His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

"Go, you and your brother, with My signs, and do not weaken in My remembrance. Go to Pharaoh; indeed, he has transgressed. And speak to him with a soft speech, perhaps he may remember or fear." They said, "Our Lord, indeed we fear that he will transgress against us or that he will be violent." He said, "Do not fear; indeed, I am with you; I hear and see."

Allah, the Exalted, commanded Musa and Harun, peace be upon them, in this verse to go to the call of Pharaoh. He addressed Musa alone to honor him. It is possible that revelation was sent to Harun along with the king to execute it. "With My signs" means: with the signs that I have given you of miracles, and the signs of revelation, command, and prohibition such as the Torah. "Do not weaken" means: do not become weak and slow. You say: So-and-so weakened in such a matter if he delayed in it out of weakness. From this is the saying of the poet:

"So I am not one to weaken, nor am I like the feeble one."

And "weakness" refers to fatigue and failure in animals and humans. In the Mushaf of Ibn Mas'ud, it is written: "And do not be weak in My remembrance," meaning: do not be gentle, from your saying: gentle and soft.

As for "soft speech," one group said: it means to use a title of respect for him. Another group said: rather, He commanded them to improve their words.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this is the correct view, as every person who intends to call someone to a matter they dislike, the proper approach is to clarify in their expression the meaning they intend so that they do not misrepresent it or deviate from it. Then they strive after that for their expression to be gentle and their approach to be soft, for that is more likely to achieve the desired outcome. So Allah, the Exalted, commanded Musa and Harun, peace be upon them, to approach Pharaoh with a completion of the call in a gentle manner.

And His saying: "Perhaps he may remember" means: according to your hopes and expectations. The expectation in it is indeed related to the human side. The majority read "he will transgress" with a fatḥah on the yā and a ḍammah on the rā, and its meaning is: he will hasten and rush with something disliked towards us. From this is the one who is farīṭ in water, which refers to one who advances towards the people. The poet said:

"They hastened us while they were among our companions, just as the farīṭ advanced to the waterers."

And one group said: "he will transgress" with a ḍammah on the yā and a kasrah on the rā, and its meaning is: he will be extreme. Ibn Muḥaysin read: "he will be hurried" with a ḍammah on the yā and a fatḥah on the rā, and its meaning is that he will be carried by a bearer to rush towards us.

His saying, exalted is He: "Indeed, I am with you" means: with support, assistance, and the ability against Pharaoh. This is as you say: the prince is with so-and-so if you mean that he protects him. "I hear and see" are two expressions of perception that do not conceal any secret. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds.