Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 111
Quran 7:111 · The Heights · Makki · Para 9 · Page 164
قَالُوْۤا اَرْجِهْ وَاَخَاهُ وَاَرْسِلْ فِی الْمَدَآىِٕنِ حٰشِرِیْنَ ۟ۙ
Transliteration
Qaloo arjih waakhahu waarsilfee almada-ini hashireen
Saheeh International
They said, "Postpone [the matter of] him and his brother and send among the cities gatherers
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
They said: 'Delay their case, Moses and his brother Aaron, and send people to the cities of Egypt to call all the magicians.'
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) on 7:111–7:112
They said: "Put him and his brother off (for a time), and send callers to the cities to collect (111)"That they bring to you all well-versed sorcerers. (112)
Ibn 'Abbas commented,
أَرْجِهْ
("Put him off"), means, "delay him (for a time)."
وَأَرْسِلْ فِي الْمَدَائِنِ
("and send to the cities"), areas and provinces of your kingdom – O Fir'awn,
حَاشِرِينَ
("to collect") to gather magicians from various lands. At this time, magic was the trade of the day and it was widespread and popular. They had the idea that what Musa brought was a type of magic similar to the magic that the sorcerers of their time practiced. Because of this incorrect assumption, they brought all the magicians in order to defeat the miracles that he showed them. Allah said about Fir'awn,
فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّكَ بِسِحْرٍ مِّثْلِهِ فَاجْعَلْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ مَوْعِدًا لَّا نُخْلِفُهُ نَحْنُ وَلَا أَنتَ مَكَانًا سُوًى - قَالَ مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِ وَأَن يُحْشَرَ النَّاسُ ضُحًى - فَتَوَلَّىٰ فِرْعَوْنُ فَجَمَعَ كَيْدَهُ ثُمَّ أَتَىٰ
(Then verily, we can produce magic the like thereof; so appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we nor you shall fail to keep, in an open place where both shall have a just and equal chance." [Musa] said: "Your appointed meeting is the day of the festival, and let the people assemble when the sun has risen (forenoon)." So Fir'awn withdrew, devised his plot and then came back.)[20:58-60].
Allah said,