Quran 20:63 · Taha

Moses’ initial speech caused a difference of opinion among the magicians. One group said that this was the statement not of a magician but of a prophet. Others were opposed to it and held that Moses was a magician no different from themselves. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). These magicians were certainly capable of recognising their co-professionals. The more experienced among them realised that what they were about to encounter were miracles, not magic. So now they felt afraid to enter the competition. However, at the instance of Pharaoh and his enthusiastic companions, they agreed to compete. At that time, the entire structure of Egyptian life was based on polytheistic beliefs. The worship of Pharaoh as the personification of their super god (the sun) was the foundation of their political and social systems. Pharaoh provoked and exploited public sentiment by saying that the extant system based on the best traditions was their national system, and that if the upholders of God’s unity succeeded in their mission, their entire national system would be overthrown.