Surah 28 Al-Qasas — Ayah 19
فَلَمَّآ أَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَبْطِشَ بِٱلَّذِى هُوَ عَدُوٌّۭ لَّهُمَا قَالَ يَٰمُوسَىٰٓ أَتُرِيدُ أَن تَقْتُلَنِى كَمَا قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًۢا بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۖ إِن تُرِيدُ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًۭا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا تُرِيدُ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِينَ
En toen hij hem, die een vijand van hen beide was, trachtte te grijpen, zeide hij: O Mozes! wilt gij mij dooden, zooals gij gisteren een man hebt gedood? Gij tracht slechts een verdrukker op aarde te wezen, en zoekt niet een bijlegger van twisten te zijn.
falammā an arāda an yabṭisha bi-alladhī huwa ʿaduwwun lahumā qāla yāmūsā aturīdu an taqtulanī kamā qatalta nafsan bil-amsi in turīdu illā an takūna jabbāran fī l-arḍi wamā turīdu an takūna mina l-muṣ'liḥīna
Word by word
- فَلَمَّآ falammā Then when
- أَنْ an [that]
- أَرَادَ arāda he wanted
- أَن an to
- يَبْطِشَ yabṭisha strike
- بِٱلَّذِى bi-alladhī the one who
- هُوَ huwa [he] (was)
- عَدُوٌّۭ ʿaduwwun an enemy
- لَّهُمَا lahumā to both of them
- قَالَ qāla he said
- يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ yāmūsā O Musa
- أَتُرِيدُ aturīdu Do you intend
- أَن an to
- تَقْتُلَنِى taqtulanī kill me
- كَمَا kamā as
- قَتَلْتَ qatalta you killed
- نَفْسًۢا nafsan a person
- بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۖ bil-amsi yesterday
- إِن in Not
- تُرِيدُ turīdu you want
- إِلَّآ illā but
- أَن an that
- تَكُونَ takūna you become
- جَبَّارًۭا jabbāran a tyrant
- فِى fī in
- ٱلْأَرْضِ l-arḍi the earth
- وَمَا wamā and not
- تُرِيدُ turīdu you want
- أَن an that
- تَكُونَ takūna you be
- مِنَ mina of
- ٱلْمُصْلِحِينَ l-muṣ'liḥīna the reformers
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.