Overall meaning : Allah Almighty describes the arrogant and intransigent approach that Pharaoh adopted in his dialogue with Moses, peace be upon him, saying: Pharaoh said, proudly denying his knowledge of his Lord, ‘And what is that ‘Lord of all the worlds’ who sent you as you claim, Moses?’
Moses replied, ‘He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and what is between them and the Lord of that, if only you would be convinced.’ Pharaoh turned to his chiefs and nobles around him and said, ‘Did you hear what Moses said?!’ Moses said to them, ‘Allah is your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers.’ Pharaoh sarcastically said, in an attempt to oppose the truth, defame the one who brought it and call his message into question, ‘This messenger of yours who claims he has been sent to you is surely mad!’
Moses went on, ‘He is the Lord of the East and the West and all that lies between them, if only you could understand.’
Having failed to counter Moses’s argument, Pharaoh threateningly said, ‘If you worship any god other than me, I will have you thrown into prison.’ Moses said, ‘Will you put me in prison even if I show you manifest miracle that will prove the truthfulness of what I have brought you?’ ‘Show it then,’ said Pharaoh, ‘if you are telling the truth.’
Moses threw his staff on the ground and thereupon it changed into a real massive snake. Then he drew his hand out of the top opening of his garment and brought it out shining white, for all to see.
‘This man,’ Moses said to the nobles around him, ‘is a highly skilled magician who seeks to drive you out of your land by his magic. What, then, do you advise?’
They said to him, ‘Put off their case and do not hasten to punish them, and in the meantime dispatch heralds to all cities of the kingdom to bring you every skilled magician to counter what Moses has brought.’