Tafseer of The Poets · Ash-Shu'araa · 26:16
Go to Pharaoh and say, 'We are the messengers of the Lord of the worlds,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His statement: فَأْتِيَا فِرْعَوْنَ فَقُولا (So go both of you to Pharaoh and say) ... to the end of the verse — Allah says: Go, O Mūsā, you and your brother Hārūn, to Pharaoh. فَقُولا إِنَّا رَسُولُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (And say: "Truly, we are a messenger of the Lord of the worlds") to you, أَنْ أَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ (that you should send the Children of Israel with us). He said "rasūl rabb al-ʿālamīn" (a messenger of the Lord of the worlds) in the singular while He is addressing two persons with "faqūlā" (say, both of you), because by it He means the verbal noun (maṣdar) derived from "arsaltu" (I sent) — one says: "I sent a message (risāla) and a messenger (rasūl)," as the poet said:
"Truly, the slanderers have lied — I revealed no evil among them, nor did I send them with a message (rasūl)."
— that is to say: with a message (risāla). And another poet said:
"O, is there anyone who will convey on my behalf a message to Khufāf — a messenger (rasūl) whose final destination is the house of your family."
— by his word "rasūl" he means: a message (risāla); and that is why he used the feminine suffix (hāʾ).
