The Poets — Verse 14

Between Musa and Fir`awn Allah tells us what He commanded His servant, son of `Imran and Messenger Musa, peace be upon him, who spoke with Him, to do, when He called him from the right side of the mountain, and conversed with him, and chose him, sent him, and commanded him to go to Fir`awn and his people. Allah says: وَإِذْ نَادَى رَبُّكَ مُوسَى أَنِ ائْتَ الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ - قَوْمَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَلا يَتَّقُونَ - قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ - وَيَضِيقُ صَدْرِى وَلاَ يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِى فَأَرْسِلْ إِلَى هَـرُونَ - وَلَهُمْ عَلَىَّ ذَنبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ (And when your Lord called Musa: "Go to the people who are wrongdoers. The people of Fir`awn. Will they not have Taqwa" He said: "My Lord! Verily, I fear that they will deny me, And my breast straitens, and my tongue expresses not well. So send for Harun. And they have a charge of crime against me, and I fear they will kill me.") So, Musa asked Allah to remove these difficulties for him, as he said in Surah Ta Ha: قَالَ رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِى صَدْرِى - وَيَسِّرْ لِى أَمْرِى (Musa said: "O my Lord! Open for me my chest. And ease my task for me.") (20:25-26) until: قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤْلَكَ يمُوسَى (You are granted your request, O Musa!) (20:36) وَلَهُمْ عَلَىَّ ذَنبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ (And they have a charge of crime against me, and I fear they will kill me.) because he had killed that Egyptian, which was the reason that he left the land of Egypt. قَالَ كَلاَّ ((Allah) said: "Nay!...") Allah told him: do not be afraid of anything like that. This is like the Ayah, سَنَشُدُّ عَضُدَكَ بِأَخِيكَ وَنَجْعَلُ لَكُمَا سُلْطَـناً (Allah said: "We will strengthen your arm through your brother, and give you both power) meaning, proof; فَلاَ يَصِلُونَ إِلَيْكُمَا بِـْايَـتِنَآ أَنتُمَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَكُمَا الْغَـلِبُونَ (so they shall not be able to harm you, with Our signs, you two as well as those who follow you will be the victors) (28:35), فَاذْهَبَا بِـَايَـتِنَآ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ مُّسْتَمِعُونَ (Go you both with Our signs. Verily, We shall be with you, listening.) This is like the Ayah, إِنَّنِى مَعَكُمَآ أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَى (I am with you both, hearing and seeing) (20:46). Meaning, `I will be with you by My protection, care, support and help.' فَأْتِيَا فِرْعَوْنَ فَقُولا إِنَّا رَسُولُ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ (And go both of you to Fir`awn, and say: `We are the Messengers of the Lord of the all that exists.') This is like the Ayah, إِنَّا رَسُولاَ رَبِّكَ (Verily, we are both Messengers of your Lord) (20:47). which means, `both of us have been sent to you,' أَنْ أَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ (So allow the Children of Israel to go with us.) Meaning, `let them go, free them from your captivity, subjugation and torture, for they are the believing servants of Allah, devoted to Him, and with you they are in a position of humiliating torture.' When Musa said that to him, Fir`awn turned away and ignored him completely, regarding him with scorn and thinking little of him. Saying: أَلَمْ نُرَبِّكَ فِينَا وَلِيداً (Did we not bring you up among us as a child) meaning, we brought you up among us, in our home and on our bed, we nourished you and did favors for you for many years, and after all that you responded to our kindness in this manner: you killed one of our men and denied our favors to you.' So he said to him: وَأَنتَ مِنَ الْكَـفِرِينَ (While you were one of the ingrates.) meaning, one of those who deny favors. This was the view of Ibn `Abbas and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam, and was the view favored by Ibn Jarir. قَالَ فَعَلْتُهَآ إِذاً ((Musa) said: "I did it then...") meaning, at that time, وَأَنَاْ مِنَ الضَّآلِّينَ (when I was in error.) meaning, `before revelation was sent to me and before Allah made me a Prophet and sent me with this Message.' فَفَرَرْتُ مِنكُمْ لَمَّا خِفْتُكُمْ فَوَهَبَ لِى رَبِّى حُكْماً وَجَعَلَنِى مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (So, I fled from you when I feared you. But my Lord has granted me Hukm, and made me one of the Messengers.) means, `the first situation came to an end and another took its place. Now Allah has sent me to you, and if you obey Him, you will be safe, but if you oppose Him, you will be destroyed.' Then Musa said: وَتِلْكَ نِعْمَةٌ تَمُنُّهَا عَلَىَّ أَنْ عَبَّدتَّ بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ (And this is the past favor with which you reproach me, -- that you have enslaved the Children of Israel.) meaning, `whatever favors you did in bringing me up are offset by the evil you did by enslaving the Children of Israel and using them to do your hard labor. Is there any comparison between your favors to one man among them and the evil you have done to all of them What you have mentioned about me is nothing compared to what you have done to them.'

