Twelfth: Killing a disbeliever who enjoys the protection of a treaty—whether that protection is established by formal agreement or by accepted custom—is unlawful, for Moses regretted killing the Copt, sought Allah’s forgiveness, and repented.

Thirteenth: Whoever takes a life without right is counted among the tyrants who spread corruption on earth, even if his motive is intimidation and even if he claims to be a reformer, until the sacred law explicitly permits the taking of that life.

Fourteenth: Telling someone what others have said about him, when it is done to warn him of harm that may befall him, is not malicious talebearing; indeed, it can be a duty. Allah praised the man who came hurrying from the far side of the city to warn Moses, presenting him as a model of virtue.

Fifteenth: If a person fears being wrongfully killed by remaining in a certain place, he must not cast himself into destruction and passively await death; rather, if able, he should flee, as Moses did.

Sixteenth: When one must inevitably choose between two harmful courses, he is obliged to adopt the lesser and safer of the two in order to avert the greater and graver harm. Thus Moses, faced with either staying in Egypt—where he would be killed—or setting out for a distant land whose route he did not know and for which he had no guide save his Lord, chose the journey that offered greater hope of safety.

Seventeenth: A subtle lesson here is that when a seeker of knowledge must act on—or speak about—what he has learned, yet finds no clear preference between two opinions, he should seek guidance from his Lord, asking to be led to the correct view after sincerely intending the truth and researching it. Allah never lets down such a servant. This is illustrated by Moses, who, when heading toward Midian without knowing the exact route, said, “Perhaps my Lord will guide me to the right way” (Q 28:22). Allah did indeed guide him and granted him what he had hoped and wished for.