Commentary
And when He, glorified and exalted is He, narrated that Musa, blessings and peace be upon him, clarified what he clarified about the falsehood of magic and its being corrupt, it was established what he brought forth due to its opposition to it. He, the Most High, informed - as a consolation for the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and to wean him from seeking a response to the suggestions - that what resulted from that at the beginning after the nullification of their magic without delay was only the faith of a few weak people. So He, the Most High, said: "So few believed" meaning: following Musa, due to what he did, to make it known that the signs are not a cause for guidance except for whom We will from him; and He clarified that the youth are quicker to accept by His saying: "Except for a few of his people" meaning: their young men are worthy of the blessing being poured upon them from his people, meaning: the people of Musa who have the ability to stand in the attempt for what they desire. And it appears that they were orphans, and most of them - as Mujahid said - were in great fear from Fir'aun and his nobles, meaning: the nobles of the descendants; and when the denial of the nobles was due to Fir'aun wanting to take away their leadership, the fear was confined to him. He indicated this with the singular pronoun when he said: "That he may tempt them" and followed it with what clarifies their excuse by saying, affirming the revelation to Quraysh, likening them to those who deny the greatness of Fir'aun for their denial that the weak among the companions of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, may overcome them due to his greatness: "And indeed, Fir'aun is truly dominant" meaning: overpowering, conquering, established by what We have tempted him with from the obedience of the people to him in the land, meaning: the land of Egypt, which is abundant in its resources as if it were all the land. "And indeed, he is among the transgressors" meaning: those who exceed the limits in both his apparent and hidden actions. And if you combine this verse with His saying, the Most High: "And indeed, the transgressors are the companions of the Fire" [Ghafir: 43], it becomes an obvious and conclusive analogy that Fir'aun is among the companions of the Fire, denying the people of unity in their saying: that he believed, to diminish sins in the eyes of the people, thus allowing the beliefs of the people of religion.
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