How Did This Believer Defend the Prophet Moses (PBUH)? What Was Pharaoh’s Reaction?
كيف دافع هذا المؤمن عن نبي الله موسى-عليه السلام-؟ وما موقف فرعون من ذلك؟
First: He condemned the decision of the people to kill a man because of his belief in Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, although he had presented clear proofs that would convince whoever pondered over them that he was telling the truth.
Second: He addressed them with a rational argument that would convince every sane person: Moses, peace be upon him, is either a liar, and then his lie will not harm us but will harm him. The second possibility is that he is truthful and has brought you clear proofs, and he has told you that if you do not answer his call, Allah will punish you in this world and in the Hereafter; then some of what he promises you, the punishment of this world, will surely befall you. As if he was saying: the harm in killing him outweighs the benefit, since he may be telling the truth, and killing a truthful man may bring harm upon you.
Third: The believing man said, “Surely Allah does not guide whoever is a transgressor, a total liar,” Ghafer 40:28, meaning whoever exceeds the limit by abandoning truth for falsehood, and attributes his own excess to Allah, would never be guided by Allah to the right path, and you see the clear proofs that Moses brought, which are the strongest evidence of his truthfulness, since had he been lying, he would not have been granted such clear proofs.
Fourth: He warned and advised his people that they would lose their kingdom if they killed someone who did not deserve to be killed: our killing of Allah’s allies will bring His might and punishment upon us, and if the punishment befalls us, who will help us?
Pharaoh’s response was brief, in two phrases, as Allah tells of him in His words: “I only show you what I see,” Ghafer 40:29, meaning that whatever he advised them, he had already judged correct and sound, that is, killing Moses, peace be upon him, was the right thing to do in every respect. “And I only guide you to the way of right conduct” (Ghafer 40:29), meaning it was his habit to guide them only toward what served their own best interest.
أولاً: أنكر على القوم قتل رجل بسبب إيمانه بالله عز وجل، وعنده من الحجة والبينات ما تقنع من ينظر إليها بأنه على الحق.
ثانيًا: قال لهم مقالة عقلية تقنع كل عاقل: إن موسى عليه السلام إما أن يكون كاذبًا، فكذبه لن يضرنا بل سيضره هو. الاحتمال الثاني: أن يكون صادقًا وقد جاءكم بالبينات، وأخبركم أنكم إن لم تجيبوه عذبكم الله عذابًا في الدنيا وعذابًا في الآخرة، فإنه لا بد أن يصيبكم بعض الذي يعدكم، وهو عذاب الدنيا. وكأنه يقول: المفسدة في قتله أعلى من المصلحة لاحتمال صدقه، فقتل الصادق قد يأتي بضرر عليكم.
ثالثًا: قول الرجل المؤمن: “إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ كَذَّابٌ” (غافر 40: 28)، أي من تجاوز الحد بترك الحق وأقبل على الباطل، ونسب ما أسرف فيه إلى الله، فهذا لا يهديه الله إلى طريق الصواب، وأنتم ترون الحجج الواضحات التي جاء بها موسى، فهي أقوى دلالة على صدقه؛ إذ لو كان كاذبًا لم يوفق إلى تلك الحجج الواضحة.
رابعًا: حذر قومه ونصحهم من ذهاب ملكهم بسبب قتلهم لمن لا يستحق القتل، وقتلنا لأولياء الله يحل بنا بأسه وعقوبته، فإذا حلت بنا العقوبة فمن ينصرنا.
رد فرعون كان موجزًا بكلمتين كما أخبر تعالى عنه في قوله: “قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ مَا أُرِيكُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَرَىٰ” (غافر 40: 29)، أي ما أشير عليكم بشيء إلا وقد رأيته صائبًا وسديدًا، يعني قتل موسى عليه السلام صواب من كل وجه. “وَمَا أَهْدِيكُمْ إِلَّا سَبِيلَ الرَّشَادِ” (غافر 40: 29)، أي ومن عادتي ألا أهديكم وأرشدكم إلا لما فيه خيركم ومصلحتكم.
1. Condemning the Killing on Principle | إنكارٌ للقتل من حيث المبدأ
The believer’s first move is a direct objection: killing a man solely for his belief, when that belief comes backed by evidence anyone could examine, is wrong on its own terms. He does not wait to argue the finer points; he starts by naming the injustice plainly.
