“No sign did We show them but that it was greater than the one before it.” That is, each later sign was greater than the preceding one. “And We afflicted them with punishment”—such as locusts, lice, frogs, and blood—as distinct signs, “so that they might return” to Islam and submit to it, and thus abandon their polytheism and evil.
“And they said,” when the punishment descended upon them, “O sorcerer!” They meant Moses, peace be upon him. This was either intended to mock him, or else such a form of address was considered praise among them. They therefore entreated him by addressing him with the title they used for those whom they claimed to be their learned men—namely, sorcerers. They said, “O sorcerer, call upon your Lord for us by virtue of the covenant He has made with you”—that is, by virtue of the merits and distinctions with which Allah had specially favored him—so that He might remove the punishment from them. “We will surely follow guidance,” if Allah removes it from us.
“But when We removed the punishment from them, they immediately broke their word.” That is, they did not fulfill what they had promised. Rather, they acted treacherously and persisted in their disbelief. This is like the statement of Allah Most High:
“So We sent upon them the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood as distinct signs, but they behaved arrogantly and were a wicked people. Whenever the plague befell them, they said, ‘O Moses, call upon your Lord for us by virtue of the covenant He has made with you. If you remove the plague from us, we will surely believe you and let the Children of Israel go with you.’ But when We removed the plague from them until a term they were bound to reach, they immediately broke their word.”
“Pharaoh called out to his people, saying”—exalting himself through falsehood, for his dominion had deluded him and his wealth and armies had driven him to tyranny—“O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me?” That is, am I not its sovereign, with full authority over it? “And these rivers flow beneath me”—that is, the channels branching from the Nile and flowing amid his palaces and gardens. “Do you not then see” this vast dominion? This stemmed from his profound ignorance: he boasted of something external to himself rather than of any praiseworthy qualities or upright deeds.
“Or am I not better than this man who is lowly?” By “lowly”—may Allah disgrace him!—he meant Moses son of Imran, the one to whom the Most Compassionate spoke and who was held in high honor by Allah. In other words: I am mighty, while he is abased, humiliated, and despised; so which of us is better? “And,” moreover, “he can hardly express himself clearly.” That is, he could scarcely articulate what was within him because his speech was not fluent. Yet this is no defect whatsoever, provided that a person can express what is in his heart, even if speaking is difficult for him.
Pharaoh then said, “Why have bracelets of gold not been bestowed upon him?” That is, why was Moses not adorned and beautified with jewelry and bracelets? “Or why did the angels not come with him in company,” assisting him in his call and supporting what he said?
“So he made fools of his people, and they obeyed him.” That is, he belittled their intelligence by presenting them with these specious arguments, which neither nourish nor satisfy hunger, have no substance, and prove neither truth nor falsehood. Such arguments gain acceptance only among the feeble-minded.
What evidence is there that Pharaoh was in the right merely because the kingdom of Egypt belonged to him and its rivers flowed beneath him?
And what evidence is there that what Moses brought was false merely because he had few followers, his speech was labored, and Allah had not adorned him with jewelry? Pharaoh, however, found himself among a ruling elite devoid of reason; whatever he said, whether true or false, they followed him. “Indeed, they were a defiantly disobedient people.” Because of their wickedness, Pharaoh was set over them, embellishing polytheism and evil in their eyes. ⦗768⦘
“So when they provoked Our anger”—that is, angered Us through their deeds—“We took vengeance upon them and drowned them all. We then made them a precedent and an example for later peoples,” so that those willing to take heed might learn from them, and those receptive to admonition might be warned by their fate.