وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَسُلْطَٰنٍ مُّبِينٍ · إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَٰمَٰنَ وَقَٰرُونَ فَقَالُوا۟ سَٰحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ
"We did indeed send Moses with Our signs and a clear proof: to Pharaoh, to Hāmān and to Qārūn. They said: 'A sorcerer, a liar.'"
The one addressed is not a single man but three. And it is recorded in the classical commentaries that this trio represents three separate powers: rule, execution and wealth.
I transmit this as an explanation that is transmitted; the verse itself draws no such classification. But the sequence of the sūra is amenable to this reading: in the thirty-sixth verse Pharaoh will give the order for the tower to Hāmān — that is, he is the one who builds.
وَسُلْطَٰنٍ مُّبِين — the word sulṭān here has the sense of proof. In verses 35 and 56 of the sūra it was said that those who dispute are bi-ghayri sulṭānin (without proof). The same word occurs on the side of the one sent with the attribute mubīn (clear).
| Verse | Who | Sulṭān |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Moses | Sulṭānin mubīn — a clear proof |
| 35, 56 | Those who dispute | Bi-ghayri sulṭānin — without proof |
This is a contrast that can be verified within the sūra and it shows how the narrative is fastened to the backbone of the sūra.
فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ مِنْ عِندِنَا قَالُوا۟ ٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَبْنَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ — and the response is not a dispute but an order.
I record this as an observation: the verse shows what is done where no answer can be given in words. And the outcome of the decision is given in the same sentence: wa mā kaydu'l-kāfirīna illā fī ḍalāl — the trap they set comes to nothing.