Who Were the Two Men Who Helped and Protected Moses (PBUH) From Pharaoh’s Oppression?
حدثنا القرآن عن رجلين نصرا نبي الله موسى وحموه من بطش فرعون وملئه. فمن هذان الرجلان؟
The first man: He was the one who came from the farthest end of the city to warn Moses, “O Moses! The chiefs are actually conspiring against you to put you to death, so leave ˹the city˺. I really advise you ˹to do so˺.” Al-Qasas 28:20
The second man: He was the believing man from the family of Pharaoh. He concealed his faith, as he was a Coptic man, as mentioned in the Ayah. He pretended to agree with his people, which made it more likely that they would listen to his advice and words.
(“A believing man from Pharaoh’s people, who was hiding his faith, argued…”) Ghafer 40:28
الرجل الأول: هو الذي جاء من أقصى المدينة مسرعًا محذرًا: “إِنَّ الْمَلَأَ يَأْتَمِرُونَ بِكَ لِيَقْتُلُوكَ” (القصص 28: 20)
الرجل الثاني: هو الرجل المؤمن من آل فرعون الذي كان يكتم إيمانه. وقد كان رجلًا من القبط، كما ذكرت الآية، وكان يظهر موافقته لقومه، وذلك أدعى للاستماع لنصيحته وقوله.
(وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مُّؤْمِنٌ مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ) غافر 40: 28
1. The First Man: An Urgent, Anonymous Warning | الرجل الأول: تحذيرٌ عاجل مجهول
This is the man who rushed from the far end of the city years earlier to warn Musa that Pharaoh’s chiefs were plotting to kill him over the accidental killing. His single act of urgent warning was decisive precisely because it was timely, arriving before the plot could be carried out.
هذا هو الرجل الذي أسرع من أقصى المدينة قبل سنوات ليحذر موسى من أن ملأ فرعون يتآمرون لقتله بسبب القتل الذي وقع منه خطأ. وكان تحذيره العاجل حاسما تحديدا لأنه جاء في وقته، قبل أن تُنفذ المؤامرة.
2. The Second Man: A Believer Hidden Within Pharaoh’s Own House | الرجل الثاني: مؤمنٌ مختفٍ داخل بيت فرعون
This believer was a man from Pharaoh’s own family, a Copt on the well-known view that Ibn Kathir reports, who had come to believe in Musa’s message while keeping that belief hidden until he spoke out in Musa’s defense (40:28). His position placed him at the very center of the power structure Musa was confronting.
وهذا المؤمن رجل من آل فرعون، قبطي على المشهور كما ذكر ابن كثير، آمن برسالة موسى وكتم إيمانه حتى جهر بالدفاع عن موسى (غافر: 28). وقد وضعه موقعه في صميم بنية السلطة التي كان موسى يواجهها.
3. Why Concealment Was a Deliberate Strategy | لماذا كان الإخفاء استراتيجية متعمدة
The answer explains that by outwardly appearing to agree with his own people, this man’s later advice and arguments carried more weight, since Pharaoh’s circle would dismiss an openly declared convert’s opinion far more easily than that of someone still presumed loyal. His concealment was not cowardice but a calculated way to remain effective.
وتبيّن الإجابة أن إظهار هذا الرجل موافقته الظاهرية لقومه جعل نصيحته وحججه لاحقا أكثر وزنا، إذ كان بلاط فرعون سيرفض رأي معتنق مُعلن للإيمان بسهولة أكبر بكثير من رأي شخص لا يزال يُفترض أنه موالٍ. فلم يكن إخفاؤه جبنا بل وسيلة محسوبة للبقاء فعالا.
4. Two Different Forms of Courage | نوعان مختلفان من الشجاعة
The first man warned Musa of the plot to kill him (28:20). The second, after concealing his faith from his people, defended Musa openly (40:28); Ibn Kathir says he showed his faith only on that day. Together, the Quran preserves two ways of standing up for a prophet: an urgent warning and a public defense, which continued until the believer’s closing words to his people.
حذر الرجل الأول موسى من مؤامرة قتله (القصص: 20). أما الثاني فكان يكتم إيمانه عن قومه ثم دافع عن موسى علانية (غافر: 28)، ويذكر ابن كثير أنه لم يُظهر إيمانه إلا في ذلك اليوم. ويحفظ القرآن معا طريقين لنصرة نبي: تحذيرا عاجلا ودفاعا علنيا.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Who were the two men who helped Moses?
A man who warned him of a death plot in Egypt, and a believer within Pharaoh’s own household who concealed his faith.
What did the first man warn Moses about?
That Pharaoh’s chiefs were conspiring to kill him, urging him to leave the city.
Why did the second man hide his faith?
So that his own people would still listen to his advice, rather than dismissing him as an outsider.
What was the second man’s background?
He was a Copt from within Pharaoh’s own family or household.