When Moses (PBUH) Grew Up, Why Did He Run Away Out of Egypt?
ما سبب خروج موسى عليه السلام من مصر؟
The reason is that he killed a man from the Copts, and the matter was not revealed. However, once the news spread, Moses left Egypt, fearing that the chiefs of Pharaoh’s people would kill him.
Moses reached the age of maturity after being raised in the palace of Pharaoh, as Allah the Almighty decreed. Once, at the time when people took their naps, he was walking in the roads of the city of Manf (Memphis) where he lived. Moses saw injustice practiced against someone before him; a Coptic man was fighting with a man from the Children of Israel, so the Israelite asked Moses to save him from the brutality of the Coptic, so Moses, peace be upon him, struck him with his hand, and the man died.
The people knew that a man had been killed, but they did not know who the killer was, and so the killer remained anonymous. However, Moses, peace be upon him, was afraid that the matter would be unveiled. Another incident occurred causing the disclosure of the matter.
One day, while Moses, peace be upon him, was walking in the city, the Israelite who asked for Moses’ help the first time, sought Moses’s help again, crying out loudly for help. Therefore, Moses came to him to save him. Yet, Moses saw that the man was fighting with others repeatedly, which meant that he was a troublemaker, causing the fight with other people. Moses said to the Israelite, “Indeed, you are clearly a trouble-maker,” meaning he was morally and religiously corrupt.
At that moment, the Israelite thought that Moses wanted to hit him and not his Coptic enemy, so the Israelite said out of fearing Moses’ oppression against him, “O Moses! Do you intend to kill me as you killed a man yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land.” He meant that Moses intended to hit and kill others as he wished without fearing the punishment for that, and that he did not want to be one of those who reconcile between the fighting parties.
The Copt heard what his Israelite fighter said to Moses, peace be upon him, and he conveyed the news to the Pharaonic palace. The men of the palace gathered under the leadership of Pharaoh to discuss the case, so they decided to kill Moses.
Allah the Almighty brought to Moses a man telling him what the people had plotted against him, and that they had imposed a death sentence on him. When the news reached Moses, peace be upon him, he left Egypt, for fear of being killed. He was waiting for things to settle, so that he may survive. He made Du’a to his Lord, Exalted and Sublime be He, by saying: “My Lord! Save me from the people who are wrongdoers!”, including Pharaoh and the like.
(˹One day˺ he entered the city unnoticed by its people. There he found two men fighting: one of his own people, and the other of his enemies. The man from his own people called to him for help against his foe. So Moses punched him, causing his death. Moses cried, “This is from Satan’s handiwork. He is certainly a sworn, misleading enemy.”) Al-Qasas 28:15
(And so Moses became fearful, watching out in the city, when suddenly the one who sought his help the day before cried out to him again for help. Moses rebuked him, “Indeed, you are clearly a trouble-maker.”) Al-Qasas 28:18
(Then when Moses was about to lay his hands on their foe, the enemy said, “O Moses! Do you intend to kill me as you killed a man yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land. You do not intend to make peace!”) Al-Qasas 28:19
(And there came a man, rushing from the farthest end of the city. He said, “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
أنه قتل رجلا من القبط و كان الأمر مجهولا غير معروف. فلما شاع الخبر خرج موسى من مصر خوفا من أن يقتله الملأ من قوم فرعون.
بلغ موسى سنَّ الرشد وكان قد تربى في قصر فرعون، وكان يمشي في طرق المدينة التي يعيش فيها، وهي مدينة منف، في وقت القيلولة. رأى موسى مشهدا من الظلم: أن رجلا من القبط يتقاتل مع رجل من بني إسرائيل، فطلب الإسرائيلي موسى أن ينقذه من بطش القبطي، فضربه موسى عليه السلام بمجمع كفه، فمات.
عرف الناس أن رجلا قد قتل لكنهم لم يعرفوا قاتله، وبقي الأمر مجهولاً كما أن موسى-عليه السلام-بقي خائفًا من انكشاف الأمر، فحدثت حادثة أخرى كشفت الأمر.
