He flared up in intense anger, for the Egyptian had laid hands on him even though he knew Moses’ standing among the Children of Israel and the protection he afforded them. – People, for their part, supposed that all of this was merely the result of his having been suckled and fully weaned, unless, that is, Allah, exalted be He, had disclosed to Moses something about the matter that He had not shown to anyone else. – So Moses struck the Egyptian with his fist, and the man died. No one witnessed the incident but Allah—and the Israelite.
When he realized what had happened, Moses said, “This is one of Satan’s deeds; truly he is a manifest, misguiding enemy” (Q 28:15). He then added, “My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me,” and He forgave him; indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Merciful. He also said, “My Lord, because of the favour You have bestowed upon me, I shall never again be a helper of the criminals,” and he awoke in the city the next morning fearful, on the alert for any news (Q 28:16–18).
Word reached Pharaoh: “One of the Israelites has killed a man of Pharaoh’s own people; exact retribution for us and do not go easy on them.” Pharaoh replied, “Bring me the killer and whoever can testify against him. Even though a king’s sympathies lie with his own folk, he must not kill without clear proof and firm evidence. Find me solid information, and I shall obtain your due.”
While they were searching but could find no proof, Moses, the very next day, saw that same Israelite fighting with another Egyptian. The Israelite again called on him for help. Moses, now remorseful over what had happened and displeased by the scene before him, became angry with the Israelite, who wanted him to strike the Egyptian, and said to him, for what he had done yesterday and was repeating today, “You are indeed a manifest trouble-maker” (Q 28:18).
The Israelite looked at Moses and saw him as furious as he had been the day before when he killed the Egyptian. Fearing that, after Moses had said, “You are indeed a manifest trouble-maker,” he might now intend to strike him—though Moses meant the Egyptian, not him—the Israelite exclaimed, “Moses, do you want to kill me as you killed a man yesterday?” (Q 28:19). He spoke only out of fear that Moses meant to kill him, whereupon the two men left one another.
The Egyptian, however, went off and reported what he had heard the Israelite say: “Do you want to kill me as you killed a man yesterday?” Pharaoh thereupon dispatched the executioners to slay Moses. Pharaoh’s messengers took the main road, strolling unhurriedly in search of him, confident he could not elude them. A man who was devoted to Moses hurried from the farthest part of the city, took a shortcut, reached Moses first, and warned him—this, O Ibn Jubayr, was yet another of the trials.
Moses then departed toward Midian, never before having faced such hardship, knowing nothing of the way save his good opinion of his Lord. He said, “It may be that my Lord will guide me to the right path” (Q 28:22). When he came to the well of Midian, he found a crowd of people watering their flocks, and apart from them he found two women holding theirs back—meaning they were restraining their sheep. He asked them, “What is the matter with you two?” for they were standing aside and not watering with the others. They replied, “We do not have the strength to jostle with the shepherds; we must wait until they finish and the troughs are free.” So he watered the flock for them, scooping up so much water with the bucket that he was the first of the shepherds to finish.
The two women returned to their father with their sheep, full and satisfied, while Moses withdrew to the shade of a tree and said, “My Lord, I am truly in need of whatever good You may send down to me” (Q 28:24). Their father was surprised that they had come back so soon with their flock well-fed and full. “Something unusual has happened to you today,” he said, and they told him what Moses had done.