Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:128-129

{Moses said to his people, "Seek help through Allah."} He said this to them when Pharaoh said, "We will kill their sons." They were distressed and anxious, so he sought to calm them, dispel their fear, promise them victory over their enemies, and remind them of what Allah had promised the Children of Israel: the destruction of the Copts and the inheritance of their land and homes.

If you ask: Why is this sentence devoid of a conjunction (wāw), while the one before it includes one? I reply: It is an independent, initiating sentence. As for {The elite said} (127), it is conjoined to what preceded it, namely His saying: {The elite of Pharaoh’s people said}.

{Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah} It is possible that the definite article (al-) refers to a specific covenant, meaning the land of Egypt in particular, as in His saying: {And we inherited the land} (Az-Zumar: 74). It is also possible that it refers to the genus (the earth in general), thus encompassing the land of Egypt because it is part of the genus of "earth," just as Damra said: "A man is defined by his two smallest parts," intending the genus of man, while his purpose was to include himself primarily.

{And the outcome is for the righteous} This is a glad tiding that the praiseworthy end belongs to the righteous among them and the Copts, and that the divine will encompasses them. Ubayy and Ibn Mas‘ūd read it as al-ʿāqibata (in the accusative case), conjoining it to "the earth."

{We were harmed before you came to us and after you came to us} They mean the killing of their sons from before the birth of Moses (peace be upon him) until he was commissioned as a prophet, and its recurrence after that, in addition to the various types of servitude, menial labor, and torment they were subjected to.

{Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy} This is an explicit statement of the glad tidings previously alluded to. It clarifies the destruction of Pharaoh and their succession after him in the land of Egypt.

{And He will see how you act} He will observe the deeds that proceed from you—both good and evil, gratitude for the blessing and ingratitude—so that He may recompense you according to what is found from you.

It is narrated that ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd (may Allah have mercy on him) visited Al-Mansur before he became Caliph. There were only one or two loaves of bread on his table. He asked for more for ‘Amr, but none was found. ‘Amr recited this verse. Later, after Al-Mansur became Caliph, he reminded him of that and said, "It remains: 'And He will see how you act.'"

{And We certainly seized the people of Pharaoh with years [of famine] and deficiency in fruits that perhaps they might be reminded.}