Tā sīn mīm: God knows best what He means by these ˹letters˺.

{طسَمَ} الله أعلم بمراده بذلك.

Those, namely, these signs, are the signs of the Manifest Book, the Qur’ān (the genitive annexation ˹āyātu’lkitābi˺ conveys the ˹partitive˺ meaning of min), ˹the Manifest meaning˺ the one that manifests what is truth from what is falsehood.

{تلك} أي هذه الآيات {آيات الكتاب} القرآن والإضافة بمعنى من {المبين} المظهر الحق من الباطل.

Perhaps, O Muhammad (s), you might kill yourself, out of distress for the reason, that they, namely, the people of Mecca, will not become believers (la‘alla here expresses sympathy, in other words ˹what is meant is˺ ‘have pity on it ˹your self˺ by alleviating ˹the burden of˺ this distress’).

{لعلك} يا محمد {باخعٌ نفسك} قاتلها غما من أجل {ألا يكونوا} أي أهل مكة {مؤمنين} ولعل هنا للإشفاق أي أشفق عليها بتخفيف هذا الغم.

If We will We will send down to them a sign from the heaven before which their necks will remain (fa-zallat, ˹although grammatically in the past tense˺ is being used in the sense of the imperfect tense) bowed in humility, and they will believe (since ‘necks’ are described as ‘bowed in humility’, ˹a status˺ which in fact refers to those who possess them, the adjectival form ˹khādi‘ūn, ‘bowed in humility’˺ used therein is the one ˹normally˺ used for rational beings).

{إن نشأ ننزل عليهم من السماء آية فظلّت} بمعنى المضارع: أي تظل، أي تدوم {أعناقهم لها خاضعين} فيؤمنون، ولما وصفت الأعناق بالخضوع الذي هو لأربابها جمعت الصفة جمع العقلاء.

And there would never come to them from the Compassionate One any remembrance, any ˹revelation from the˺ Qur’ān, that is new (muhdathin, is an explicative adjective) but that they used to disregard it.

{وما يأتيهم من ذكر} قرآن {من الرحمن مُحدّث} صفة كاشفة {إلا كانوا عنه معرضين}.

Verily then they have denied, it; but soon there will come to them the news, the consequences, of that which they used to deride.

{فقد كذبوا} به {فسيأتيهم أنباء} عواقب {ما كانوا به يستهزءُون}.

Have they not contemplated, observed, the earth, how many We have caused to grow therein, in other words, ˹We have caused to grow therein˺ many, of every splendid kind ˹of vegetation˺, ˹of every˺ fair species.

{أوَلم يروا} ينظروا {إلى الأرض كم أنبتنا فيها} أي كثيرا {من كل زوجِ كريم} نوع حسن.

Surely in that there is a sign, an indication of the perfection of His power, exalted be He; but most of them, in God’s knowledge, are not believers (kāna here according to Sībawayhi is extra).

{إن في ذلك لآية} دلالة على كمال قدرته تعالى {وما كان أكثرهم مؤمنين} في علم الله، وكان قال سيبويه: زائدة.

And surely your Lord, He is the Mighty One, Who will exact vengeance from the disbelievers, the Merciful, Who shows mercy to believers.

{وإن ربك لهو العزيز} ذو العزة ينتقم من الكافرين {الرحيم} يرحم المؤمنين.

And, mention, O Muhammad (s), to your people, when your Lord called to Moses, on the night he saw the fire and the bush, ˹saying˺: ‘Go to the wrongdoing folk, as a messenger,

{و} اذكر يا محمد لقومك {إذ نادى ربك موسى} ليلة رأى النار والشجرة {أن} أي: بأن {ائت القوم الظالمين} رسولا.

Pharaoh’s folk, to them as well as him — they wronged their souls by disbelieving in God and ˹wronged˺ the Children of Israel by enslaving them — Will they not (a-lā: the hamza indicates a negation meant as a rebuke) show fear?’, of God by being obedient to Him and affirm His Oneness?

