Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:118

"So the truth was established, and nullified..."

"So it occurred" (fawaqa'a): meaning it appeared and became evident, as stated by al-Hasan, Mujahid, and al-Farra’.

"The truth" (al-haqq): which is the affair of Musa, peace be upon him. Some have interpreted "occurred" (waqa'a) as "was established" (thabata), arguing that the act of "falling/occurring" (al-waq') has been metaphorically applied to mean "establishment" and "realization," or "steadfastness" and "permanence," because it stands in contrast to "was nullified" (batala), and that which is false is transient. The benefit of this metaphor, as it is said, is to indicate impact/influence, because "occurring" is used for physical bodies. It has also been said: what is meant by "the truth occurred" is that the staff became a serpent in reality, though this is of no substance.

"And nullified was that which they were doing": meaning the falsity of that which they were persisting in performing became apparent.