Qala faman rabbukuma ya moosa (surah TaHa: 49)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(20:49) Pharaoh *20 ' said, "Well, who is the Lord of you both, O Moses?" *21

Qaala famar Rabbu kumaa yaa Moosa

*20) Here the details have been omitted. These have been given in VII: 103-108, XXVI: 10-33, XXVIII: 28-40, LXXIX: 15-25.
As regards the necessary information about Pharaoh, see E.N. 85 of Chapter VII.
*21) Pharaoh addressed Prophet Moses because he was, in regard to Prophethood, the senior of the two. It is also possible that he deliberately addressed him in order to exploit his impediment in speech, and ignored Prophet Aaron, who was more fluent.
As regards the implication of this question of Pharaoh, he meant to say, "YOU say that you have brought a Message from my Lord to me. Who is that Lord? You should know that I am the Lord of Egypt and the people of Egypt" . In regard to this claim of his, see LXXIX: 24, XLIII: 51, XXVIII: 38 and XXVI: 29.
It may also be noted that by this claim Pharaoh did not mean to say that he was the sole deity of his people nor did it mean that none other was worshipped in Egypt. As a matter of fact, he himself based his right of sovereignty on his claim of being the incarnation of the sungod. And we also learn from the history of Egypt that there were many other gods and goddesses. In fact, what he claimed was that he was politically the Lord of not only Egypt but also of the whole of mankind theoretically. Therefore, he would not acknowledge that there was any supreme sovereign over him whose delegate might bring an order to him and demand its obedience from him.