أول تحرك للمؤمن هو اعتراض مباشر: قتل رجل لمجرد إيمانه، حين يكون هذا الإيمان مدعوما بأدلة يستطيع أي شخص فحصها، خطأ في ذاته. ولا ينتظر ليجادل في التفاصيل الدقيقة؛ بل يبدأ بتسمية الظلم بوضوح.
2. A Logical Wager Anyone Could Follow | رهانٌ عقلي يقنع أي عاقل
He lays out both possibilities: if Musa is lying, the lie harms only him; if he is telling the truth, punishment will fall on those who reject him. Framed this way, killing Musa carries real risk with no corresponding benefit, since the worst-case outcome of letting him live is far less severe than the worst-case outcome of killing him if he turns out to be right.
يعرض الاحتمالين معا: إن كان موسى كاذبا، فالكذب لا يضر إلا نفسه؛ وإن كان صادقا، فسيقع العقاب على من رفضه. وبهذه الصياغة، يحمل قتل موسى خطرا حقيقيا دون فائدة مقابلة، إذ إن أسوأ نتيجة لتركه حيا أخف بكثير من أسوأ نتيجة لقتله إن تبين أنه محق.
3. Turning Musa’s Own Evidence Into the Argument | تحويل حجة موسى نفسها إلى دليل
The believer points out that Allah does not guide a transgressing liar, meaning the very fact that Musa had been granted such clear, unmistakable signs was itself evidence against the fraud accusation. A true impostor, in his reasoning, simply would not have been equipped with proofs this strong.
يشير المؤمن إلى أن الله لا يهدي مسرفا كذابا، أي أن مجرد منح موسى مثل هذه الآيات الواضحة التي لا لبس فيها كان في حد ذاته دليلا ضد تهمة الاحتيال. فالمحتال الحقيقي، وفق منطقه، ما كان ليُمنح براهين بهذه القوة.
4. A Warning About Their Own Kingdom’s Survival | تحذيرٌ يمس بقاء ملكهم نفسه
Beyond the moral and logical case, the believer adds a self-interested warning: killing an innocent, righteous man would bring destruction upon them and their kingdom, and no one would be able to help them once Allah’s punishment arrived. This final argument speaks directly to what Pharaoh’s court actually cared about, its own continued power and safety.
إلى جانب الحجة الأخلاقية والمنطقية، يضيف المؤمن تحذيرا يمس مصلحتهم الذاتية: قتل رجل بريء وصالح سيجلب الدمار عليهم وعلى ملكهم، ولن يستطيع أحد نصرتهم متى حل بهم عقاب الله. وتخاطب هذه الحجة الأخيرة مباشرة ما كان بلاط فرعون يهتم به فعلا: استمرار سلطته وأمنه.
5. Pharaoh’s Dismissal: Asserting Judgment as Automatically Correct | رفض فرعون: تأكيدٌ لصواب رأيه تلقائيًا
Pharaoh’s reply engages none of the four arguments directly; he simply asserts that he shows his people only what he himself sees, and guides them only toward what is right. This is not a rebuttal but a refusal to be answerable to reasoning at all; his own perception is treated as the final word regardless of the case built against it.
لا يتعامل رد فرعون مع أي من الحجج الأربع مباشرة؛ بل يكتفي بتأكيد أنه لا يريهم إلا ما يرى، ولا يهديهم إلا سبيل الرشاد. وهذا ليس ردا بل رفضا للمساءلة أمام أي منطق على الإطلاق، إذ تُعامل رؤيته الخاصة على أنها الكلمة الفصل بصرف النظر عن الحجة المبنية ضدها.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What was the believer’s main argument against killing Moses?
That if Moses were lying it would only harm himself, but if he were truthful, punishment would fall on those who rejected him.
How did the believer use Moses’s own evidence as an argument?
By pointing out that Allah does not guide a transgressing liar, so the clear proofs Moses possessed were themselves evidence against the fraud accusation.
What warning did he give about killing Moses?
That it would bring destruction on them and their kingdom, with no one able to help them once Allah’s punishment came.
How did Pharaoh respond to this defense?
He dismissed it entirely, insisting he showed his people only what he himself saw as right.