قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى إِمَّا أَنْ تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ نَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى ﴿۶۵﴾ قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى ﴿۶۶﴾ فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُوسَى ﴿۶۷﴾ قُلْنَا لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْأَعْلَى ﴿۶۸﴾ وَأَلْقِ مَا فِي يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوا إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى ﴿۶۹﴾

﴾65﴿ Qaaloo yaa Moosaaa immaaa an tulqiya wa immaaa an nakoona awala man alqaa
﴾66﴿ Qaala bal alqoo fa izaa hibaaluhum wa 'isiyyuhum yukhaiyalu ilaihi min sihrihim annahaa tas'aa
﴾67﴿ Fa awjasa fee nafsihee kheefatam Moosa
﴾68﴿ Qulnaa laa takhaf innaka antal a'laa
﴾69﴿ Wa alqi maa fee yamee nika talqaf maa sana'oo; innamaa sana'oo kaidu saahir; wa laa yuflihus saahiru haisu ataa

﴾65﴿ They said, O Moses, will you throw [first], or shall we be the first to throw
﴾66﴿ He said, Rather, you throw. Then suddenly, their ropes and staffs appeared to Moses, because of their magic, as if they were moving swiftly
﴾67﴿ So Moses felt a sense of fear within himself
﴾68﴿ We said, Do not fear; indeed, you are the one who will prevail
﴾69﴿ And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted. Indeed, what they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will never succeed wherever he may be

[65] In this verse, there is an indication that the magicians observed the respectfulness of Musa (peace be upon him), and because of this, they were granted faith. This is also alluded to in the hadith from Bukhari: “Aslamta ‘ala mā salafa laka min al-khayr” (You have embraced Islam in accordance with whatever good has preceded you).
[66] In this, there is an indication that their magic was illusionary—based on optical deception. This supports the view that the effect of magic can also reach the prophets, but it cannot harm their intellect or religion. It only affects the imaginative faculty, and this is a kind of ailment that does not contradict prophethood. The details of this are mentioned in Surah Al-Falaq.
[67] The fear of Musa (peace be upon him) from the snakes was a natural fear, and this does not contradict prophethood. Or, he may have feared that due to the sorcery, the truth would become confused for the common people. Or, since the miracle was not under his own control, it is possible that at that moment he had not yet been commanded by Allah, the Exalted.
[68] In this verse, there is consolation for Musa (peace be upon him) through the mention of his high status in both this world and the Hereafter. It also serves as evidence that the term a‘lā (the highest) can also be applied to a created being.
[69] In this verse, there is consolation for Musa (peace be upon him) by mentioning his victory in two ways. The first is through talqaf (swallowing), and the second is through the phrase wa lā yufliḥu al-sāḥir (the magician will never succeed). In the words (mā fī yamīnik), there is an indication that your miracle requires no effort, and also a hint that your staff—despite being small—will swallow up the large ropes and staffs. There are two meanings to talqaf. The first, which is the well-known meaning, is that the serpent of Musa (peace be upon him) swallowed all the ropes and staffs like a single bite. The second meaning, mentioned by Sha‘rānī, is that it is a metaphor for nullifying their effect—that is, the illusion of the snakes disappeared. However, the first meaning is the correct one. (Innamā) is a compound of inna and mā mawṣūlah. (Ḥaythu atā) means: wherever (the magician) comes, he can never succeed—especially when facing a miracle, he can never be victorious.