Tafsir of verse 41
Al-Mukhtasar
So when the magicians came before Pharaoh to challenge Moses, they said to him, “Will we have a tangible reward or an intangible one, if we have the upper hand over Moses?”
Tafsir of the whole Surah Ash-Shu’ara
Other translations of verse 41
When the magicians came, they said to Pharaoh, “Will there be a reward for us if we are victorious?”
So when the sorcerers arrived, they said to Fir‘aun (Pharaoh): "Will there surely be a reward for us if we are the winners?"
And when the wizards came they said unto Pharaoh: Will there surely be a reward for us if we are the winners?
So when the sorcerers arrived, they said to Pharaoh: "Of course - shall we have a (suitable) reward if we win?
And when the magicians came, they said to Firon: Shall we get a reward if we are the vanquishers?
Then, when the sorcerers came, they said to Firaawn, (Pharaoh) "will we surely have a reward indeed, in case we are the ones who are the overcomers?"
Verse 41 word by word
فَلَمَّا
falammā So when
جَآءَ
jāa came ج ي أ
ٱلسَّحَرَةُ
l-saḥaratu the magicians س ح ر
قَالُوا۟
qālū they said ق و ل
لِفِرْعَوْنَ
lifir'ʿawna to Firaun
أَئِنَّ
a-inna Is there
لَنَا
lanā for us
لَأَجْرًا
la-ajran a reward أ ج ر
إِن
in if
كُنَّا
kunnā we are ك و ن
نَحْنُ
naḥnu we are
ٱلْغَٰلِبِينَ
l-ghālibīna the victorious غ ل ب
Verses related to verse 41
Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse
Taha 20:65–66
قَالُوا۟ يَٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَىٰ …
They said, "O Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw." …
Al-Anbya 21:18
بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِٱلْحَقِّ عَلَى ٱلْبَٰطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُۥ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ وَلَكُمُ ٱلْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ
Rather, We dash the truth upon falsehood, and it destroys it, and thereupon it departs. And for you is destruction from that which you describe.
Al-Isra 17:81
وَقُلْ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ ٱلْبَٰطِلُ إِنَّ ٱلْبَٰطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا
And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart."
Al-A’raf 7:116
قَالَ أَلْقُوا۟ فَلَمَّآ أَلْقَوْا۟ سَحَرُوٓا۟ أَعْيُنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَٱسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَآءُو بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ
He said, "Throw," and when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them, and they presented a great [feat of] magic.
Taha 20:69
وَأَلْقِ مَا فِى يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا۟ كَيْدُ سَٰحِرٍ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلسَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىٰ
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."
Al-A’raf 7:118–123
فَوَقَعَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ …
So the truth was established, and abolished was what they were doing. …
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
Al-A’raf 7:113
وَجَآءَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّ لَنَا لَأَجْرًا إِن كُنَّا نَحْنُ ٱلْغَٰلِبِينَ
And the magicians came to Pharaoh. They said, "Indeed for us is a reward if we are the predominant."
All similar verses of Surah Ash-Shu’ara
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