َ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولًا شَاهِدًا عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُولًا ﴿۱۵﴾ فَعَصَى فِرْعَوْنُ الرَّسُولَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُ أَخْذًا وَبِيلًا ﴿۱۶﴾ فَكَيْفَ تَتَّقُونَ إِنْ كَفَرْتُمْ يَوْمًا يَجْعَلُ الْوِلْدَانَ شِيبًا ﴿۱۷﴾ السَّمَاءُ مُنْفَطِرٌ بِهِ كَانَ وَعْدُهُ مَفْعُولًا ﴿۱۸﴾ إِنَّ هَذِهِ تَذْكِرَةٌ فَمَنْ شَاءَ اتَّخَذَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ سَبِيلًا ﴿۱۹﴾

﴾15﴿ Innaa arsalnaaa ilaikum rasoolan shaahidan 'aleykum kamaaa arsalnaaa ilaa Fir'awna rasoolaa
﴾16﴿ Fa'asaa Fir'awnur Rasoola fa akhaznaahu akhzanw wabeelaa
﴾17﴿ Fakaifa tattaqoona in kafartum yawmany yaj'alul wildaana sheeba
﴾18﴿ Assamaaa'u munfatirum bih; kaana wa'duhoo maf'oola
﴾19﴿ Inna haazihee tazkira; fa man shaaa'at takhaza ilaa Rabbihee sabeelaa

﴾15﴿ Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger as a witness over you, just as We had sent a Messenger to Pharaoh
﴾16﴿ But Pharaoh disobeyed the Messenger, so We seized him with a severe punishment
﴾17﴿ Then how will you save yourselves, if you disbelieve, on the Day that will make children turn grey-haired
﴾18﴿ The sky will be torn apart on that day; this promise is certain to be fulfilled
﴾19﴿ Indeed, this (Surah) is a reminder; so whoever wills, let him take a path toward his Lord

[15,16] This verse is a worldly warning and refers to the punishment hinted at in “mahhilhum” earlier.
The description of the Prophet as a witness (shāhid) may apply to either the worldly life or the Hereafter: If it refers to the world, then shahādah means delivering the message and declaring the truth. The phrase ṣilah a‘lā (exalted connection) implies that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent in a position of authority to present the truth in a way that establishes the evidence (ḥujjah) upon the people.
If it refers to the Hereafter, then shahādah means bearing witness to the rejection of the disbelievers and the purity of the believers. However, this testimony is only for those who were present—as stated in Sūrah al-Mā’idah (5:117) about ‘Īsā (peace be upon him).
In the ḥadīth of Bukhārī, this testimony of the Prophet (peace be upon him) also includes us.
(Ilā Fir‘awna rasūlan) – The example of Pharaoh and Mūsā (peace be upon him) is mentioned because the people of Makkah were well-informed—through the Jews—about the truthfulness of Mūsā and the destruction of Pharaoh.
Through this, they also became familiar with the fates of other past nations.
(Wabīlan) – Refers to the totality of punishments that descended upon Pharaoh and his people: floods, locusts, lice, frogs, blood—and ultimately, drowning.
[17,18] This verse contains a severe rebuke along with a warning of the punishment of the Hereafter, as a continuation (tafrī‘) of the mention of Pharaoh’s punishment.
(Fa-kaifa) – This is an interrogative of denial and impossibility, meaning: “There is no way for you to escape.”
(Yaj‘alu al-wildān shībā) – There are three interpretations of this phrase: 1. It means that due to the intensity and terror of that Day, even the hair of children will turn white, and they will be physically weakened—literally. However, Allah will return them to their original state later.
2. It is a metaphor for the awe of that Day—meaning: even if hypothetically there were a child present, the sheer dread would turn him into an old man.
3. It is a figurative expression for the extreme length of that Day, suggesting that it will feel so long and intense that children would age if they experienced it.
[19] This verse is an encouragement toward the Qur’an and the message of this sūrah.
(Hādhihi) – Refers either to the entire Qur’an or specifically to this sūrah, according to context.
(Ilā rabbihī) – This includes multiple meanings: It refers to Allah’s pleasure, nearness, and oneness (tawḥīd)—all of which are intended here.