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qālū lan nuʾthiraka ʿalā mā jāʾanā mina l-bayyināti wa-lladhī faṭaranā fa-qḍi mā ʾanta qāḍin ʾinnamā taqḍī hādhihi l-ḥayāta d-dunyā
They said, ‘We will never prefer you to the clear proofs which have come to us, and to Him who originated us. Decide whatever you want to decide. You can only decide about the life of this world.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Ta Ha – Verses 72 - 73
72. “They said: ‘Never will we prefer you (O Pharaoh) to the clear proofs (miracles) that have come to us, and to Him Who created us! Decree then whatever you desire to decree, for you may decree only about the life of this world.”
73. “Verily we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our faults, and the sorcery to which you did compel us. Allah is better and more lasting.”
Faith gives man both power and daring. Now, it is worthy to see what the reaction of the sorcerers was before the intensive threats of Pharaoh. They not only were not terrified and did not decamp, but also proved their presence in the scene more decisively. The verse says:
They told Pharaoh to command whatever he desired, but he should know that he could command only in the life of this world and, in Hereafter, where they are successful, he will be involved with the worst punishments. The verse continues saying:
Then, the sorcerers added this meaning to their statement, saying:
In this way, briefly they implied that their goal was to be forgiven and to be purified from their former sins including opposing against the true Messenger of Allah. The Arabic term /xataya/ is the plural form of /xati’ah/ which is called to the deliberate faults.8 The Qur’anic phrase which is recited: /ma’akrahtana‘alayhi min-as-sihr/ means ‘We ask Allah to forgive us our faults and sorcery to which you did compel us’. And the objective meaning of /’ikrah min-as-sihr/ is the summoning of the sorcerers and the act of their sorcery.
He who risks his own life in the path of Allah, grows in right conduct more and more at any moment. In these holy verses, the sorcerers stated three meanings concerning Allah (s.w.t.). They said:
and
Imam Sadiq (as) in a tradition has said:
“Whoever counts himself better than others is a tyrant”.
He was asked then, whether those good doers who count themselves better than evildoers are tyrants. Imam said the explanation of the belief of the sorcerers, indicating that a person may change his mind in some moments; therefore, they should not count themselves better since they are not aware of the end.9
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