{قوم فرعون} معه ظلموا أنفسهم بالكفر بالله وبني إسرائيل باستعبادهم {ألا} الهمزة للاستفهام الإنكارى {يتقون} الله بطاعته فيوحدونه.

He, Moses, said, ‘My Lord, I fear they will deny me,

{قال} موسى {ربِ إني أخاف أن يكذّبون}.

and that anguish will constrain my breast, because of their denial of me, and that my tongue will not utter clearly, to deliver the Message, because of the knot in it. So give the Mission to, my brother, Aaron, alongside me.

{ويضيق صدري} من تكذيبهم لي {ولا ينطلق لساني} بأداء الرسالة للعقدة التي فيه {فأرسل إلى} أخي {هارون} معي.

And I have sinned against them, by my slaying of the Egyptian man, and I fear they will slay me’, for this.

{ولهم عليَّ ذنبٌ} بقتل القبطي منهم {فأخاف أن يقتلون} به.

Said He, exalted be He: ‘Certainly not!, they shall not slay you. Go both of you, you and your brother — this address ˹although in the dual form˺ is predominantly for the person present as opposed to the absent one — with Our signs. We will indeed be with you, hearing, what you say and what is said to you (ma‘akum: the two ˹Moses and Aaron˺ are referred to here with the plural pronoun).

{قال} تعالى: {كلا} لا يقتلونك {فاذهبا} أي أنت وأخوك، ففيه تغليب الحاضر على الغائب {بآياتنا إنا معكم مستمعون} ما تقولون وما يقال لكم، أجريا مجرى الجماعة.

So the two of you approach Pharaoh and say, “Indeed We are — ˹indeed˺ each of the two of us is, the Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds, to you,

{فأتِيَا فرعون فقولا إنا} كلاً منا {رسول رب العالمين} إليك.

that you should let go forth with us, to Syria, the Children of Israel” ’. So they approached him and said to him that which has been mentioned.

{أن} أي: بأن {أرسل معنا} إلى الشام {بني إسرائيل} فأتياه فقالا له ما ذكر.

He, Pharaoh, said, to Moses, ‘Did we not rear you among us, in our homes, as a child?, as an infant, only recently born but weaned, and did you not stay with us for years of your life?, for thirty years — he would dress from Pharaoh’s clothes and ride chariots of his, and was referred to as Pharaoh’s son.

{قال} فرعون لموسى {ألم نربِّك فينا} في منازلنا {وليدا} صغيرا قريبا من الولادة بعد فطامه {ولبثت فينا من عمرك سنين} ثلاثين سنة يلبس من ملابس فرعون ويركب من مراكبه وكان يسمى ابنه.

And you committed that deed of yours — namely, his slaying of the Egyptian — being an ingrate’, a denier of my favours to you in having reared you ˹among us˺ and not enslaved you.

{وفعلت فعلتك التي فعلت} هي قتله القبطي {وأنت من الكافرين} الجاحدين لنعمتي عليك بالتربية وعدم الاستعباد.

He, Moses, said, ‘I did that then, when I was astray, from the knowledge and the Message which God would later give me.

{قال} موسى {فعلتها إذاً} أي حينئذ {وأنا من الضالين} عما آتاني الله بعدها من العلم والرسالة.

So I fled from you, as I was afraid of you. Then my Lord gave me judgement, knowledge, and made me one of the messengers.

{ففررتُ منكم لما خفتكم فوهب لي ربي حكما} علما {وجعلني من المرسلين}.

That is a favour with which you now reproach me that you have enslaved the Children of Israel’ (an ‘abbadta banī Isrā’īl, is explicative of tilka, ‘that’) in other words, you have enslaved them but not me: there is no favour in that, for your enslavement of them is wrong (some ˹scholars˺ have reckoned there to be an interrogative hamza of denial at the beginning of this verse ˹a-tilka ni‘matun, ‘is that a favour?’˺).

