Fir'awn said: "O chiefs! I know not that you have a god other than me. So kindle for me (a fire), O Haman, to bake clay, and set up for me a Sarh in order that I may look at the God of Musa; and verily, I think that he (Musa) is one of the liars. (38)And he and his armies were arrogant in the land, without right, and they thought that they would never return to Us (39)So, We seized him and his armies, and We threw them all into the sea. So, behold what was the end of the wrongdoers (40)And We made them leaders inviting to the Fire: and on the Day of Resurrection, they will not be helped (41)And We made a curse to follow them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection, they will be among disgraced (42)

Allah tells us of Fir'awn's disbelief and wrongdoing, and how he falsely claimed divinity for his evil self, may Allah curse him.

فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ ۚ 

(Thus he fooled his people, and they obeyed him.)[43:54] He called on his people to recognize his divinity, and they responded, because of their weak and foolish minds. So, he said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرِي

(O chiefs! I know not that you have a god other than me.) Allah tells us about Fir'awn:

فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَىٰ - فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَىٰ - فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَىٰ - إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَىٰ

(Then he gathered (his people) and cried aloud, saying: "I am your lord, most high." So Allah, seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression. Verily, in this is an instructive admonition for whosoever fears Allah.)(79:23-26) meaning: he brought his people together and called to them in a loud voice, shouting that, and they responded to him obediently. So Allah took revenge on him, and made him a lesson to others in this world and the Hereafter. He even confronted Musa with that, and said:

لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَٰهًا غَيْرِي لَأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ 

(If you choose a god other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners)(26:29).

فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ فَاجْعَلْ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ 

(So kindle for me (a fire), O Haman, to bake (bricks out of) clay, and set up for me a Sarh in order that I may look at the God of Musa;) He commanded his minister and adviser Haman to bake bricks for him, i.e., to make bricks in order to build a Şarḥ, a exalted towering palace. This is like the Ayah,

وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ - أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَىٰ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِفِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَصُدَّ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ ۚ وَمَا كَيْدُ فِرْعَوْنَ إِلَّا فِي تَبَابٍ

(And Fir'awn said: "O Haman! Build me a Sarh that I may arrive at the ways – the ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the God of Musa, but verily, I think him to be a liar." Thus it was made fair seeming, in Fir'awn's eyes, the evil of his deeds, and he was hindered from the path; and the plot of Fir'awn led to nothing but loss and destruction)(40:36-37). Fir'awn built this tower, which was the highest structure ever seen on earth, because he wanted to show his people that Musa was lying when he claimed that there was a God other than Fir'awn. Fir'awn said:

وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ

(and verily, I think that he (Musa) is one of the liars.) meaning, 'when he says that there is a lord other than me.' The issue was not whether Allah had sent Musa, because he did not acknowledge the existence of the Creator in the first place. On the contrary, he said:

وَمَا رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ 

(And what is the Lord of Al-'Alamin)(26:23) and:

لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَٰهًا غَيْرِي لَأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ

(If you choose a god other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners.)(26:29) and he said:

 يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرِي

(O chiefs! I know not that you have a god other than me.) This was the view of Ibn Jarir.

وَاسْتَكْبَرَ هُوَ وَجُنُودُهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا يُرْجَعُونَ

(And he and his armies were arrogant in the land, without right, and they thought that they would never return to Us.) means, they were arrogant oppressors who spread much mischief in the land, and they believed that there would be no Resurrection.

فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ - إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ

(So, your Lord poured on them different kinds of severe torment. Verily, your Lord is Ever Watchful (over them).)(89:13-14). Allah says here:

فَأَخَذْنَاهُ وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ ۖ 

(So, We seized him and his armies, and We threw them all into the sea.) meaning, 'We drowned them in the sea in a single morning, and not one of them was left.'

فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الظَّالِمِينَ - وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ ۖ

(So, behold what was the end of the wrongdoers. And We made them leaders inviting to the Fire) for those who followed them and took the same path as they did, rejecting the Messengers and denying the Creator.

وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لَا يُنْصَرُونَ

(and on the Day of Resurrection, they will not be helped.) their humiliation in this world is combined with and connected to their humiliation in the Hereafter, as Allah says:

أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ فَلَا نَاصِرَ لَهُمْ

(We have destroyed them. And there was none to help them)(47:13).

وَأَتْبَعْنَاهُمْ فِي هَٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا لَعْنَةً ۖ 

(And We made a curse to follow them in this world,) Allah decreed that they and their king Fir'awn should be cursed by the believers among His servants who follow His Messengers, just as in this world they were cursed by the Prophets and their followers.

وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ هُمْ مِنَ الْمَقْبُوحِينَ

(and on the Day of Resurrection, they will be among disgraced.) Qatadah said, "This Ayah is like the Ayah,

وَأُتْبِعُوا فِي هَٰذِهِ لَعْنَةً وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ بِئْسَ الرِّفْدُ الْمَرْفُودُ 

(They were pursued by a curse in this (life) and on the Day of Resurrection. Evil indeed is the gift given.)(11:99)."