“I know of no god you have other than me.” (28:38)

Pharaoh voiced this out of sheer obstinacy, though he well knew that he himself was a created slave and that Allah alone is the Creator, Originator, and Fashioner—the true God. The Most High says: “They rejected them, even though their own souls were convinced of them, out of wrongdoing and arrogance. So observe how was the end of the corrupters.” (27:14)

Hence Pharaoh said to Moses—upon him be peace—in denial of his mission and to imply that no Lord had sent him: “And what is the Lord of all worlds?” For Moses and Aaron had said to him, “We are messengers of the Lord of all worlds.” It is as though he were asking, “Who is this Lord of all worlds whom you claim has commissioned you?”

Moses replied, “The Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever lies between them, if you would but be certain.” In other words, the Lord of all worlds is the Creator of these visible heavens and earth and of everything in between—clouds, winds, rain, vegetation, and living creatures—things every person of sure knowledge knows could not have arisen by themselves. They must have an Originator, a Bringer-into-Being, a Creator—namely Allah, there is no deity but He, the Lord of all worlds.

Pharaoh then said—addressing those around him, his princes, provincial governors, and ministers—in mockery and derision of what Moses had asserted, “Do you not hear?” meaning, “Do you not hear what he is saying?”

Moses went on, addressing Pharaoh and his retinue: “Your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers,” that is, the One who created you and those before you—your fathers, grandfathers, and the generations of old. Everyone knows he did not create himself, nor did his father or mother create him, nor did he come into being without a Creator; rather, Allah, the Lord of all worlds, brought him into existence.

These two lines of evidence are what the Almighty refers to when He says, “We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.” (41:53)

Despite all this, Pharaoh did not awaken from his stupor nor abandon his error; instead he persisted in tyranny, obstinacy, and disbelief. He said, “Indeed, the messenger who has been sent to you is mad.” (26:27) Moses retorted, “The Lord of the east and the west and whatever lies between them, if you would only reason”—meaning: He is the One who has subjected these shining stars, set the revolving celestial spheres in motion, created darkness and light, Lord of earth and sky, Lord of the first and the last, Creator of the sun and the moon, of the wandering planets and the bewildering fixed stars, Creator of the night with its darkness and the day with its brightness. All things are under His dominion, subdued to His will and steered by His command; they swim along in their orbits, succeeding one another through all times and turning without cease. Thus He—exalted is He—is the Creator, Owner, and Disposer who governs His creation as He wills.

When the proofs had been established against Pharaoh and his sophistries had collapsed, leaving him only stubborn defiance, he resorted to the force of his authority, prestige, and power. He said, “If you take a god other than me, I will surely make you one of the imprisoned.” (26:29) Moses replied, “Even if I bring you something manifest?” (26:30) Pharaoh said, “Bring it, then, if you are truthful.” (26:31) So Moses cast down his staff, and behold, it became a clear serpent; and he drew out his hand, and behold, it was white for the onlookers. (26:32–33)

These are the two signs with which Allah supported him: the staff and the hand. In that situation he displayed the tremendous miracle that dazzled minds and eyes alike. When he threw down his staff, it instantly turned into a manifest serpent—vast in size and wondrous in form