{وتلك نعمةٌ تمنُّها عليَّ} أصله تمن بها عليَّ {أن عبدت بني إسرائيل} بيان لتلك: أي اتخذتهم عبيدا ولم تستعبدني لا نعمة لك بذلك لظلمك باستعبادهم وقدر بعضهم أول الكلام همزة استفهام للإنكار.

Pharaoh said, to Moses, ‘And what is “the Lord of the Worlds” ’, the One Whose Messenger you say you indeed are? In other words: what exactly is He? And since there is no way for creation to know the true nature of God, but only to know Him through ˹an articulation of˺ His attributes, Moses, blessings and peace be upon him, responds to him with ˹mention of˺ some of these ˹attributes˺:

{قال فرعون} لموسى {وما رب العالمين} الذي قلت إنك رسوله أي: أي شيء هو ولما لم يكن سبيل للخلق إلى معرفة حقيقته تعالى وإنما يعرفونه بصفاته أجابه موسى عليه الصلاة والسلام ببعضها.

He said, ‘The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, in other words, the Creator of ˹all˺ that — should you have conviction’, that He, exalted be He, is their Creator, then believe in Him alone.

{قال ربُّ السماوات والأرض وما بينهما} أي خالق ذلك {إن كنتم موقنين} بأنه تعالى خالقه فآمنوا به وحده.

He, Pharaoh, said to those, noblemen among his folk, who were around him, ‘Did you not hear?!’, his response, how it does not correspond to the question ˹I asked˺?

{قال} فرعون {لمن حوله} من أشراف قومه {ألا تستمعون} جوابه الذي لم يطابق السؤال.

He, Moses, said, ‘Your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers’. Now, even though this ˹fact˺ is comprised by what was ˹said˺ before it enrages Pharaoh, and therefore:

{قال} موسى {ربكم ورب آبائكم الأولين} وهذا وإن كان داخلا فيما قبله يغيظ فرعون ولذلك.

He said, ‘Verily this messenger of yours sent to you is a madman!’

{قال إنَّ رسولكم الذي أرسل إليكم لمجنون}.

He, Moses, said, ‘The Lord of the east and the west and all that is between them — should you comprehend,’, that He is such ˹a Lord˺ then believe in Him alone.

{قال} موسى {ربُّ المشرق والمغرب وما بينهما إن كنتم تعقلون} إنه كذلك فآمنوا به وحده.

He, Pharaoh, said, to Moses: ‘If you choose any god other than me, I will surely make you a prisoner!’. His ˹Pharaoh’s˺ prison was very harsh, for a person would be shut up ˹in a dungeon˺ underground alone, where he could neither see nor hear anyone else.

{قال} فرعون لموسى {لئن اتخذت إلها غيري لأجعلنَّك من المسجونين} كان سجنه شديدا يحبس الشخص في مكان تحت الأرض وحده لا يبصر ولا يسمع فيه أحدا.

He, Moses, said, to him: ‘What, would you do this even, if I bring you something manifest?’, patent proof of my Mission?

{قال} له موسى {أوَلوْ} أي: أتفعل ذلك ولو {جئتك بشيءٍ مبينِ} برهان بيِّن على رسالتي.

He, Pharaoh, said, to him: ‘Then bring it, if you are truthful’, in this.

{قال} فرعون له {فأتِ به إن كنت من الصادقين} فيه.

So he threw down his staff, and lo! it was a manifest serpent, a great snake.

{فألقى عصاه فإذا هي ثعبانٌ مبينٌ} حية عظيمة.

Then he drew out his hand, he brought it out of his pocket, and lo! it was white, glowing, before the onlookers, and not its usual skin colour.

{ونزع يده} أخرجها من جيبه {فإذا هي بيضاء} ذات شعاع {للناظرين} خلاف ما كانت عليه من الأدمة.

