Quran Universe
7:117

۞وَأَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنۡ أَلۡقِ عَصَاكَۖ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلۡقَفُ مَا يَأۡفِكُونَ

Waawhayna ila moosa an alqi AAasaka faitha hiya talqafu ma yafikoona

And We inspired to Moses, "Throw your staff," and at once it devoured what they were falsifying.

Word by word
  1. ۞وَأَوۡحَيۡنَآAnd We inspired
  2. إِلَىٰto
  3. مُوسَىٰٓMusa
  4. أَنۡthat
  5. أَلۡقِThrow
  6. عَصَاكَۖyour staff
  7. فَإِذَاand suddenly
  8. هِيَit
  9. تَلۡقَفُswallow (ed)
  10. مَاwhat
  11. يَأۡفِكُونَthey (were) falsifying
Al-A'raf · 7:117Makkah

One staff swallowed every lie they had thrown.

Truth does not argue with illusion, it ends it

The moment
Allah inspiresthrow your staff
then
the staffswallows one by one
until
nothing leftof their ropes and sticks
How it ended
many illusionsloud, scary, numerous
one truthenough to clear them all

At that moment Allah inspired Musa to throw his staff. Ibn Ishaq said it followed the ropes and sticks one after another until nothing remained, then became a staff again in his hand. The magicians knew this was not magic.

Your head is full of rope-snakes at 2am: they all think I am a failure, I will never fix this, it is too late. Then one true thought lands: Allah sees me and the door of repentance is open. One truth can swallow a dozen fears.

There are too many problems for anything to fix them.

One truth from Allah outweighs any number of illusions.

Try this

Write down your loudest fear. Next to it, write one thing Allah says that answers it.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And We revealed to Musa (saying): "Throw your stick," and behold! It swallowed up straight away all the falsehood which they showed (117)Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect (118)So they were defeated there and returned disgraced (119)And the sorcerers fell down prostrate (120)They said: "We believe in the Lord of all that exists (121)"The Lord of Musa and Harun. (122)

Musa defeats the Magicians, Who believe in Him

Allah states that at that tremendous moment, in which Allah differentiated between Truth and Falsehood, He sent a revelation to His servant and Messenger Musa, peace be upon him, ordering him to throw the stick that he held in his right hand,

فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ

(It swallowed straight away) and devoured,

مَا يَأْفِكُونَ

(all the falsehood which they showed.) the magic that they caused the illusion with, of magic with which they caused making it appear real, whereas it was not real at all. Ibn 'Abbas said that Musa's stick swallowed all the ropes and sticks that the magicians threw. The magicians realized that this was from heaven and was by no means magic. They fell in prostration and proclaimed,

آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ - رَبِّ مُوسَىٰ وَهَارُونَ

("We believe in the Lord of all that exists. The Lord of Musa and Harun ).

Muhammad bin Ishaq commented, "It followed the ropes and sticks one after another, until nothing that the sorcerers threw remained. Musa then held it in his hand, and it became a stick again just as it was before. The magicians fell in prostration and proclaimed, 'We believe in the Lord of all that exists, the Lord of Musa and Harun. Had Musa been a magician, he would not have prevailed over us.'" Al-Qasim bin Abi Bazzah commented, "Allah revealed to Musa to throw his stick. When he threw his stick, it became a huge, manifest snake that opened its mouth and swallowed the magicians' ropes and sticks. On that, the magicians fell in prostration. They did not raise their heads before seeing the Paradise, the Fire, and the recompense of their inhabitants."