And I have sinned against them by my slaying of the Egyptian man and I fear they will slay me’ for this.

قال موسى: رب إني أخاف أن يكذبوني في الرسالة، ويملأ صدري الغمُّ لتكذيبهم إياي، ولا ينطلق لساني بالدعوة فأرسِلْ جبريل بالوحي إلى أخي هارون؛ ليعاونني. ولهم علي ذنب في قتل رجل منهم، وهو القبطي، فأخاف أن يقتلوني به.

وقوله تعالى "ولهم علي ذنب فأخاف أن يقتلون" أي بسبب قتل القبطي الذي كان سبب خروجه من بلاد مصر.

( وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنبٌ ) حيث إنى قتلت منهم نفسا ( فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ ) عندما أذهب إليهم ، على سبيل القصاص منى .فأنت ترى أن موسى - عليه السلام - قد شكا إلى ربه خوفه من تكذيبهم وضيق صدره من طغيانهم ، وعقدة فى لسانه ، وخشيته من قتلهم له عندما يرونه .وليس هذا من باب الامتناع عن أداء الرسالة ، أو الاعتذار عن تبليغها . وإنما هو من باب طلب العون من الله - تعالى - والاستعانة به - عز وجل - على تحمل هذا الأمر والتماس الإذن منه - فى إرشال هارون معه . ليكون عونا له فى مهمته ، وليخلفه فى تبليغ الرسالة فى حال قتلهم له ..وشبيه بهذا الجواب ما حكاه عنه - سبحانه - فى سورة طه فى قوله - تعالى - : ( اذهب إلى فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طغى قَالَ رَبِّ اشرح لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لي أَمْرِي واحلل عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي يَفْقَهُواْ قَوْلِي واجعل لِّي وَزِيراً مِّنْ أَهْلِي هَارُونَ أَخِي اشدد بِهِ أَزْرِي وَأَشْرِكْهُ في أَمْرِي كَيْ نُسَبِّحَكَ كَثِيراً وَنَذْكُرَكَ كَثِيراً إِنَّكَ كُنتَ بِنَا بَصِيراً ).

وقوله: ( وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنْبٌ ) يقول: ولقوم فرعون عليّ دعوى ذنب أذنبت إليهم, وذلك قتله النفس التي قتلها منهم.وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل.* ذكر من قال ذلك:حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثني عيسى; وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد, قوله: ( وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنْبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ ) قال: قتل النفس التي قتل منهم.حدثنا القاسم, قال: ثني الحسين, قال: ثني حجاج, عن ابن جُرَيج, عن مجاهد, قال: قتْل موسى النفس.قال: ثنا الحسين, قال: ثنا أبو سفيان, عن معمر, عن قَتادة, قوله: ( وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنْبٌ ) قال: قتل النفس.وقوله: ( فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ ) يقول: فأخاف أن يقتلوني قودا بالنفس التي قتلت منهم.

