Allah tells us how Fir'awn stubbornly persisted in his rebellion and disbelief. He assembled his people and addressed them in a vainglorious fashion, boasting of his dominion over Egypt.

Qatadah said, "They had gardens and rivers of flowing water."

{See you not then?} means, 'do you not see my position of might and power?' - implying that Musa and his followers were poor and weak. This is like the Ayah:

{Then he gathered (his people) and cried aloud, saying: "I am your lord, most high." So Allah seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression.} (79:23-25)

As-Suddi said, "He was saying, indeed I sun better than this one, who is despicable'." Some of the grammarians of Basrah said that Fir'awn - may the curse of Allah be upon him - was saying that he was better than Musa, peace be upon him. But this is an obvious lie, may continued curses be upon him until the Day of Resurrection. By describing Musa as despicable he meant - as Sufyan said - insignificant. Qatadah and As-Suddi said, "He meant, weak." Ibn Jarir said, "He meant, he had no power, authority or wealth."

{and can scarcely express himself clearly} means, he cannot speak clearly, he stammers and cannot speak well.

Fir'awn's description of Musa as "despicable" is a lie; rather it is he who was despicable and insignificant, lacking in physical, moral and religious terms, and it is Musa who was noble, truthful, righteous and upright.

{and can scarcely express himself clearly}. This was also a lie. Although something happened to Musa's tongue when he was a child, when it was burnt by a coal. He asked Allah to loosen the knot from his tongue (i.e., to correct his speech defect) so that they could understand what he said, and Allah had answered his prayer and said:

{You are granted your request, O Musa} (20:36).

It may be the case that some problem remained which he had not asked to be relieved of, as Al-Hasan Al-Basri suggested, and that he had asked only to be relieved of that which stood in the way of his conveying the Message. A person cannot be blamed for physical matters over which he has no control. Even though Fir'awn had the intelligence to understand that, he wanted to confuse and mislead his people, who were ignorant and stupid. So he said:

meaning, adornments which are placed on the arms. This was the view of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Qatadah and others.

{or angels sent along with him?} meaning, to serve him and to testify that he is telling the truth. He looked only at outward appearances and did not understand the true inner matters that are clearer than what he focused on, if only he had understood that. Allah says:

meaning, he confused them and invited them to misguidance, and they responded to him.

Then Allah says:

'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said it means: "When they angered Us means, they provoked Our wrath." Ad-Dahhak said, it means "They made Us angry." This was also the view of Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Said bin Jubayr, Muhammad bin Ka'b Al-Qurazi, Qatadah, As-Suddi and other scholars of Tafsir.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that 'Uqbah bin 'Amir, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said:

"When you see that Allah gives a person what he wants even though he is persisting in sin, that means that Allah is enticing him into destruction." Then he recited:

Abu Mijlaz said, "A precedent for others who do the same as they did." He and Mujahid said, "An example, i.e., a lesson to those who come after them." Allah is the One Who guides to the straight path, and unto Him is the final return.