Quran Universe
28:36

فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا بَيِّنَٰتٖ قَالُواْ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحۡرٞ مُّفۡتَرٗى وَمَا سَمِعۡنَا بِهَٰذَا فِيٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ

Falamma jaahum moosa biayatina bayyinatin qaloo ma hatha illa sihrun muftaran wama samiAAna bihatha fee abaina alawwaleena

But when Moses came to them with Our signs as clear evidences, they said, "This is not except invented magic, and we have not heard of this [religion] among our forefathers."

Word by word
  1. فَلَمَّاBut when
  2. جَآءَهُمcame to them
  3. مُّوسَىٰMusa
  4. بِـَٔايَٰتِنَاwith Our Signs
  5. بَيِّنَٰتٖclear
  6. قَالُواْthey said
  7. مَاNot
  8. هَٰذَآ(is) this
  9. إِلَّاexcept
  10. سِحۡرٞa magic
  11. مُّفۡتَرٗىinvented
  12. وَمَاand not
  13. سَمِعۡنَاwe heard
  14. بِهَٰذَاof this
  15. فِيٓamong
  16. ءَابَآئِنَاour forefathers
  17. ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَour forefathers
Al-Qasas · 28:36Makkah

They saw the signs and called them magic.

When the truth is new, it gets dismissed

Their two excuses
clear signsseen with their own eyes
dismissed as
invented magicmade up
not our fathers' waynever heard of it
What really stopped them
lack of proofthey needed more
arrogancetoo proud to follow

Musa and Harun showed Fir'awn and his chiefs clear miracles. Ibn Kathir says they realized it was from Allah but answered with stubbornness: it is magic, and our forefathers never did this. The problem was not evidence; it was pride.

Someone shows you, kindly, that a habit of yours is hurting people. You say they are exaggerating, and anyway "this is how my family always did it." Two excuses, same as theirs.

If it is not how I was raised, it must be wrong.

"We never did it this way" is not an argument against the truth.

Try this

Think of one thing you resist only because it is unfamiliar. Look at it again honestly.

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

Then when Musa came to them with Our Clear Ayat, they said: "This is nothing but invented magic. Never did we hear of this among our fathers of old. (36)Musa said: "My Lord knows best him who came with guidance from Him, and whose will be the happy end in the Hereafter. Verily, the wrongdoers will not be successful. (37)

Musa before Fir'awn and His People

Allah tells us how Musa and his brother Harun came before Fir'awn and his chiefs, and showed them the clear miracles and overwhelming proof that Allah had given them to confirm the truth of what they were saying about Allah being One and that His commandments were to be followed. Fir'awn and his chiefs saw that with their own eyes and realized that it was certainly from Allah, but because of their disbelief and sin they resorted to stubbornness and false arguments. This was because they were too evil and arrogant to follow the truth. They said:

مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُفْتَرًى

(This is nothing but invented magic.) meaning, fabricated and made up. They wanted to oppose him by means of their own tricks and their position and power, but this did not work.

وَمَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَٰذَا فِي آبَائِنَا الْأَوَّلِينَ

(Never did we hear of this among our fathers of old.) They were referring worshipping Allah Alone, with no partner or associate. They said: "We have never seen anyone among our forefathers following this religion; we have only ever seen people associating other gods in worship with Allah. Musa said in response to them:

 رَبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ جَاءَ بِالْهُدَىٰ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ

(My Lord knows best him who came with guidance from Him,) meaning, 'of me and you, and He will decide between me and you.' So he said:

وَمَنْ تَكُونُ لَهُ عَاقِبَةُ الدَّارِ

(and whose will be the happy end in the Hereafter.) meaning, who will be supported and will prevail.

إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ

(Verily, the wrongdoers will not be successful.) refers to the idolators who associate others in worship with Allah.