And when Pharaoh feared the people's following them, due to what they saw from their terrifying matter, and it had already been established what indicates that the denier against them is Pharaoh himself, Allah, the Exalted, said, informing about him: "He said" without mentioning the doer - that is, Pharaoh - to avoid confusion. [And the purpose of the surah does not necessitate stating it as in Al-A'raf, but it is suitable for turning away from him and relieving from him.] Denying, hastening, implying that he only punishes for the hastening without permission, not for the act itself, and that his aim is only to delay by this deception the people from hastening to faith until a time when you believed in him, that is, in Moses, peace be upon him. He singled him out with the pronoun because he is the origin in this message, and the essence of the speech is: You have confirmed the truth of what he informed about Allah for his sake, to honor him by that, before he permitted you, that is, in faith. Then he justified their action by what implies that it is out of cunning and deceit, not out of good following. He said: "Indeed, he" that is, (p-35) Moses, peace be upon him, "is your great one."

And when this implied his attribution to magic, and that he is more knowledgeable about it than them, for that reason, he overpowered them. He clarified it by saying: "The one who taught you magic" and you conspired with him on this act, to strip the kingdom from its owners. This, and everyone who hears it knows his lie for certain, for Moses, peace be upon him, was raised only in his house, and he continued until he fled from them to Midian, knowing no magic, nor having been acquainted with a magician, nor traveling except to Midian. Then he did not return except as a caller to Allah. But the lie is dominant in the land of Egypt, and its people are the quickest to hear it and to submit to it.

And when he stopped the listeners with what he made them imagine from this known falsehood, which is false for everyone with insight, he confirmed the prohibition with a threat and said: "So you will surely know" that is, what I will do to you, meaning: as a consequence of what you have done, I will punish you with a severe and certain punishment. And he brought the tool of relief out of fear that he would not be able to overpower them, so that everyone would know his inability and would believe, along with what is in it, in reality, for the magicians from the emphasis in the warning that did not affect them in light of what Allah showed them from the sign that established them in a state of submission. Then he explained what he had made ambiguous by saying: "I will surely cut off" in the form of intensification for the abundance of cutting and the cut ones, "your hands and your feet." [Then] he clarified the manner of cutting them by saying: "from opposite sides" and increased in the intimidation by saying: "and I will surely crucify you all."