He, Pharaoh, said to the council around him, ‘Surely this man is a cunning sorcerer, an expert in the art of magic,

{قال} فرعون {للملإ حوله إنَّ هذا لساحر عليم} فائق في علم السحر.

who seeks to expel you from your land by his sorcery. So what do you advise?’

{يريد أن يخرجكم من أرضكم بسحره فماذا تأمرون}.

They said, ‘Put him and his brother off for a while, postpone ˹judgement of˺ their affair, and send musterers into the cities

{قالوا أرجه وأخاه} أخّر أمرهما {وابعث في المدائن حاشرين} جامعين.

to bring you every cunning sorcerer’, to surpass Moses in the art of magic.

{يأتوك بكل سَحَّار عليم} يفضل موسى في علم السحر.

So the sorcerers were assembled at a fixed time of a known day, which was the morning of the Festival Day.

{فجمع السحرة لميقات يوم معلوم} وهو وقت الضحى من يوم الزينة.

And it was said to the people, ‘Will you assemble!’

{وقيل للناس هل أنتم مجتمعون}.

Maybe we will follow the sorcerers, should they be the victors’ (the interrogative ˹of the previous verse˺ is an incitement to assemble and the optative sense ˹implicit in la‘alla˺ is due to their anticipation of victory, and hence their continued adherence to their religion and rejection of Moses).

{لعلنا نتبع السحرة إن كانوا هم الغالبين} الاستفهام للحث على الاجتماع والترجي على تقدير غلبتهم ليستمروا على دينهم فلا يتبعوا موسى.

So when the sorcerers came, they said to Pharaoh, ‘Shall we indeed (read a-inna either by pronouncing both hamzas, or by not pronouncing the second, but in both cases inserting an alif) have a reward if we were to be the victors?’

{فلما جاء السحرة قالوا لفرعون أئن} بتحقيق الهمزتين وتسهيل الثانية وإدخال ألف بينهما على الوجيهين {لنا لأجرا إن كنا نحن الغالبين}.

He said, ‘Yes ˹of course˺! And you shall then be among those closest ˹to me˺’.

{قال نعم وإنكم إذاً} أي حينئذ {لمن المقربين}.

Moses said to them, after they had said to him, Either you cast, or we shall be the casters ˹Q. 7:115˺: ‘Cast what you have to cast’ — the command to do this signifies an authorisation for them to cast and a means whereby the truth will be made to prevail.

{قال لهم موسى} بعد ما قالوا له (إما أن تُلقي وإما أن نكون نحن الملقين) {ألقوا ما أنتم ملقون} فالأمر فيه للإذن بتقديم إلقائهم توسلا به إلى إظهار الحق.

So they cast their ropes and their staffs, and said, ‘By the power of Pharaoh we shall surely be the victors!’

{فألقوْا حبالهم وعصيهم وقالوا بعزة فرعون إنا لنحن الغالبون}.

Thereat Moses cast his staff and lo! it was swallowing (talqafu: one of the original two tā’ letters ˹of taltaqifu˺ has been assimilated) what they had faked, ˹what they had˺ transformed through illusion, making their ropes and staffs appear to be moving serpents.

{فألقى موسى عصاه فإذا هي تلقف} بحذف إحدى التاءين من الأصل تبتلع {ما يأفكون} يقلبونه بتمويههم فيخيلون حبالهم وعصيهم أنها حيات تسعى.

So the sorcerers fell down prostrating.

{فألقيَ السحرة ساجدين}.

They said, ‘We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,

{قالوا آمنا برب العالمين}.

the Lord of Moses and Aaron’, for they realised that what they had witnessed in the case of the staff could not have been the result of ˹mere˺ sorcery.

{رب موسى وهارون} لعلمهم بأن ما شاهدوه من العصا لا يتأتى بالسحر.

Pharaoh said, ‘Do you believe (a-āmantum, read pronouncing both hamzas or replacing the second one with an alif) him, Moses, though I have not given you leave? He is indeed your chief, the one who has taught you sorcery — so that he only taught you some ˹tricks˺ and then surpassed you with others. Soon you will know, what I will do with you! I will assuredly cut off your hands and legs on opposite sides — in other words, the right hand of each one together with his left leg — then I shall surely crucify you all.’