( ولهم علي ذنب ) أي : دعوى ذنب ، وهو قتله القبطي ، ( فأخاف أن يقتلون ) أي : يقتلونني به . )

وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنْبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ (14)وقوله : فأخاف أن يقتلون } ليس هَلَعاً وفرقاً من الموت فإنه لما أصبح في مقام الرسالة ما كان بالذي يبالي أن يموت في سبيل الله؛ ولكنه خشي العائق من إتمام ما عُهد إليه مما فيه له ثواب جزيل ودرجة عليا .وحذفت ياء المتكلم من { يقتلون } للرعاية على الفاصلة كما تقدم في قوله تعالى : { وإيايَ فارهبون } في سورة البقرة ( 40 ) .وذكر هارون تقدم عند قوله تعالى : { وبقية مما ترك آل موسى وآل هارون } في سورة البقرة ( 248 ) .

وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنْبٌ أي في قتل القبطي فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ

ولهم علي ذنب فأخاف أن يقتلون الذنب هنا قتل القبطي واسمه فاثور على ما يأتي في ( القصص ) بيانه ، وقد مضى في ( طه ) ذكره . وخاف موسى أن يقتلوه به ، ودل على أن الخوف قد يصحب الأنبياء والفضلاء والأولياء مع معرفتهم بالله وأن لا فاعل إلا هو ; إذ قد يسلط من شاء على من شاء

Moses was required to preach monotheism to Pharaoh of Egypt, the king of the greatest and most civilized empire of his times. Moses on the contrary, belonged to the Children of Israel, whose status in Egypt was like that of slaves and labourers. Another factor in his disfavour was that one of the Pharaoh’s community had died accidentally at his hands. Moses had the feeling too that he was lacking in the necessary power of expression. Almighty God nevertheless chose Moses to carry out the mission of conveying His message. The fact is that God looks at the inner self of a man rather than at his visible condition. If someone has inner strength, God chooses him on the basis of that to carry out the tasks of His religion. But man has first to reveal his inner capabilities himself. Thereafter, if there are any outward shortcomings, they are compensated for by God.

Commentary Request for favourable conditions for obedience is not tantamount to making excuses قَالَ رَ‌بِّ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ ﴿12﴾ وَيَضِيقُ صَدْرِ‌ي وَلَا يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِي فَأَرْ‌سِلْ إِلَىٰ هَارُ‌ونَ ﴿13﴾ وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ ﴿14﴾ He (Musa) said, "My Lord, I fear they will belie me. [ 12] And my heart gets straitened and my tongue is not fluent; so send for Harun. [ 13] And they have a charge of offence against me and I fear they will kill me;" [ 14] This verse indicates that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) requested Allah to provide him with some resources to help them in carrying out his mission. It leads to the principle that so far as the objective is to obey Allah's command, praying for some helping resources cannot be regarded as seeking ruses and excuses to escape from the required act. The request of Sayyidna Musa علیہ السلام was only to facilitate the implementation of Allah's command which is quite lawful. The meaning of the word dalal used for Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) قَالَ فَعَلْتُهَا إِذًا وَأَنَا مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ He said, "I did that at that time when I was one of the unaware people. (26:20) This was the answer of Musa (علیہ السلام) to the objection of the Pharaoh that Musa (علیہ السلام) had killed an Egyptian. The gist of the answer is that it was not a deliberate murder; in fact the Egyptian was killed by mistake, because Musa (علیہ السلام) had only struck him with a blow which, by accident, caused his death. The word used, by the present verse, for this mistake is derived from ضَلَال (dalal) which is commonly used for intentional error. But the word is also used for 'unawareness' (which includes unintentional mistakes) It is this meaning that is intended here. This interpretation is supported by Qatdah and Ibn Zaid رحمۃ اللہ علیہم . It is impossible for man to comprehend fully the entity and reality of the magnificence of Allah Ta’ ala قَالَ فِرْ‌عَوْنُ وَمَا رَ‌بُّ الْعَالَمِينَ Pharaoh said, "And what is the Lord of the worlds?" (26:23) This verse proves that it is not possible to know the exact reality of Allah's Being. Since the Pharaoh had asked a question regarding Allah Ta’ ala's intrinsic-self and reality, Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) instead of giving a direct answer to his query, described the attributes of Allah Ta’ ala in reply. He hinted in his reply that it is not possible for a man to perceive the essence and reality of Allah Ta’ ala. Hence, it was a futile question. (Ruh)

(And they have a crime against me) they may retaliate against me because I killed the Copt, (so I fear that they will kill me) because of this Copt that I killed.