Surah 28 Al-Qasas — Ayah 18
فَأَصْبَحَ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ خَآئِفًۭا يَتَرَقَّبُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَنصَرَهُۥ بِٱلْأَمْسِ يَسْتَصْرِخُهُۥ ۚ قَالَ لَهُۥ مُوسَىٰٓ إِنَّكَ لَغَوِىٌّۭ مُّبِينٌۭ
And he became inside the city fearful and anticipating [exposure], when suddenly the one who sought his help the previous day cried out to him [once again]. Moses said to him, "Indeed, you are an evident, [persistent] deviator."
fa-aṣbaḥa fī l-madīnati khāifan yataraqqabu fa-idhā alladhī is'tanṣarahu bil-amsi yastaṣrikhuhu qāla lahu mūsā innaka laghawiyyun mubīnun
Word by word
- فَأَصْبَحَ fa-aṣbaḥa In the morning he was
- فِى fī in
- ٱلْمَدِينَةِ l-madīnati the city
- خَآئِفًۭا khāifan fearful
- يَتَرَقَّبُ yataraqqabu (and) was vigilant
- فَإِذَا fa-idhā when behold
- ٱلَّذِى alladhī The one who
- ٱسْتَنصَرَهُۥ is'tanṣarahu sought his help
- بِٱلْأَمْسِ bil-amsi the previous day
- يَسْتَصْرِخُهُۥ ۚ yastaṣrikhuhu cried out to him for help
- قَالَ qāla Said
- لَهُۥ lahu to him
- مُوسَىٰٓ mūsā Musa
- إِنَّكَ innaka Indeed, you
- لَغَوِىٌّۭ laghawiyyun (are) surely a deviator
- مُّبِينٌۭ mubīnun clear
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
How the Secret of this Killing became known
Allah tells us that when Musa killed that Coptic,
(he became afraid in the city) meaning, of the consequences of his action,
(looking about) means, turning around and watching out, waiting for the consequences of his action to befall him. He went out and about, and saw 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. Musa said to him:
(Verily, you are a plain misleader!) meaning, `you obviously lead people astray and are very evil.' 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 --
(O Musa! Is it your intention to kill me as you killed a man yesterday) 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.