إِنّا أَرسَلنا إِلَيكُم رَسولًا شاهِدًا عَلَيكُم كَما أَرسَلنا إِلىٰ فِرعَونَ رَسولًا

Indeed We have sent to you an apostle, to be a witness to you, just as We sent an apostle to Pharaoh.

EXPOSITION

In this and the following four verses the narrative suddenly changes its direct referent. Whereas in the previous verses it was addressing the Prophet in particular, in this set of verses the address is directly to the unbelievers themselves, hoping to persuade them to see sense and the truth.

The Quran informs the unbelieving contemporaries of the Prophet that the apostle sent to them to be a witness to their faith or unfaith is similar to the one sent to Pharaoh; a reference to Prophet Moses (a).