{قال} فرعون {أآمنتم} بتحقيق الهمزتين وإبدال الثانية ألفا {له} لموسى {قبل أن آذن} أنا {لكم إنه لكبيركم الذي علمكم السحر} فعلَّمك شيئا منه وغلبكم بآخر {فلسوف تعلمون} ما ينالكم مني {لأقطعنَّ أيديكم وأرجلكم من خلاف} أي يد كل واحد اليمنى ورجله اليسرى {ولأصلبنكم أجمعين}.

They said, ‘There is no harm ˹in that˺, no damage will be done to us thereby. Surely to our Lord, after we die, whichever way that may be, we shall return, in the Hereafter.

{قالوا لا ضَيْرَ} لا ضرر علينا في ذلك {إنا إلى ربنا} بعد موتنا بأي وجه كان {منقلبون} راجعون في الآخرة.

Indeed We hope our Lord will forgive us our iniquities, for being the first to believe’, in our time.

{إنا نطمع} نرجوا {أن يغفر لنا ربنا خطايانا أن} أي بأن {كنَّا أول المؤمنين} في زماننا.

And We revealed to Moses, after many years which he spent among them calling them to the truth with God’s signs but all of which only increased them in insolence, ˹saying˺, ‘Journey with My servants, the Children of Israel, by night (a variant reading ˹for an asri˺ is an isr, from the verb sarā, one form of asrā) go with them by night in the direction of the sea, for indeed you will be pursued’. Pharaoh and his armies will pursue you, but when they enter the sea in pursuit of you, I will deliver you and drown them.

{وأوحينا إلى موسى} بعد سنين أقامها بينهم يدعوهم بآيات الله إلى الحق فلم يزيدوا إلا عتوا {أن أسر بعبادي} بني إسرائيل وفي قراءة بكسر النون ووصل همزة أسر من سرى لغة في أسرى أي سر بهم ليلا إلى البحر {إنكم مُتَّبعون} يتبعكم فرعون وجنوده فيلجون وراءكم البحر فأنجيكم وأغرقهم.

Then Pharaoh, having been informed of their night departure, sent to the cities — it is said that he ruled a thousand cities and twelve thousand villages — musterers, to assemble the army, saying:

{فأرسل فرعون} حين أخبر بسيرهم {في المدائن} قيل كان له ألف مدينة واثنا عشر ألف قرية {حاشرين} جامعين الجيش قائلا.

‘Lo! these are but a small gang. It is said that they ˹the Children of Israel˺ numbered 670,000, while his ˹Pharaoh’s˺ vanguard alone numbered 700,000 and so he deemed their number insignificant in comparison to his huge army.

{إن هؤلاء لشرذمةٌ} طائفة {قليلون} قيل كانوا ستمائة ألف وسبعين ومقدمة جيشه سبعمائة ألف فقللهم بالنظر إلى كثرة جيشه.

And indeed they have enraged us, their actions infuriate us,

{وإنهم لنا لغائظون} فاعلون ما يغيظنا.

and indeed we are all on our guard’, ready (a variant reading ˹for hadhirūna˺ has hādhirūn, meaning ‘alert’).

{وإنا لجميعٌ حذرون} مستعدون وفي قراءة حاذرون متيقظون.

God, exalted be He, says: So We made them, Pharaoh and his folk, go forth, out of Egypt, in order to pursue Moses and his people, from gardens, orchards on either side of the Nile, and springs, streams running from the Nile through their dwellings,

قال تعالى: {فأخرجناهم} أي فرعون وقومه من مصر ليلحقوا موسى وقومه {من جنات} بساتين كانت على جانبي النيل {وعيون} أنهار جارية في الدور من النيل.

and treasures, visible riches of gold and silver — these ˹riches˺ are called kunūz ˹as opposed to amwāl, ‘riches’˺ because that ˹portion˺ which is ˹always˺ due to God, exalted be He, from them had not been paid — and splendid places, exquisite residences for princes and ministers surrounded by their retinues.

