance from human fabrications, encouraging us to recognize and follow authentic divine truth in our own lives.