# Did Musa's staff really turn into a snake?

*Did the staff of Musa really become a snake?*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/pkp3itoskjc/s/1/
- Date: 2018-04-20 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Did the Staff of Moses (AS) really turn into a snake? - Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki (0:01–6:16)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkP3itoSKJc&t=1s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/pkp3itoskjc/

**Topics:** Moses; Prophethood and miracles; Magic, the evil eye and superstition

**Question as asked:** Why did the staff of Musa become a snake when he threw it?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: Mufti Abu Layth holds the staff was described as moving as though it were a snake, while the magicians' sticks moved by a chemical trick.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that in his understanding the staff of Musa was not an actual snake but was described as though it were one.

**Evidence, his words at 1:17:** “now in my understanding that it was not a snake okay when he threw the thing it was not a snake but it was described as though it was a snake” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkP3itoSKJc&t=77s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth takes up a question people have put to him about why the staff of Musa became a snake when he threw it. Mufti notes that the throwing of the staff occurs in three places in the Quran, once saying it was a snake and elsewhere that it moved as though it were a snake, and says that in his understanding it was not an actual snake. He explains that magic was the elite craft of Pharaoh's time and cites commentators who say the magicians filled their sticks with substances such as quicksilver (mercury) that reacted to the heat of the sun, which is why they set the contest for the forenoon. He says the people were terrified because they thought the sticks were real snakes, that Musa was taught by Allah how the trick was done, and that he believes Musa came across the same substance, before describing Musa's hand coming out shining without harm.

## Sources and names cited

- Musa (Moses)
- Pharaoh (Fir'awn)
- Quran 20:59 (the meeting at forenoon on the day of the festival): https://quran.com/20/59
- Quran 20:66 (their ropes and sticks seemed to him to move): https://quran.com/20/66
- Quran 7:116 (they bewitched the eyes of the people and terrified them): https://quran.com/7/116
- sihr (magic)

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:01–6:16)

[0:00] so let's give an example of people have asked me the staff of the stick of Moses moosa aleihsalaam and they've said that why you know this when he threw it became a snake that's one way to read the quran but when you look at you see this throwing the stick occurs in three places in the quran okay now in one it says find out what Bernama be it's whoa it's a snake but in the other mentions

[0:37] the same incident they attacked a zoo Karajan it is shaking as though it is a snake so it's interesting now in one verse Allah says it as a snake in one he says it was shaking as though this was Musa stick as though it was a snake now how you take this is up to you do you believe that Musa stick ali sallam became an actual snake many muslims may believe that one verse of the Quran

[1:17] clearly doesn't say that it states that it was as though it was like a snake now in my understanding that it was not a snake okay when he threw the thing it was not a snake but it was described as though it was a snake and what was the purpose behind this because let's look at the objective of the Quran let me explain the the whole story you see in the time of faroan a magic was added somebody just laughing his head off if

[1:54] you don't mind at least allowing me to finish what I have to say you know before you just continuously non-stop laugh your head off right so in the time of Moses magic was the thing okay it was the thing that these people it was seen as the elite that these people had these special powers through the gods now I want you to understand something how were the magicians pulling off their magic because Allah whose is the same a similar kind of verse to describe their

[2:31] mystics that was Satoru our Yunnan nurse that when they threw the sticks you hate yellow Olay him it would appear to people as though they were snakes how was that happening you know if I throw a stick it doesn't appear like that so how was this happening now many of them of a serene have written that they were using certain kind of compounds and chemicals and many of them are Syrian right that they were using things like Quicksilver like which in Arabic they called zip buck like mercury now these kind of

[3:08] things were reacting to heat so hence in the Quran when they say to Musa that we will have a magic showdown they specify the time and Allah quotes the in the Quran they say well moreda come doha that you have to meet us that when when when it's early just after sunrise when it's early morning so the sun is shining down now was this just coincidental that they mentioned that time many of them are first city and say no it wasn't if in fact you can read up the turf I see they say it's because they needed that

[3:45] light to make the mercury react the Zipit which was in their sticks so they would fill their sticks with certain things and when they would throw it how they exactly did this I don't know but this is what a lot of Memphis sitting do right and that day that the chemical the compound they had within thee was reacting with the light and that's why Allah mentions the light of day being important for them now we see when they threw their stakes people get because Allah says was terribleness that they people who was a Hawaiian and NASA was

[4:23] terrible moon people became frightened the people had fear that wow they were terrified that the these are actual snakes they thought they were actual snakes everybody accepts that their sticks were not snakes we accept this that they're magicians their sticks when snakes are lime self says but the people was terrible they were petrified Allah mentions was star had warned from robbed from to be terrified because they thought they were snakes now

[4:57] musa alehsalaam is taught by Allah how they have done this he is divinely - now the thing is the magicians didn't know like a pot outside their circle nobody knew how they used to do that people believed they were actual snakes that they could turn them with the power of the gods of the pharaoh gods but moosa aleihsalaam is inspired and put by allah how these people are doing this trick now allah mentions that he is then told

[5:37] to throw his stick does he come across this compound this chemical this does he come across this Allahu Alem I would believe that he does Allah teaches him these things hence he throws it and he is petrified but then Allah says in the same verse get your handi see his hand which would have made contact with this touch place it what mom who in a generic that place your hand where somewhere under your either under your armpit or you side with this wound and then remove it and it mentions that is hand lights

[6:15] up and if you read what I'm officer in say they say it would - on me no I share that Rays would were coming out of it and then Allah mentions mean really soo without there being any harm now in this understanding you see there's the great Sufi scholar Maha Dean nada bina he says a similar thing he says that when moosa aleihsalaam met the magicians and they threw their sticks and then Moosa threw his stick and it

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment PkP3itoSKJc/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/pkp3itoskjc/s/1/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.