Al-Qasas: 19

Ayah

Word by Word

فَلَمَّآ

Then when

أَنۡ

[that]

أَرَادَ

he wanted

أَن

يَبۡطِشَ

strike

بِٱلَّذِي

the one who

هُوَ

[he] (was)

عَدُوّٞ

an enemy

لَّهُمَا

to both of them

قَالَ

he said

يَٰمُوسَىٰٓ

O Musa!

أَتُرِيدُ

Do you intend

أَن

تَقۡتُلَنِي

kill me

كَمَا

قَتَلۡتَ

you killed

نَفۡسَۢا

a person

بِٱلۡأَمۡسِۖ

yesterday

إِن

Not

تُرِيدُ

you want

إِلَّآ

but

أَن

that

تَكُونَ

you become

جَبَّارٗا

a tyrant

فِي

ٱلۡأَرۡضِ

the earth

وَمَا

and not

تُرِيدُ

you want

أَن

that

تَكُونَ

you be

مِنَ

ٱلۡمُصۡلِحِينَ

the reformers

Translation

Then, when he decided to lay hold of the man who was an enemy to both of them, that man said: "O Moses! Is it thy intention to slay me as thou slewest a man yesterday? Thy intention is none other than to become a powerful violent man in the land, and not to be one who sets things right!"

Tafsir

How Musa killed a Coptic Man

Allah tells:

وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَاسۡتَوَى اتَيۡنَاهُ حُكۡمًا وَعِلۡمًا

And when he reached maturity, and was complete, We bestowed on him Hukm and knowledge.

Having described Musa's beginnings, Allah then tells us that when he reached maturity, and was complete in stature, Allah gave him Hukm and religious knowledge.

Mujahid said that this means Prophethood.

وَكَذَلِكَ نَجۡزِي الۡمُحۡسِنِينَ

And thus do We reward the doers of good.

Then Allah describes how Musa reached the status that was decreed for him, that of Prophethood and speaking to Allah, as a direct consequence of killing the Coptic, which was the reason why he left Egypt and went to Madyan.

Allah says

وَدَخَلَ الۡمَدِينَةَ عَلَى حِينِ غَفۡلَةٍ مِّنۡ أَهۡلِهَا

And he entered the city when its people were unaware.

Ibn Jurayj narrated from Ata' Al-Khurasani, from Ibn Abbas,

That was between Maghrib and `Isha'.

Ibn Al-Munkadir narrated from Ata' bin Yasar from Ibn Abbas,

That was in the middle of the day.

This was also the view of Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ikrimah, As-Suddi and Qatadah.

فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيۡنِ يَقۡتَتِلَنِ

and he found there two men fighting,

meaning, hitting one another and struggling with one another.

هَذَا مِن شِيعَتِهِ

one of his party,

meaning, an Israelite,

وَهَذَا مِنۡ عَدُوِّهِ

and the other of his foes.

meaning, a Coptic.

This was the view of Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Muhammad bin Ishaq.

فَاسۡتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِن شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنۡ عَدُوِّهِ

The man of his (own) party asked him for help against his foe,

The Israelite man asked Musa, peace be upon him, for help, and Musa took advantage of the fact that people were not paying attention, so he went to the Coptic man and

فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَى فَقَضَى عَلَيۡهِ

so Musa struck him with his fist and he died.

Mujahid said,

This means he punched him with his fist. And then he died.

قَالَ

He said, (refers to Musa).

هَذَا مِنۡ عَمَلِ الشَّيۡطَانِ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُّضِلٌّ مُّبِينٌ

This is of Shaytan's doing, verily, he is a plain misleading enemy.

قَالَ

He said, (refers to Musa).

رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمۡتُ نَفۡسِي فَاغۡفِرۡ لِي

My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.

فَغَفَرَ لَهُ

Then He forgave him.

إِنَّهُ هُوَ الۡغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيَّ

He said:My Lord! For that with which You have favored me,

meaning, `what You have given me of prestige, power and blessings -- '

فَلَنۡ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرًا لِّلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ

I will nevermore be a helper of the criminals!

`those who disbelieve in You and go against Your commands.

How the Secret of this Killing became known

Allah tells us that when Musa killed that Coptic,

فَأَصۡبَحَ فِي الۡمَدِينَةِ خَايِفًا

So he became afraid in the city,

meaning, of the consequences of his action,

يَتَرَقَّبُ

looking about,

means, turning around and watching out, waiting for the consequences of his action to befall him.

فَإِذَا الَّذِي اسۡتَنصَرَهُ بِالاۡإَمۡسِ يَسۡتَصۡرِخُهُ

when behold, the man who had sought his help the day before, called for his help (again).

He went out and about, and ﷺ the man who sought his help the day before, fighting with another Coptic. When Musa passed by him, he called for his help again, against this other Coptic.

قَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى

Musa said to him:

إِنَّكَ لَغَوِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ

Verily, you are a plain misleader!

meaning, `you obviously lead people astray and are very evil.

فَلَمَّا أَنۡ أَرَادَ أَن يَبۡطِشَ بِالَّذِي هُوَ عَدُوٌّ لَّهُمَا

Then when he decided to seize the man who was an enemy to both of them,

Then Musa intended to attack that Coptic, but the Israelite -- because of his own cowardice and weakness -- thought that Musa wanted to hit him because of what he had said, so he said, in self-defence --

قَالَ

يَا مُوسَى أَتُرِيدُ أَن تَقۡتُلَنِي كَمَا قَتَلۡتَ نَفۡسًا بِالاۡاَمۡسِ

the man said:O Musa! Is it your intention to kill me as you killed a man yesterday?

إِن تُرِيدُ إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًا فِي الاَۡرۡضِ وَمَا تُرِيدُ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ الۡمُصۡلِحِينَ

Your aim is nothing but to become a tyrant in the land, and not to be one of those who do right.

Nobody except him and Musa, peace be upon him, knew about it, but when the other Coptic heard this, he took the news to Fir`awn's gate and told him about it. So Fir`awn came to know of it, and he became very angry and resolved to kill Musa, so he sent people after him to bring him to him

Allah tells:

وَجَاء رَجُلٌ مِّنۡ أَقۡصَى الۡمَدِينَةِ يَسۡعَى قَالَ يَا مُوسَى

And there came a man running, from the farthest end of the city. He said:O Musa!

He is described as being a man because he had the courage to take a different route, a shorter route than those who were sent after Musa, so he reached Musa first and said to him:O Musa,

إِنَّ الۡمَلََ يَأۡتَمِرُونَ بِكَ

Verily, the chiefs are taking counsel together about you.,

meaning, `they are consulting with one another about you.'

لِيَقۡتُلُوكَ فَاخۡرُجۡ

to kill you, so escape.

means, from this land.

إِنِّي لَكَ مِنَ النَّاصِحِينَ

Truly, I am one of the good advisers to you.