His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "This is a painful punishment that covers the people." "Our Lord, remove the punishment from us; indeed, we have believed." "How can they remember when a clear Messenger has come to them?" "Then they turned away from him and said, 'A taught madman.'" "Indeed, We will remove the punishment for a little; indeed, you will return." "On the Day We will strike with the greatest strike; indeed, We will take revenge." "And We had certainly tried before them the people of Pharaoh, and a noble Messenger came to them." "To deliver to me the servants of Allah; indeed, I am to you a trustworthy Messenger."

"'Covers':" Its meaning is: it covers. And His saying, exalted is He: "This is a painful punishment" may be an announcement from Allah, exalted is He, as if He is astonished by it, similar to His saying when He described the story of the slaughter: "Indeed, this is the evident trial." [As-Saffat: 106]. And it may be that "This is a painful punishment" is from the words of the people, as if the intended meaning of the speech is: they say, "This is a painful punishment." And this interpretation is supported by His saying, exalted is He, recounting from them that they say: "Our Lord, remove the punishment from us; indeed, we have believed." And Allah, blessed and exalted, knew that their saying in times of hardship: "Indeed, we have believed" is not from a true belief within them. This is indicated by His saying: "How can they remember?" meaning: from where can they remember when they have left remembrance behind their backs by having a clear Messenger come to them, and he is Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and they disbelieved in him? And "they turned away from him": meaning: they turned away, and said: indeed, he knows this speech that he recites, and indeed, he is a madman. And His informing that He will remove the punishment from them for a little is an announcement of establishing the proof against them and an exaggeration in delaying for them. Then He informed, exalted is He, that they will return to disbelief. And Qatadah said: it is a warning of the return in the Hereafter. Then He informed, exalted is He, that He will take revenge from them because of all of this on the Day of the greatest strike. And He mentioned the day before and referred to it in a manner of concern for it and fear of it, and the doer in it is "We will take revenge." And the Basri scholars weakened this in that it is the news of "Indeed," and they distanced that it would act as news for what is before it, and they said: the doer is an implied action indicated by "We will take revenge."

And the people differed regarding the Day of the greatest strike. Ibn Abbas, Al-Hasan, Ikrimah, and Qatadah said: it is the Day of Resurrection. And Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, and Ibn Abbas also, and Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and Mujahid said: it is the Day of Badr. And the majority of the people read: "We will strike" with the opening of the noon and the breaking of the ta. And Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan read with the damma on the ta. And Al-Hasan also, and Abu Rujai, and Talhah ibn Musarif read with the damma on the noon and the breaking of the ta. And its meaning is: We will empower against them one who will strike them.

Then Allah, the Most High, mentioned the people of Pharaoh as an example for Quraysh. And "We tested" means: We examined and tested. And "the noble messenger": Qatadah said: It is Musa, peace be upon him. The meaning of the verse indicates this without dispute. Here, it is implied that he said to them: Fulfill. This is taken from the performance, as if he is saying: Give to me, and grant me, and enable me. The interpreters differed regarding what is meant by the performance in this verse. Mujahid, Ibn Zayd, and Qatadah said: He asked them to deliver to him the Children of Israel, and they are whom he meant by saying: "Servants of Allah." Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said: The meaning is: Follow me to what I call you to of the truth. So his saying: "Servants of Allah" is an address added, and the performance is obedience, faith, and deeds.

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

The apparent meaning of the law of Musa, peace be upon him, is that he was sent to call Pharaoh to faith and to send the Children of Israel. When he refused to believe, the struggle remained in sending the Children of Israel. In sending them, his saying: "That you deliver to me the servants of Allah" means: the Children of Israel. This is supported by his later saying: "And if you do not believe in me, then leave me alone" [Ad-Dukhan: 21]. This is close to a text indicating that he only seeks the Children of Israel. This is also supported by his saying, the Most High: "So travel with My servants" [Ad-Dukhan: 23]. He referred to them as "My servants," which shows that it is them whom Musa, peace be upon him, meant by his saying: "Servants of Allah." And his saying: "A trustworthy messenger" means: upon the revelation of Allah, the Most High, which I convey to His servants.