28:17 Al-Qasas (The Stories)

فـ { قَالَ } موسى { رَبِّ بِمَا أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ } بالتوبة والمغفرة، والنعم الكثيرة، { فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرًا } أي: معينا ومساعدا { لِلْمُجْرِمِينَ } أي: لا أعين أحدا على معصية، وهذا وعد من موسى عليه السلام، بسبب منة اللّه عليه، أن لا يعين مجرما، كما فعل في قتل القبطي. وهذا يفيد أن النعم تقتضي من العبد فعل الخير، وترك الشر.

قال تعالى: "ودخل المدينة على حين غفلة من أهلها" قال ابن جريج عن عطاء الخراساني عن ابن عباس وذلك بين المغرب والعشاء. وقال ابن المنكدر عن عطاء بن يسار عن ابن عباس كان ذلك نصف النهار وكذا قال سعيد بن جبير وعكرمة والسدي وقتادة "فوجد فيها رجلين يقتتلان" أي يتضاربان ويتنازعان "هذا من شيعته" أي إسرائيلي "وهذا من عدوه" أي قبطي قاله ابن عباس وقتادة والسدي ومحمد بن إسحاق فاستغاث الإسرائيلي بموسى فوجد موسى فرصة وهي غفلة الناس فعمد إلى القبطي "فوكزه موسى فقضى عليه" قال مجاهد فوكزه أي طعنه بجمع كفه وقال قتادة وكزه بعصا كانت معه فقضى عليه أي كان فيها حتفه فمات "قال" موسى "هذا من عمل الشيطان إنه عدو مضل مبين قال رب إني ظلمت نفسي فاغفر لي فغفر له إنه هو الغفور الرحيم قال رب بما أنعمت علي" أي بما جعلت لي من الجاه والعز والنعمة "فلن أكون ظهيرا" أي معينا "للمجرمين" أي الكافرين بك المخالفين لأمرك.

How Musa killed a Coptic Man

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 نَجْزِى الْمُحْسِنِينَ

(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 الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَى حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ أَهْلِهَا

(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 رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلاَنِ

(and he found there two men fighting,) meaning, hitting one another and struggling with one another.

هَـذَا مِن شِيعَتِهِ

(one of his party, ) meaning, an Israelite,

وَهَـذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ

(and the other of his foes.) meaning, a Coptic. This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Muhammad bin Ishaq. 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 عَلَيْهِ

(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.

وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَى حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلاَنِ هَـذَا مِن شِيعَتِهِ وَهَـذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَاسْتَغَـثَهُ الَّذِى مِن شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِى مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَى فَقَضَى عَلَيْهِ قَالَ هَـذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَـنِ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُّضِلٌّ مُّبِينٌ - قَالَ رَب إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى فَاغْفِرْ لِى فَغَفَرَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ

("This is of Shaytan's doing, verily, he is a plain misleading enemy." He said: "My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me." Then He forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. He said: "My Lord! For that with which You have favored me,) meaning, `what You have given me of prestige, power and blessings -- '

فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيراً

(I will nevermore be a helper of the criminals!) `those who disbelieve in You and go against Your commands.'

He said ‘My Lord forasmuch as You have been gracious to me with forgiveness protect me so I will never be a partisan a supporter of the criminals’ the disbelievers henceforth if you were to protect me.

قَالَ رَ‌بِّ بِمَا أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرً‌ا لِّلْمُجْرِ‌مِينَ (He [ Musa ] said, "0 my Lord, since You have favoured me, I will never be a supporter to the sinners." -28:17). When Allah Ta’ ala pardoned this slip of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) he said in gratitude to Allah Ta` ala that he would never again help a criminal. The second incident of the quarrel had proved that the Isra'ili in whose defense Musa (علیہ السلام) had involved himself in the brawl was quarrelsome. Therefore, by declaring him a criminal he vowed not to help such a person again. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ while explaining this verse, has maintained that the word 'criminals' stands here for infidels. Qatadah has also interpreted the verse in almost the same way. On the basis of these commentaries it seems that actually the Isra'ili, whom Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had defended, was not a Muslim but he helped him considering that he was an oppressed person.

Rulings

It is worth noting here that this saying of Musa (علیہ السلام) has established two rulings about two issues. One, that even if an oppressed person is a sinner or infidel, he should be helped. The second ruling is that it is not permitted to help any criminal or oppressor. Scholars have argued on the basis of this verse that working in the employment of cruel rulers is also not permitted, for they too would be regarded as their associates. Many citations from the righteous salaf (elders) have also been quoted in support of this argument. (Ruh u1-Ma’ ani) To provide support to the oppressors or to the infidels may take different forms. The different rulings about these forms are laid down in the books of fiqh in detail. This humble writer has also dealt with the subject in his Arabic book Ahkamul-Qur'an with greater elaboration. The scholars interested in the subject may consult it.