{وكنوز} أموال ظاهرة من الذهب والفضة، وسميت كنوزا لأنه لم يعط حق الله تعالى منها {ومقامٍ كريمٍ} مجلس حسن للأمراء والوزراء يحفه أتباعهم.

So ˹it was˺, that is, Our expulsion ˹of them˺ was as We have described, and We made the Children of Israel to inherit these, after drowning Pharaoh and his folk.

{كذلك} أي إخراجنا كما وصفنا {وأورثناها بني إسرائيل} بعد إغراق فرعون وقومه.

Then they pursued them, they caught them up, at sunrise.

{فأتبعوهم} لحقوهم {مشرقين} وقت شروق الشمس.

And when the two hosts sighted each other, the companions of Moses said, ‘We have been caught!’, Pharaoh’s hosts have caught us up and we have no power against them.

{فلما تراءى الجمعان} رأى كل منهما الآخر {قال أصحاب موسى إنا لمدركون} يدركنا جمع فرعون ولا طاقة لنا به.

He, Moses, said, ‘Certainly not!, they shall not catch us up; indeed I have my Lord with me, to provide assistance. He will guide me’, to the route of deliverance.

{قال} موسى {كلا} أي لن يدركونا {إن معي ربي} ينصره {سيهدين} طريق النجاة.

God, exalted be He, says: Thereupon We revealed to Moses: ‘Strike the sea with your staff’, and he struck it, whereupon it parted, it split into twelve parts, and each part was as a mighty mountain, between each of these parts were paths which they followed, such that not even the saddles or the felts of the riders were touched by water.

قال تعالى: {فأوحينا إلى موسى أن اضرب بعصاك البحر} فضربه {فانفلق} فانشق اثنى عشر فرقا {فكان كل فرق كالطود العظيم} الجبل الضخم بينهما مسالك سلكوها لم يبتل منها سرج الراكب ولا لبده.

And there We brought near the others, Pharaoh and his folk, until they followed them across the same paths.

{وأزلفنا} قرَّبنا {ثمَّ} هناك {الآخرين} فرعون وقومه حتى سلكوا مسالكهم.

And We delivered Moses and all those who were with him, by bringing them out of the sea while it was in the state mentioned ˹above˺.

{وأنجينا موسى ومن معه أجمعين} بإخراجهم من البحر على هيئته المذكورة.

Then We drowned the others, Pharaoh and his folk by closing the sea on them after they had entered the sea and the Children of Israel had exited therefrom.

{ثم أغرقنا الآخرين} فرعون وقومه بإطباق البحر عليهم لما تم دخولهم في البحر وخروج بني إسرائيل منه.

Surely in that, drowning of Pharaoh and his folk, there is a sign, a lesson for those ˹generations˺ who would come after them; but most of them are not believers, in God. The only ones to believe were Āsiya — Pharaoh’s wife — Hizqīl, the believing man of Pharaoh’s family, and Maryam daughter of Nāmūsī, she who pointed out the bone remains of ˹the prophet˺ Joseph, peace be upon him.

{إن في ذلك} إغراق فرعون وقومه {لآيةٌ} عبرة لمن بعدهم {وما كان أكثرهم مؤمنين} بالله لم يؤمن منهم غير آسية امرأة فرعون وحزقيل مؤمن آل فرعون ومريم بنت ناموصى التي دلت على عظام يوسف عليه السلام.

And surely your Lord, He is the Mighty, for He wrought vengeance upon the disbelievers by drowning them, the Merciful, to believers, delivering them from drowning.

{وإن ربك لهو العزيز} فانتقم من الكافرين بإغراقهم {الرحيم} بالمؤمنين فأنجاهم من الغرق.