Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:62

"So they disputed their affair among themselves..."

Ibn Abbas said: Their secret counsel was: "If we defeat Moses, we will follow him."

Qatada said: "If he is a sorcerer, we will defeat him; but if he is from heaven, then he has a matter [of authority]."

Wahb said: When he said, "Woe to you!" they replied, "This is not the speech of a sorcerer."

The apparent meaning is that they consulted in secret and exchanged various opinions, then said: "Indeed, these two are sorcerers." Their secret counsel was in fabricating this statement and falsifying it, out of fear of their victory and to discourage people from following them.

• Abu Amr read it as Inna hadhayni la-sahiran (using the accusative form), which is the clear, manifest grammatical standard.
• Ibn Kathir and Hafs read it as Inna hadhan la-sahiran (using the nominative form), similar to saying "Indeed, Zayd is surely departing." The lam (in la-sahiran) serves to distinguish the Inna (that is emphatic) from the Inna that is negative or the lightened form of the heavy Inna.
• Ubayy read it as In dhan illa sahiran.
• Ibn Mas'ud read it as Anna hadhan sahiran (with Anna and without the lam), as a substitute for the "secret counsel."
• It is said regarding the famous reading (Inna hadhan la-sahiran) that it is the dialect of the Banu al-Harith ibn Ka'b; they treated the dual noun like nouns ending in an alif (like 'asa and sa'da), so they did not change it to a ya in the genitive or accusative cases.
• Some said Inna here means "Yes," and sahiran is the predicate of an omitted subject, with the lam entering the sentence. The estimation is: "Yes, they are two sorcerers." Abu Ishaq admired this interpretation.

They called their path "your best way" and the most excellent tradition, for "every faction is happy with what they have."

• It is said they meant the people of their "best way," namely the Children of Israel, due to Moses' request: "Send with us the Children of Israel."
• It is said "the way" (al-tariqa) is a name for the elite of the people and their notables who serve as role models for others. It is said, "They are the tariqa (elite) of their people." It is also said of a single person, "He is the tariqa of his people."

This is supported by the verse: "And he gathered his plan." It is also read as fa-ajmi'u (with a hamza), meaning: resolve upon it and make it a matter of consensus, so that you do not differ and no one among you stays behind, just like a matter upon which there is consensus.

They were ordered to come in a row because it is more imposing in the hearts of the onlookers. It is narrated that they were seventy thousand, each with a rope and a staff, and they approached in a single formation.

• Abu Ubayda interpreted "row" (saff) as the place of prayer (musalla), because people gather there for their festivals and prayers in rows. The validity of this depends on it being a proper noun for a specific place of prayer, meaning they were ordered to come to a place of prayer.

This is a parenthetical clause, meaning: "He who gains victory today has indeed triumphed."

"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 their staffs seemed to him, because of their magic, as if they were moving."