Surah Ta-Ha Verses 51–100

[Pharaoh] said, "Then what is the case of the former generations?"

[Moses] said, "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a record. My Lord neither errs nor forgets."

[It is He] who has made for you the earth as a bed [spread out] and inserted therein for you roadways and sent down from the sky, rain and produced thereby categories of various plants.

Eat [therefrom] and pasture your livestock. Indeed in that are signs for those of intelligence.

From it [i.e., the earth] We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time.

And We certainly showed him [i.e., Pharaoh] Our signs - all of them - but he denied and refused.

He said, "Have you come to us to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Moses?

Then we will surely bring you magic like it, so make between us and you an appointment, which we will not fail to keep and neither will you, in a place assigned."⁸³⁹

[Moses] said, "Your appointment is on the day of the festival when the people assemble at mid-morning."⁸⁴⁰

So Pharaoh went away, put together his plan, and then came [to Moses].

Moses said to them [i.e., the magicians summoned by Pharaoh], "Woe to you! Do not invent a lie against Allāh or He will exterminate you with a punishment; and he has failed who invents [such falsehood]."

So they disputed over their affair among themselves and concealed their private conversation.

They said, "Indeed, these are two magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and do away with your most exemplary way [i.e., religion or tradition].

So resolve upon your plan and then come [forward] in line. And he has succeeded today who overcomes."

They said, "O Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw."

He said, "Rather, you throw." And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their magic that they were moving [like snakes].

And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses.

We [i.e., Allāh] said, "Fear not. Indeed, it is you who are superior.

And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted. What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."

So the magicians fell down in prostration.⁸⁴¹ They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."

[Pharaoh] said, "You believed him [i.e., Moses] before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of palm trees, and you will surely know which of us is more severe in [giving] punishment and more enduring."

They said, "Never will we prefer you over what has come to us of clear proofs and [over] He who created us.⁸⁴² So decree whatever you are to decree. You can only decree for this worldly life.

Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us [to do] of magic. And Allāh is better and more enduring."⁸⁴³

Indeed, whoever comes to his Lord as a criminal - indeed, for him is Hell; he will neither die therein nor live.

But whoever comes to Him as a believer having done righteous deeds - for those will be the highest degrees [in position]:

Gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. And that is the reward of one who purifies himself.⁸⁴⁴

And We had inspired to Moses, "Travel by night with My servants and strike for them a dry path through the sea; you will not fear being overtaken [by Pharaoh] nor be afraid [of drowning]."

So Pharaoh pursued them with his soldiers, and there covered them from the sea that which covered them,⁸⁴⁵

And Pharaoh led his people astray and did not guide [them].

O Children of Israel, We delivered you from your enemy, and We made an appointment with you⁸⁴⁶ at the right side of the mount, and We sent down to you manna and quails,

[Saying], "Eat from the good things with which We have provided you and do not transgress [or oppress others] therein, lest My anger should descend upon you. And he upon whom My anger descends has certainly fallen [i.e., perished]."

But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.

[Allāh said], "And what made you hasten from your people, O Moses?"

He said, "They are close upon my tracks, and I hastened to You, my Lord, that You be pleased."

[Allāh] said, "But indeed, We have tried your people after you [departed], and the Sāmirī⁸⁴⁷ has led them astray."

So Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved.⁸⁴⁸ He said, "O my people, did your Lord not make you a good promise?⁸⁴⁹ Then, was the time [of its fulfillment] too long for you, or did you wish that wrath from your Lord descend upon you, so you broke your promise [of obedience] to me?"

They said, "We did not break our promise to you by our will, but we were made to carry burdens from the ornaments of the people [of Pharaoh], so we threw them [into the fire], and thus did the Sāmirī throw."

And he extracted for them [the statue of] a calf which had a lowing sound, and they said, "This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot."

Did they not see that it could not return to them any speech [i.e., response] and that it did not possess for them any harm or benefit?

And Aaron had already told them before [the return of Moses], "O my people, you are only being tested by it, and indeed, your Lord is the Most Merciful, so follow me and obey my order."

They said, "We will never cease being devoted to it [i.e., the calf] until Moses returns to us."

[Moses] said, "O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray,

From following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?"

[Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, 'You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.'"

[Moses] said, "And what is your case, O Sāmirī?"

He said, "I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the track of the messenger⁸⁵⁰ and threw it,⁸⁵¹ and thus did my soul entice me."

[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.'⁸⁵² And indeed, you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. And look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will surely burn it and blow it [i.e., its ashes] into the sea with a blast.

Your god is only Allāh, except for whom there is no deity. He has encompassed all things in knowledge."

Thus, [O Muḥammad], We relate to you from the news of what has preceded. And We have certainly given you from Us a message [i.e., the Qur’ān].

Whoever turns away from it - then indeed, he will bear on the Day of Resurrection a burden [i.e., great sin],