24فَقالَ إِن هٰذا إِلّا سِحرٌ يُؤثَرُMuhammad Asadand says, "All this is mere spellbinding eloquence handed down [from olden times]!1The term sihr, which usually denotes "sorcery" or "magic", primarily signifies "the turning of something from its proper [or "natural"] state of being into another state"; hence, it is often applied to the fascination or enchantment caused by exceptional, "spellbinding" eloquence (Taj al-'Arus). In its pejorative sense - as used by deniers of the truth to describe a divine message - it has also the connotation of wilful deception" or "delusion".