The Story, Stories, The Narrative — Verse 33

28:33 · al-Qasas

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قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّی قَتَلۡتُ مِنۡهُمۡ نَفۡسࣰا فَأَخَافُ أَن یَقۡتُلُونِ ۝٣٣
qāla rabbi innī qataltu min'hum nafsan fa-akhāfu an yaqtulūn
The Story, Stories, The Narrative / al-Qasas (28:33)
Connections 17 single-source 2 commentators

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Abdel Haleem

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Moses said, ‘My Lord, I killed one of their men, and I fear that they may kill me
qāla rabbi innī qataltu min'hum nafsan fa-akhāfu an yaqtulūn

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Tafsir Commentary

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
How Musa asked for the Support of His Brother and was granted that by Allah When Allah commanded him to go to Fir`awn, the one who he had run away from and whose vengeance he feared, قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى قَتَلْتُ مِنْهُمْ نَفْساً ( Musa said: My Lord! I have killed a man among them,) meaning, that Coptic, فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ (and I fear that they will kill me.) i.e., `when they see me.' وَأَخِى هَـرُونُ هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنِّى لِسَاناً (And my brother Harun -- he is more eloquent in speech than me,) Musa, peace be upon him, had a speech defect, because when he had been given the choice between a date and a pearl, he mistakenly picked up a coal and placed it on his tongue, so he found it difficult to speak clearly. Musa said: وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِى - يَفْقَهُواْ قَوْلِي - وَاجْعَل لِّى وَزِيراً مِّنْ أَهْلِى - هَـرُونَ أَخِى - اشْدُدْ بِهِ أَزْرِى - وَأَشْرِكْهُ فِى أَمْرِى ("And loose the knot (the defect) from my tongue. That they understand my speech. And appoint for me a helper from my family, Harun, my brother. Increase my strength with him, And let him share my task.") (20:27-32) meaning, `give me someone to keep me company in this immense task of prophethood and conveying the Message to this arrogant, tyrannical and stubborn king. ' Hence Musa said: وَأَخِى هَـرُونُ هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنِّى لِسَاناً فَأَرْسِلْهِ مَعِىَ رِدْءاً (And my brother Harun -- he is more eloquent in speech than me: so send him with me as a helper) meaning, as a support to give strength to my cause and confirm what I say and convey from Allah, because the word of two carries more weight in people's minds than the word of one. So he said: إِنِّى أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ (Verily, I fear that they will deny me.) Muhammad bin Ishaq said: c رِدْءاً يُصَدِّقُنِى (as a helper to confirm me.) means, `to explain to them what I say, for he can understand me where they may not.' When Musa asked for this, Allah said to him: سَنَشُدُّ عَضُدَكَ بِأَخِيكَ (We will strengthen your arm through your brother,) meaning, `We will add strength to your cause and give you help through your brother, who you have asked to be made a Prophet alongside you.' This is like the Ayat; قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤْلَكَ يمُوسَى (You are granted your request, O Musa!) (20:36) وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ مِن رَّحْمَتِنَآ أَخَاهُ هَـرُونَ نَبِيّاً (And We granted him his brother Harun, (also) a Prophet, out of Our mercy) (19:53). One of the Salaf said, "There is no one who has ever done a greater favor to his brother than Musa did for Harun, may peace be upon them both, for he interceded for him until Allah made him a Prophet and Messenger with him to Fir`awn and his chiefs. Allah said concerning Musa: وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَجِيهاً (he was honorable before Allah) (33:69). وَنَجْعَلُ لَكُمَا سُلْطَـناً (and (We will) give you both power) means, overwhelming evidence. فَلاَ يَصِلُونَ إِلَيْكُمَا بِـْايَـتِنَآ (so they shall not be able to harm you, with Our Ayat;) means, `they will have no way or means of harming you because you are conveying the signs of Allah.' This is like the Ayat: يَـأَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ (O Messenger! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord.) until His saying: وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ (Allah will protect you from mankind) (5:67). الَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِسَالـتِ اللَّهِ (Those who convey the Message of Allah) until His saying: وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ حَسِيباً (And sufficient is Allah as a Reckoner) (33:39). And sufficient is Allah as a Helper and Supporter. And Allah told them the consequences in this world and the next, for them and for those who followed them, أَنتُمَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَكُمَا الْغَـلِبُونَ (you two as well as those who follow you will be the victors.) This is like the Ayat: كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لاّغْلِبَنَّ أَنَاْ وَرُسُلِى إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌ (Allah has decreed: "Verily, it is I and My Messengers who shall be the victorious." Verily, Allah is All-Powerful, All-Mighty.) (58:21) إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا (Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life) (40:51) to the end of the Ayah.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
