وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَجَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿۱۷﴾ أَنْ أَدُّوا إِلَيَّ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ ﴿۱۸﴾ وَأَنْ لَا تَعْلُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنِّي آتِيكُمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ ﴿۱۹﴾ وَإِنِّي عُذْتُ بِرَبِّي وَرَبِّكُمْ أَنْ تَرْجُمُونِ ﴿۲۰﴾ وَإِنْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا لِي فَاعْتَزِلُونِ ﴿۲۱﴾ فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ قَوْمٌ مُجْرِمُونَ ﴿۲۲﴾ فَأَسْرِ بِعِبَادِي لَيْلًا إِنَّكُمْ مُتَّبَعُونَ ﴿۲۳﴾ وَاتْرُكِ الْبَحْرَ رَهْوًا إِنَّهُمْ جُنْدٌ مُغْرَقُونَ ﴿۲۴﴾

﴾17﴿ Wa laqad fatannaa qablahum qawma Fir'awna wa jaaa'ahum Rasoolun kareem
﴾18﴿ An addooo ilaiya 'ibaadal laahi innee lakum Rasoolun ameen
﴾19﴿ Wa al laa ta'loo 'alal laahi innee aateekum bisultaanim mubeen
﴾20﴿ Wa innee 'uztu bi Rabbee wa rabbikum an tarjumoon
﴾21﴿ Wa il lam tu'minoo lee fa'taziloon
﴾22﴿ Fada'aa rabbahooo anna haaa'ulaaa'i qawmum mujrimoon
﴾23﴿ Fa asri bi'ibaadee lailan innakum muttaba'oon
﴾24﴿ Watrukil bahra rahwan innahum jundum mughraqoon

﴾17﴿ And indeed, We had tested the people of Pharaoh before them, and a noble messenger came to them
﴾18﴿ (He had said,) Give to me the servants of Allah the Exalted; indeed, I am a trustworthy messenger for you
﴾19﴿ And do not be arrogant toward Allah the Exalted; indeed, I have brought you a clear proof
﴾20﴿ And indeed, I seek refuge in my Lord and your Lord from you stoning me
﴾21﴿ And if you do not accept my words, then withdraw from me
﴾22﴿ So he prayed to his Lord that surely these people are a guilty nation
﴾23﴿ So take My servants by night, surely you will be pursued
﴾24﴿ And leave the sea standing open, surely they are a drowned army

[17] This is a worldly warning using the example of the destruction of Pharaoh. It is a reference to how the people of Pharaoh, at the time of punishment, made a covenant of faith with Musa (peace be upon him), asking him to remove the punishment from them — as mentioned in Surah Az-Zukhruf. However, they later broke those covenants. So Allah the Exalted brought upon them a great punishment — drowning. Similarly is the condition of the polytheists of Mecca. “And We certainly tested (فَتَنَّا)” — here, “fitnah” means either testing through the sending of the Messenger and the command to obey, or it refers to punishment. “Noble (كَرِيمٌ)” — this is in contrast to Pharaoh’s statement “disgraceful (مهين)” mentioned in Surah Az-Zukhruf, meaning Allah the Exalted had granted him honor, dignity, and nobility.
[18] There are two interpretations of this: The first interpretation is that the meaning of “adā” is to obey and follow. The second interpretation is that “addu” means "set free" — i.e., "release the Children of Israel with me." Both of these meanings are found in his statement in Surah Al-A'raf (verses 104 and 105).
[19] Previously, the command to enjoin good was mentioned, and this is the prohibition against evil. “Exaltation” (ʿuluww) includes arrogance in refusing obedience, as well as fabricating lies and rebellion. Since pride and arrogance are traits commonly found in the character of kings, this is why, when inviting them, the prohibition against exaltation is mentioned.
[20] When Pharaoh intended to kill him — as mentioned in Surah Ghafir (40:26) — then Musa (peace be upon him), for his protection, sought refuge (in Allah), as mentioned in Surah Ghafir (40:27).
[21] “(فَاعْتَزِلُونِ)” — the intended meaning is either: "Leave me alone," i.e., stop placing burdens or tasks upon me; or it means: "Separate from me," i.e., let my people, the Children of Israel, go and separate them for me.
[22] He made a supplication against them (a harmful prayer), and the details of that supplication are mentioned in Surah Yunus (10:88). The reason for this supplication is: “Indeed, these are a criminal people.” The term jurm (crime) refers to evident sins, immorality, wickedness, and injustice.
[23] This is the acceptance of the supplication, and traveling by night for deliverance is better for several reasons: First, because the wicked and immoral are heedless and asleep at that time. Second, there is goodness and blessing in traveling at night. Third, it provides escape from the heat of the day.
[24] This contains a reference to the means of the salvation of the Children of Israel and the manner of punishment for Pharaoh and his people. The wording is concise — it means that He commanded him to strike the sea with his staff, and twelve wide pathways were formed, and the waters stood still in their places. When the Children of Israel had crossed, Musa (peace be upon him) intended to let the sea flow again so that the Pharaoh and his people could not follow them. But Allah the Exalted commanded: “Leave the sea as it is” (وَاتْرُكِ الْبَحْرَ).