{And Pharaoh came, and those before him}
And those who preceded him among the disbelieving nations, such as the people of Nuh, peace be upon him. This constitutes generalization after specification, as among them are ‘Ad and Thamud. Abu Raja’, Talhah, al-Jahdari, al-Hasan (in one of two narrations from him), ‘Asim (in the narration of Aban), the two grammarians (al-Basri and al-Kufi), and Aban read it as "man qibalihi" (with a kasra on the qaf and a fatha on the ba’), meaning: "and those on his side and flank." The intent is those among his followers and those who obey him; this is supported by the recitation of Ubayy and Ibn Mas’ud: "and those with him."
{And the overturned cities}
Meaning the towns of the people of Lut, peace be upon him. The intent is their inhabitants, metaphorically, by applying the name of the place to the occupant, or by positing a suppressed noun (the people of the overturned cities), or by metaphorical attribution. The context acts as the evidence, given the conjunction with those who are described as "coming." Al-Hasan read it here in the singular: "and the overturned city" (al-mu’tafikah).
{With the sinful act}
Meaning with sin (khati’ah). It may be a verbal noun on the pattern of *fa’ilah*, or it may refer to the act itself, or to actions characterized by grave sin, with the attribution being metaphorical—while it is literal regarding its doers. The greatness of the sin is taken into account because an act is not termed *khati’ah* unless its perpetrator is deeply entrenched in error. It is also possible that the form denotes attribution.
