Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/11)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

with the choicest food and clothed in the finest garments, all the while under My watchful eye. Every bit of that was by My safeguarding and care for you—deeds that none but I am able to perform—

“when your sister walked along and said, ‘Shall I direct you to someone who will nurse him?’ So We returned you to your mother that her eye might be comforted and she would not grieve. Then you killed a man, but We delivered you from distress, and We tried you with many trials.” (Tā Hā 40)

We shall recount the ḥadīth of these trials in its proper place, if Allah wills; in Him we place our trust and upon Him we rely.

“And when he reached full strength and maturity We granted him judgment and knowledge; thus do We reward the people of excellence. He entered the city at a time when its people were heedless and found therein two men fighting—one from his own people and the other from his enemies. The one who was from his own people cried out to him for help against the one who was from his enemies, so Moses struck him and killed him. He said, ‘This is from Satan’s doing; he is indeed a manifest, misleading enemy.’ He said, ‘My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him; truly He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. He said, ‘My Lord, for the favor You have bestowed upon me, I shall never be a supporter of the criminals.’” (al-Qaṣaṣ 14-17)

After the Most High had mentioned His favor to Moses’ mother in returning her child to her and comforting her thereby, He proceeded to speak of Moses himself: when he “reached full strength and maturity,” meaning the perfection of both physique and character—according to most scholars this occurs at the age of forty—Allah granted him wisdom and knowledge, that is, prophethood and messengership, just as He had promised his mother when He said, “We shall return him to you and make him one of the messengers” (al-Qaṣaṣ 7).

He then began to relate the cause of Moses’ departure from Egypt, his journey to the land of Midian, his stay there until the appointed term was completed, and what followed of Allah’s speaking to him and honoring him—as will be detailed later.

Thus the Exalted said, “He entered the city at a time when its people were heedless.” Ibn ʿAbbās, Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, ʿIkrimah, Qatādah, and al-Suddi said: this was at midday; another report from Ibn ʿAbbās says: between sunset and nightfall.

“He found therein two men fighting,” that is, striking and grappling with one another. “One belonged to his party,” meaning an Israelite, “and the other to his enemy,” meaning a Coptic Egyptian—so said Ibn ʿAbbās, Qatādah, al-Suddi, and Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq.

“The one who was from his party appealed to him for help against the one who was from his enemy.” Moses, peace be upon him, enjoyed a certain prestige in Egypt because Pharaoh had adopted him and raised him in his palace. The Children of Israel, too, had gained honor, for they had nursed him and were therefore his wet-nurse relatives.

When the Israelite sought Moses’ aid against the Copt, Moses moved toward him and struck him

(1) In Manuscript B: ashraf al-malābis (the finest garments). (2) In the original: fardadnāk. This is a slip, confused with the Divine wording farradnānāhu ilā ummihi kay taqarrra ‘aynuha (Quran 28:13) “and We returned him to his mother so that her eyes might be comforted.” (3) In Manuscript B: bawsālahā. (4) In Manuscript B: iḥkām. (5) In Manuscript B: al-amal. (6) Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, vol. 20, p. 29.

بأطيب المآكل، وتلبس أحسن الملابس (١) بمرأىً مني، وذلك كلّه بحفظي وكلاءتي لك فيما صنعت بك ولك، وقدرته من الأمور التي لا يقدر عليها غيري ﴿إِذْ تَمْشِي أُخْتُكَ فَتَقُولُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى مَنْ يَكْفُلُهُ فَرَجَعْنَاكَ (٢) إِلَى أُمِّكَ كَيْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ وَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا فَنَجَّيْنَاكَ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَفَتَنَّاكَ فُتُونًا﴾ [طه: ٤٠] ، وسنورد حديث الفتون في موضعه بعد هذا إن شاء الله تعالى وبه الثقة وعليه التُّكلان. ﴿وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَاسْتَوَى آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ (١٤) وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَى حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ هَذَا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ وَهَذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَى فَقَضَى عَلَيْهِ قَالَ هَذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ (١٥) قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ (١٦) قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرًا لِلْمُجْرِمِينَ﴾ [القصص: ١٤ - ١٧] . لما ذكر تعالى أنّه أنعم على أمّه بردّه (٣) لها، وإحسانه بذلك، وامتنانه عليها، شرع في ذكر أنه لما ﴿بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَاسْتَوَى﴾ وهو احتكام (٤) الخَلْق والخُلُق، وهو سنّ الأربعين في قول الأكثرين، آتاه الله حكمًا وعلمًا، وهو النبوّة والرسالة التي كان بَشَر بها أمّه حين قال: ﴿إِنَّا رَادُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ﴾ [القصص: ٧] . ثم شرع في ذِكر سبب خروجه من بلاد مصر، وذهابه إلى أرض مَدين، وإقامته هنالك حتى كمل الأجل، وانقضى الأمد (٥) ، وكان ما كان من كلام الله له، وإكرامه بما أكرمه به، كما سيأتي. فقال تعالى: ﴿وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَى حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا﴾. قال ابن عباس، وسعيد بن جُبير، وعِكْرمة، وقَتادة، والسُّدِّي (٦) : وذلك نصف النهار. وعن ابن عبَّاس: بين العشاءين ﴿فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ﴾ أي: يتضاربان ويتهاوشان ﴿هَذَا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ﴾ أي: إسْرائيلي ﴿وَهَذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ﴾ أي: قبطي. قاله ابن عبَّاس، وقتادة، والسّدّي، ومحمد بن إسحاق. ﴿فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ﴾ وذلك أن موسى (عليه السلام) كانت له بديار مِصْرَ صَولةٌ بسبب نسبته إلى تبني فرعون له، وتربيته في بيته، وكانت بنو إسرائيل قد عزّوا وصارت لهم وجاهةٌ، وارتفعت رؤوسهم بسبب أنّهم أرضعوه وهم أخواله، أي: من الرَّضاعة. فلما استغاث ذلك الإسرائيلي موسى (عليه السلام) على ذلك القبطي أقبل إليه موسى ﴿فَوَكَزَهُ﴾. قال

(١) في ب: أشرف الملابس. (٢) في الأصل: فرددناك. وهو سهو، التبس بقوله تعالى: ﴿فَرَدَدْنَاهُ إِلَى أُمِّهِ كَيْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا … ﴾ الآية: [القصص: ١٣]. (٣) في ب: بوصالها. (٤) في ب: إحكام. (٥) في ب: الأمل. (٦) تفسير الطبري (٢٠/ ٢٩).