His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "He said, 'My Lord, indeed I have killed among them a soul, so I fear that they will kill me.' And my brother Aaron is more eloquent in speech than I, so send him with me as a supporter who will confirm me. Indeed, I fear that they will deny me.' He said, 'We will strengthen your arm with your brother and we will make for you both a dominion, so they will not reach you with Our signs. You two and whoever follows you will be the predominant.' But when Moses came to them with Our clear signs, they said, 'This is not but magic that has been invented, and we have not heard of this among our forefathers.' And Moses said, 'My Lord knows best who has come with guidance from Him and who will have the end of the home. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.' And Pharaoh said, 'O assembly [of nobles], I have not known you to have a god other than me. So light for me, O Haman, a fire upon the clay and make for me a tower that I might look at the god of Moses, and indeed, I think he is among the liars.' And he was arrogant, he and his soldiers, in the land without right and they thought that they would not be returned to Us. Moses, peace be upon him, had been tested with fears, so he sought the strengthening of his arm with his brother Aaron; because he was eloquent in speech and of good character. The majority read: 'as a supporter' with a hamzah, while Nafi alone read: 'as a supporter' without hamzah, and this is the reading of Abu Ja'far, and that is to lighten from 'support.' And 'support' means the minister who assists and to whom he refers in the matter. A group went to say that it is from the meaning of increase, as the poet said: 'And he became dark-skinned as if his heels were the seeds of sugarcane that had fallen on the arm on the tenth.' And this is on the abandonment of the hamzah, and that its weight is 'fa'il.' The majority of the reciters read: 'who will confirm me' in the jussive, and that is on the answer of 'send him,' while Asim alone read: 'who will confirm me,' meaning confirming, so it is an attribute of the supporter, or a state. And 'strengthening the arm' is a metaphor for assistance and support. Al-Hasan read with a dammah on the 'ayn of 'your arm,' while Isa ibn Umar read with a fatha on the 'ayn and the dad. And 'dominion' means the proof. And His saying: 'with Our signs' may be related to His saying: 'and We will make for you both,' or to 'they will not reach you' and the ba may be a cause, and it may be related to His saying: 'the predominant,' meaning you will prevail by Our signs, and 'the signs' here are His miracles, peace be upon him. And when they denied him and accused him of magic, Moses, peace be upon him, approached them in his argument, and he was alarmed by their denial, so he referred the matter to Allah and relied on what Allah, exalted and majestic is He, would show regarding them, and he warned them of the punishment of Allah, exalted and majestic is He, against them. Ibn Kathir read: 'Moses said' without a waw, while others and all seven read: 'And Moses said' with a waw. The majority read: 'will have' with a ta, while Hamzah and Al-Kisai read: 'will be' with a ya in the masculine; as it is in the position of the consequence.

And Pharaoh continued on his path of misguidance towards his people. He commanded Haman to bake bricks for him and to build for him a lofty palace, meaning a surface in the highest air. And the palace is only that which has a surface. It is possible that the lighting is on clay like the [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN: baraniyy]. He hoped, by his claim, to ascend into the heavens. It was narrated from Al-Suddi that he built it as high as possible, then ascended in it and shot arrows, and Allah, the Exalted, returned them to him stained with blood to increase them in blindness and trial. Then Pharaoh said at that time: 'Indeed, I have killed the god of Moses.' Then he said: 'And indeed, I think he is among the liars,' meaning that Moses sent him as a messenger. So the thought is at its threshold, and it is the meaning of affirming disbelief as being equivalent to one who is determined on denial. Hamzah, Al-Kisai, and Nafi' read: 'They do not return,' while the others and Al-Hasan read: 'They are not returned' with a damma on the ya and a fatha on the jim.