He said ‘My Lord I have indeed slain a soul among them — the mentioned Egyptian — and so I fear that they will slay me because of him.
Tafsir Muyassar
قال موسى: ربِّ إني قتلت من قوم فرعون نفسًا فأخاف أن يقتلوني، وأخي هارون هو أفصح مني نطقًا، فأرسله معي عونًا يصدقني، ويبين لهم عني ما أخاطبهم به، إني أخاف أن يكذبوني في قولي لهم: إني أُرسلت إليهم.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir
لما أمره الله تعالى بالذهاب إلى فرعون الذي إنما خرج من ديار مصر فرارا منه وخوفا من سطوته "قال رب إني قتلت منهم نفسا" يعني ذلك القبطي "فأخاف أن يقتلون" أي إذا رأوني.
Tafsir Al Wasit
وهنا تذكر موسى ما كان بينه وبين فرعون وقومه من عداوة ، فقال : ( رَبِّ إِنِّي قَتَلْتُ مِنْهُمْ نَفْساً فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ ) إذا ذهبت إليهم بهذه الآيات . وهو عليه السلام - لا يقول ذلك ، هروبا من تبليغ رسالة الله - تعالى - وإنما ليستعين برعايته - عز وجل - وبحفظه . عندما يذهب إلى هؤلاء الأقوام الفاسقين .
Tafsir al-Tabari
القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي قَتَلْتُ مِنْهُمْ نَفْسًا فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ (33)يقول تعالى ذكره: ( قال ) موسى: ( رَبِّ إِنِّي قَتَلْتُ ) مِنْ قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ ( نَفْسًا فَأَخَافُ ) إن أتيتهم فلم أُبن عن نفسي بحجة ( أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ ), لأن في لساني عقدة, ولا أبين معها ما أريد من الكلام.
Tafseer Al-Baghawi
"قال رب إني قتلت منهم نفساً فأخاف أن يقتلون".
Tafseer Tanwir al-Miqbas
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي قَتَلْتُ مِنْهُمْ نَفْسًا فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ (33)جرى التأكيد على الغالب في استعمال أمثاله من الأخبار الغريبة ليتحقق السامع وقوعها وإلا فإن الله قد علم ذلك لما قال له { اضمم إليك جناحك من الرهب } [ القصص : 32 ] . والمعنى : فأخاف أن يذكروا قتلي القبطي فيقتلوني . فهذا كالاعتذار وهو يعلم أن رسالة الله لا يتخلص منها بعذر ، ولكنه أراد أن يكون في أمن إلهي من أعدائه . فهذا تعريض بالدعاء ، ومقدمة لطلب تأييده بهارون أخيه .
Tafseer Al Saddi
فـ { قَالَ } موسى عليه السلام.معتذرا من ربه، وسائلا له المعونة على ما حمله، وذاكرا له الموانع التي فيه، ليزيل ربه ما يحذره منها. { رَبِّ إِنِّي قَتَلْتُ مِنْهُمْ نَفْسًا } أي: { فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِ{
Tafseer Al Qurtubi
قال ابن عباس : قتل قبطيا كافرا .قال كعب : وكان إذ ذاك ابن اثنتي عشرة سنة .في صحيح مسلم : وكان قتله خطأ ; على ما يأتي
Tazkirul Quran
When God appoints somebody as His missionary, He provides him with all that is essential for the performance of the task. Similarly, provision was made for Moses according to his special circumstances. By way of authority for his appointment, he was blessed with the ability to perform certain miracles and he was to be aided by his brother. Moses was endowed with an impressive personality so that Pharaoh’s community may not dare to mishandle him. And it was ordained by God that Moses and his companions should finally be supreme.
Ma'arif-ul-Quran
نُودِيَ مِن شَاطِئِ الْوَادِ الْأَيْمَنِ فِي الْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبَارَ‌كَةِ مِنَ الشَّجَرَ‌ةِ أَن يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّـهُ رَ‌بُّ الْعَالَمِينَ He was called by a voice coming from a side of the right valley in the blessed ground, from the tree, saying" 0 Musa, I am Allah, the Lord of the worlds" - 28:30). This subject was also mentioned in Surahs Taha and An-Naml in the story of Musa (علیہ السلام) . In Surah Taha it is said إِنِّي أَنَا رَ‌بُّكَ (it is Me your Lord - 20:12) and in Surah An-Naml نُودِيَ أَن بُورِ‌كَ مَن فِي النَّارِ‌ (So when he came to it, he was called: "Blessed is the one who is in the fire - 27:8), while in the present Surah (Al-Qasas) it appears as إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّـهُ رَ‌بُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (I am Allah the Lord of the worlds - 28:30). Although the wordings are slightly different here, yet the meanings are almost the same. The incident is related in the words which suited to the situation being described. (کَذا قال الامام). The refulgence that Sayyidna Masa (علیہ السلام) had seen in the form of fire was only in the form of an example (mithali), because it is impossible for a worldly being to see the actual refulgence of Allah Ta` ala. Masa (علیہ السلام) is called لَن تَرَ‌انِي (7:143) (You will never see Me) in respect of actual refulgence. The place also becomes auspicious if righteous deeds are performed there فِي الْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبَارَ‌كَةِ (In the blessed ground - 28:30). The Holy Qur'an has termed the mount Tur as blessed ground. It is obvious that the reason of its being auspicious is the refulgence of Allah Ta` ala, which was manifested at that spot in the form of fire. It proves that if something virtuous happens at a place, that particular spot also turns auspicious.
Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn 'Abbas
(He said) Moses said: (My Lord! Lo! I killed a man among them and I fear that they will kill me) in retaliation.
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