Surah Ash-Shu'ara, Ayah 49

Pharaoh, disapproving of the magicians’ belief, said to them, “Have you accepted Moses as being true, before I gave you permission to do so? Indeed, Moses is your mentor who has taught you magic; you have all collaborated to exile the people of Egypt from its lands, and you will soon see what punishment I inflict upon you. I shall cut off a hand and leg of each of you from opposite sides, and crucify you all on palm trunks, sparing no one.”

He said: "You have believed in him before I give you leave. Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic! So verily, you shall come to know. Verily, I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all. (49)They said: "No harm! Surely, to our Lord we are to return. (50)"Verily, we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, as we are the first of the believers. (51)

Between Fir'awn and the Sorcerers

His threats against them resulted only in an increase in their faith and submission to Allah, for the veil of disbelief had been lifted from their hearts and the truth became clear to them because they knew something that their people did not: that what Musa had done could not have been done by any human being unless Allah helped him, making it proof and an evidence of the truth of what he had brought from his Lord. Then Fir'awn said to them:

آمَنتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْ

(You have believed in him before I give you leave.) meaning, 'you should have asked my permission for what you did, and you did not consult with me; if I had given you permission you could have done it, and if I did not allow you, you should not have done it, for I am the ruler and the one to be obeyed.'

إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ

(Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic!) This is stubborn talk, and anyone can see that it is nonsense, for they had never met Musa before that day, so how could he have been their chief who taught them how to do magic No rational person would say this. Then Fir'awn threatened to cut off their hands and feet, and crucify them. They said:

لَا ضَيْرَ

(No harm!) meaning, 'no problem, that will not harm us and we do not care.'

إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

(Surely, to our Lord we are to return.) means, 'the return of us all is to Allah, may He be glorified, and He will never allow the reward of anyone who has done good to be lost. What you have done to us is not hidden from Him, and He will reward us in full for that.' So they said:

إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَايَانَا

(Verily, we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins,) 'the sins we have committed and the magic you forced us to do.'

أَن كُنَّا أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(as we are the first of the believers,) means, because we are the first of our people, the Egyptians, to believe. So he killed them all.