Transliteration:( Qaala bal alqoo fa izaa hibaaluhum wa 'isiyyuhum yukhaiyalu ilaihi min sihrihim annahaa tas'aa )
80. The purpose of his command was not to grant permission to show magic, but its true object is to destroy magic so that the people could first see the power of falsehood and observe how it is destroyed by the power of truth. Thus, there is nothing objectionable about the verse about why Hazrat Musa (On whom be peace) granted permission for doing a thing, which is unlawful.
81. From this, emerge two issues:Â
1. Magic does not change reality, but it creates some impression in the eyes of the observers as it is reflected by "as though they were running towards him".Â
2. The effect of magic can take place on the thought and eyes of a prophet. Magic had affected the of a sword and of poison. This is not against prophethood.
82. It is obvious that the personal pronoun in 'towards him' is turning towards Hazrat Musa (On whom be peace) i.e. even he felt as if the staffs and the ropes were moving towards him, because the effect of magic can influence the thinking of the prophet.
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The tafsir of Surah Ta-Ha verse 66 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Taha ayat 65 which provides the complete commentary from verse 65 through 70.
(20:66) Moses replied: “No, let it be you to throw first.” Then suddenly it appeared to Moses, owing to their magic,[40] as if their ropes and staffs were running.
40. In (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 116), it was stated: When they threw down their devices they bewitched the eyes of the people and filled their hearts with terror. Here it is stated that it was not the common people alone who were terrified by their magic but Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) also suffered from its effect. He not only seemed to see that the staffs and cords were running about like serpents but he also felt a dread of them.
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