Prophet Mūsā: Part 2 — The Calling and the Magicians Who Believed
Section 27 of 36 · Lives of the Prophets
Woe to You, Invent No Lie
Mūsā's point is not to win. His point is to give daʿwah. So he wanted to give them another chance.
قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰ وَيْلَكُمْ لَا تَفْتَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا فَيُسْحِتَكُم بِعَذَابٍ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ
“Mūsā said to them, “Pity on you, do not fabricate a lie against Allah, lest He should destroy you with a punishment. And loser is he who fabricates a lie.”” (20:61)
Mūsā said to them: woe to you! Do not invent a lie against Allah, lest He destroy you completely with a torment; and surely whoever invents a lie against Allah will fail miserably. He is giving them another chance. He is saying: this is a lie against Allah (swt), and if you continue with it, you will end up failing.
فَتَنَـٰزَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّجْوَىٰ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ هَـٰذَٰنِ لَسَـٰحِرَٰنِ يُرِيدَانِ أَن يُخْرِجَاكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِكُم بِسِحْرِهِمَا وَيَذْهَبَا بِطَرِيقَتِكُمُ ٱلْمُثْلَىٰ
“Then, they disputed among themselves in their matter, and kept their talk secret. Said they, “Certainly, these two are sorcerers who wish to drive you out from your land, and do away with your excellent way of life.” (20:62–63)
These words were discussed by the magicians. Allah (swt) says: then they debated with one another what they should do, and they kept their talk secret. They were discussing: is this man really a prophet, or is he a magician? In the end they settled the argument and said: he is a magician, and this is our plan, and this is what we are going to do. And they said: these two are magicians. Their aim is to drive you out of your land with their magic, and to overcome your chiefs and nobles.