And when they knew what he had instilled in the minds of the weak, they alerted them. So Allah, the Most High, informed about that by saying, beginning with: "They said, 'We will never prefer you...'" meaning, 'we will not give precedence to your influence by following you to be safe from your vanishing punishment, over what has come to us by which Moses, peace be upon him, brought us of the clear signs that we witnessed and knew that no one can match them.' And when they began with what indicates the Creator through the miraculous action, they elevated to His mention after knowing Him through His action, indicating the high status of Him. They said: "And we will not prefer you by following you over the one who created us," indicating the comprehensiveness of His Lordship, glorified and exalted is He, for them, for Him, and for all people. This serves as a reminder of Pharaoh's incapacity before the one who deserves it. In all their statements, there is this glorification of Allah, the Most High, in wording and indication, and the belittling of Pharaoh is a significant matter.

And when it resulted from that that they did not care about him, knowing that what he did was by the permission of Allah, they said: "So decree what you will," meaning, 'do what you want in your judgment that you are the one who judges.' Then they justified that by saying: "You only decree..." meaning, 'you only do with us what you want, if Allah has decreed it upon you.' "This worldly life," meaning, 'your judgment in its duration is only upon the body specifically; it is an hour that follows rest. And we do not fear except from the one who judges the soul, even if the body perishes; for that is the severe punishment, the lasting recompense with reward or punishment.' And perhaps they dropped the connector, descending to the idea that if his judgment were to extend to the end of the world, he would be worthy of not being feared, for it is transient, and the punishment of Allah is everlasting.