"But he turned away with his support and said: “A magician or a madman”"
He turns away leaning on his source of strength — forces, entourage, generals and elites. His authority depends on the people who prop him up; if they are moved by Musa (as), his position is threatened.
Another lens: he turns to his side (Rukn) in arrogance and conceit — retreating into constructed strength (bodily, political, or ideological), refusing to engage with truth.
The forces opposing Allah’s Message are inherently weak. Retreating to one’s Rukn to deny truth is itself a sign of fragility.
Messengers should not be intimidated by wealth or power; Musa (as) is sent with the real Sultan from Allah.
In earlier dialogue he first accused Musa (as) of being insane. After witnessing the miracles, he accused him of being a magician. This ayah mentions “magician” first because that was the freshest charge in people’s minds.
He then turns to his support base to reassure them with these labels — a morale tactic and an attempt at character assassination.
“Magician” is used when facing what cannot be explained rationally — the supernatural breaking usual patterns. Lacking an answer, the charge of magic becomes the fallback.
Unlike visible miracles given to other Prophets, the Messenger ﷺ came with the Qur’an — a miracle first encountered through hearing.
The Quraysh accused him of being a magician upon hearing the Qur’an, implicitly admitting they had no human explanation for it.
Earlier communities witnessed miracles separate from their messages, and later generations only heard of them. With Islam, both miracle and message are one — present and intact for every generation until the Day of Judgement.
Turning away “with his Rukn” exposes a dependence on worldly props. Labels like “magician” or “insane” serve to shore up a fragile base when truth overwhelms. True strength belongs to Allah; His Messengers carry the real Sultan, and His final Revelation remains the abiding miracle and message for all who listen.
Authority that leans on followers is vulnerable when they are moved by truth.
Turning to one’s side in pride is a retreat, not engagement.
Order of accusations reflects what the audience last witnessed.