وَقَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَ السَّاحِرُ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِنْدَكَ إِنَّنَا لَمُهْتَدُونَ ﴿۴۹﴾ فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابَ إِذَا هُمْ يَنْكُثُونَ ﴿۵۰﴾ وَنَادَى فِرْعَوْنُ فِي قَوْمِهِ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَذِهِ الْأَنْهَارُ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِي أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ ﴿۵۱﴾ أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ﴿۵۲﴾

﴾49﴿ Wa qaaloo yaaa ayyuhas saahirud'u lanaa Rabbaka bimaa 'ahida 'indaka innanaa lamuhtadoon
﴾50﴿ Falammaa kashafnaa 'anhumul 'azaaba izaa hum yankusoon
﴾51﴿ Wa naadaa Fir'awnu fee qawmihee qaala yaa qawmi alaisa lee mulku Misra wa haazihil anhaaru tajree min tahtee afalaa tubsiroon
﴾52﴿ Am ana khairun min haazal lazee huwa maheenunw wa laa yakaadu yubeen

﴾49﴿ And they said, O magician, pray to your Lord for us by the promise He has made to you; surely, we will then accept guidance
﴾50﴿ But when We removed the punishment from them, they immediately broke their promise
﴾51﴿ And Pharaoh called out to his people, saying, O my people, is not the kingdom of Egypt mine, and these rivers flowing beneath me, Do you not see
﴾52﴿ Am I not better than this man who is insignificant and can hardly express himself clearly

[49,50] This reflects the common habit of polytheists: in times of hardship, they lose hope in their false gods and turn to Allah the Exalted for help.
Similarly, Pharaoh’s people, under the pressure of Mūsā’s (peace be upon him) supplication, sought a means to Allah through him.
This proves that their disbelief was due to stubborn denial (ʿinād), not ignorance.
The phrase (يَا أَيُّهَا السَّاحِرُ)—“O magician!”—in their terminology was sometimes used to refer to someone highly knowledgeable.
Or it may reflect their extreme ignorance, as they could not break free from their habitual language, even in desperate moments.
[51] When Pharaoh saw the signs of Mūsā (peace be upon him) and the acceptance of his prayers, he feared that his people might oppose him and join Mūsā (peace be upon him).
So he began to display his power and expressed arrogance over worldly kingship, belittling and insulting Mūsā (peace be upon him).
This also hints at his breach of promise—he implies: “I will not fulfill my agreement with Mūsā because I possess power.”
The phrase (وَنَادَى فِرْعَوْنُ)—“And Pharaoh called out”—means he publicly announced his authority like a royal proclamation, which is why the verb nādā (he called out) is used.
The phrase (وَهَذِهِ الْأَنْهَارُ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِي)—“and these rivers flow beneath me”—in the first part, he refers to his control over political order (legal governance), and in the second part, he points to his control over livelihood and economic resources—claiming both are under his power.
[52] In this verse, Pharaoh humiliates and belittles Mūsā (peace be upon him).
The phrase (هُوَ مَهِينٌ)—“he is despicable”—means: he possesses no kingdom, no wealth, no flowing rivers; he performs his own tasks like an ordinary man.
The phrase (وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ)—“and he can barely express himself clearly”—means: he lacks eloquence and clarity; he cannot articulate his message properly.
Both of these statements were blatant lies, because Mūsā (peace be upon him) was, in reality, highly honorable, of noble character and beautiful appearance.
In a hadith found in Bukhārī and Muslim, the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “On the night of Isrā’, I saw Mūsā (peace be upon him)—he was a man with a reddish wheat-colored complexion, tall, with curly hair, as if he were a man from the tribe of Shanū’ah.”
Pharaoh was in awe of Mūsā (peace be upon him), and Mūsā was, in fact, highly eloquent and articulate.
Even though he had a speech impediment in childhood, it was removed by his supplication (waḥlul ʿuqdatan min lisānī).
However, this is the way of the arrogant—they falsely attribute flaws to people of truth and virtue.