The Mother of the Believers ʿĀʾishah once overheard a man, while the pilgrims were traveling along the Hajj route, ask those around him, “Which brother has been the most gracious to his brother?” The people fell silent, whereupon ʿĀʾishah said to those beside her litter, “It is Moses son of ʿImrān, when he interceded for his brother Aaron and revelation came to him: ‘Out of Our mercy We granted him his brother Aaron, a prophet.’”

Allah the Exalted likewise says in Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ:

“When your Lord called Moses, ‘Go to the wrongdoing people, the people of Pharaoh—will they not fear Allah?’ He said, ‘My Lord, I fear they will deny me; my breast will be constricted and my tongue will not be fluent, so send my brother Aaron. Moreover, they have a charge against me, and I fear they will kill me.’ He said, ‘No indeed! Go, both of you, with Our signs; We are with you, listening. Go to Pharaoh and say, “We are messengers of the Lord of all worlds—send the Children of Israel with us.”’ Pharaoh said, ‘Did we not rear you among us as a child, and you stayed among us for many years of your life? And you committed the deed you committed, and you were of the ungrateful.’ Moses said, ‘I did it then when I was astray.’” (26:10–20)

The intended sense is that the two of them went to Pharaoh, delivered the message with which they had been sent—namely, to worship Allah alone with no partner—and demanded that he release the captives of the Children of Israel from his grip, tyranny, and oppression, allowing them to worship their Lord wherever they wished, devoting themselves wholly to His oneness, supplication, and humble entreaty. Pharaoh, however, swelled with arrogance and insolence, and he looked at Moses with disdain, saying: “Did we not raise you among us as a child, and did you not remain with us for many years of your life?”—meaning, Are you not the one we reared in our household, treated kindly, and favored for a long time? This proves that the Pharaoh to whom Moses was sent was the very one from whom he had fled, contrary to what is found in the scriptures of the People of the Book, which claim that the Pharaoh from whom he fled died while Moses was in Midian and that he was later sent to a different Pharaoh.

His words, “And you committed the deed you committed and were of the ungrateful,” refer to Moses’ killing the Copt, fleeing from them, and, in Pharaoh’s view, denying their favor.

Moses replied, “I did it then while I was astray”—that is, before revelation came down to me—“and I fled from you when I feared you, but my Lord granted me wisdom,” meaning prophethood, “and made me one of the messengers.” (26:21)

He then answered Pharaoh’s boast about having reared and favored him: “And is that a favor with which you reproach me—while you have enslaved the Children of Israel?” (26:22)

In other words: The favor you mention—your kindness to me, a single man from among the Children of Israel—how does it compare to your having enslaved this entire nation, forcing them into your labors, service, and tasks?

[Pharaoh] said, “And what is the Lord of all worlds?” [Moses] said, “The Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever lies between them, if only you would be certain.” [Pharaoh] said to those around him, “Do you not hear?” [Moses] said, “Your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers.” [Pharaoh] said, “Indeed, the messenger who has been sent to you is mad.” [Moses] said, “The Lord of the east and the west and whatever lies between them, if you would but understand.” (26:23–28)

Thus Allah recounts the exchange, debate, and disputation that took place between Pharaoh and Moses, and how Moses—Allah’s Interlocutor—established against that vile Pharaoh both rational and then empirical proofs. Pharaoh—may Allah disfigure him—openly denied the Creator and claimed divinity for himself, proclaiming, “He gathered the people and cried out, ‘I am your lord most high.’” (79:23–24). And he said, “O nobles…"