Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/109)

“He said, ‘I did it then, while I was among those astray.’ (20)

“Did we not raise you among us as a child?”—that is, as a boy—“and did you not remain among us for years of your life?” That was thirty years. “Then you committed the deed that you committed,” meaning the killing of the Copt, “and you were one of the ungrateful.” Al-Hasan and al-Suddi said: meaning, you were among those who disbelieved in your God, while you followed our religion—the very religion you now condemn.

Most commentators said that the meaning of his words, “and you were one of the ungrateful,” is: among those who deny my favor and the right due for my having raised you. That is, he was saying: We raised you in our midst, and you repaid us by killing one of our people and by denying our favor. This was the narration of al-‘Awfi from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: Pharaoh did not know what disbelief in Lordship was (1).

Moses said, “I did it then,” that is, I did what I did at that time, “while I was among those astray,” meaning, among the ignorant: no revelation had yet come to me from Allah (2). It was also said: among those ignorant that this would lead to his death. And it was said: astray from the path of what was right, without deliberate intent. It was also said: among those who erred.

(1) This is the view preferred by al-Tabari, 19:66. The meaning of the statement, then, is: “You killed one of our people, and you were ungrateful for our favor upon you and for our kindness toward you in your killing him.” It has also been said that it means: “You are now among those who deny my favor upon you and my having raised you.” (2) Al-Tabari adopted this view and mentioned no other, 19:67.

﴿قَالَ فَعَلْتُهَا إِذًا وَأَنَا مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ (٢٠) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ أَلَمْ نُرَبِّكَ فِينَا وَلِيدًا﴾ صَبِيًّا، ﴿وَلَبِثْتَ فِينَا مِنْ عُمُرِكَ سِنِينَ﴾ وَهُوَ ثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً. ﴿وَفَعَلْتَ فَعْلَتَكَ الَّتِي فَعَلْتَ﴾ يَعْنِي: قَتْلَ الْقِبْطِيِّ، ﴿وَأَنْتَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ﴾ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ وَالسُّدِّيُّ: يَعْنِي وَأَنْتَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ بِإِلَهِكَ وَكُنْتَ عَلَى دِينِنَا هَذَا الَّذِي تَعِيبُهُ. وَقَالَ أَكْثَرُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ: مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: "وَأَنْتَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ"، أَيْ: مِنَ الْجَاحِدِينَ لِنِعْمَتِي وَحَقِّ تَرْبِيَتِي، يَقُولُ رَبَّيْنَاكَ فِينَا فَكَافَأْتَنَا أَنْ قَتَلْتَ مِنَّا نَفْسًا، وَكَفَرْتَ بِنِعْمَتِنَا. وَهَذَا رِوَايَةُ الْعَوْفِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَعْلَمُ مَا الْكُفْرُ بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ (١) . ﴿قَالَ﴾ مُوسَى، ﴿فَعَلْتُهَا إِذًا﴾ أَيْ: فَعَلْتُ مَا فَعَلْتُ حِينَئِذٍ، ﴿وَأَنَا مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ﴾ أَيْ: مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ، أَيْ لَمْ يَأْتِنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْءٌ (٢) . وَقِيلَ: مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ بِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ يُؤَدِّي إِلَى قَتْلِهِ. وَقِيلَ: مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ عَنْ طَرِيقِ الصَّوَابِ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَعَمُّدٍ. وَقِيلَ: مِنَ الْمُخْطِئِينَ.

(١) وهو ما رجحه الطبري: ١٩ / ٦٦، فتأويل الكلام إذن: وقتلت الذي قتلت منا وأنت من الكافرين نعمتنا عليك، وإحساننا إليك في قتلك إياه. وقد قيل: معنى ذلك: وأنت الآن من الكافرين لنعمتي عليك، وتربيتي إياك. (٢) اعتمده الطبري ولم يذكر غيره: ١٩ / ٦٧.