أن موسى جعل يمشي في المدينة فإذا بالإسرائيلي الذي طلب نصرة موسى في المرة الأولى يطلب نصرة موسى مرة أخرى مستغيثًا به بأعلى صوته، فأقبل موسى إليه ليخلصه مما هو فيه، وقد رأى موسى أن الرجل يتقاتل مع الناس أكثر من مرة، فقال موسى للإسرائيلي: “إنك لغوي مبين”، أي ذو فساد في الخلق والدين.
عند ذلك ظن الإسرائيلي أن موسى يريد أن يبطش به هو لا بعدوه القبطي، فقال الإسرائيلي خوفًا: “أتريد أن تقتلني كما قتلت نفسا بالأمس إن تريد إلا أن تكون جبارا في الأرض” أي تضرب وتقتل كما تشاء ولا تخاف عقوبة ذلك.
سمع القبطي ما قال مقاتله الإسرائيلي لموسى عليه السلام فأوصل الخبر إلى القصر الفرعوني، فاجتمع رجال القصر برئاسة فرعون يتداولون القضية، فقرروا قتل موسى.
فساق الله عز وجل لموسى رجلاً يخبره بما دبره القوم له وقد أصدروا في حقه حكمًا بالإعدام، فلما بلغ الخبر خرج من مصر خائفًا من القتل، يترقب الطلب وماذا سيحدث له، ودعا ربه عز وجل قائلا: “رب نجني من القوم الظالمين”، أي من فرعون وملئه ومن كل ظالم.
(وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَىٰ حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ هَـٰذَا مِن شِيعَتِهِ وَهَـٰذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِن شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَىٰ فَقَضَىٰ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ هَـٰذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُّضِلٌّ مُّبِينٌ) القصص 28: 15
(فَأَصْبَحَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ خَائِفًا يَتَرَقَّبُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي اسْتَنصَرَهُ بِالْأَمْسِ يَسْتَصْرِخُهُ قَالَ لَهُ مُوسَىٰ إِنَّكَ لَغَوِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ) القصص 28: 18
(فَلَمَّا أَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَبْطِشَ بِالَّذِي هُوَ عَدُوٌّ لَّهُمَا قَالَ يَا مُوسَىٰ أَتُرِيدُ أَن تَقْتُلَنِي كَمَا قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا بِالْأَمْسِ إِن تُرِيدُ إِلَّا أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا تُرِيدُ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُصْلِحِينَ) القصص 28: 19
(وَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِّنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ يَسْعَىٰ قَالَ يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّ الْمَلَأَ يَأْتَمِرُونَ بِكَ لِيَقْتُلُوكَ فَاخْرُجْ إِنِّي لَكَ مِنَ النَّاصِحِينَ) القصص 28: 20
1. A Scene of Injustice Witnessed by Chance | مشهد ظلمٍ شهده مصادفةً
Musa entered the city at a quiet hour and, unnoticed, came across two men fighting, one from his own people, the other an enemy. The man from his own people called for help, drawing Musa directly into the confrontation without any planning on his part.
دخل موسى المدينة في ساعة هدوء، ودون أن يلاحظه أحد، صادف رجلين يتقاتلان، أحدهما من قومه والآخر من أعدائه. فاستغاث به الرجل من قومه، مما جرّه مباشرة إلى المواجهة دون أي تخطيط منه.
2. A Single Blow With an Unintended, Fatal Result | ضربةٌ واحدة بنتيجةٍ قاتلة غير مقصودة
Musa struck the Coptic man to defend the Israelite, and the man died from the blow. Musa’s own reaction, calling it “Satan’s handiwork,” shows he recognized this as a grave error rather than a deliberate killing, the strike was meant to stop the fight, not to end a life.
ضرب موسى الرجل القبطي دفاعا عن الإسرائيلي، فمات الرجل من الضربة. ويُظهر رد فعل موسى نفسه، وصفه الحادثة بأنها “من عمل الشيطان”، أنه أدرك ذلك خطأ جسيما لا قتلا متعمدا، فالضربة كانت لإيقاف الشجار لا لإزهاق روح.
3. A Second Encounter That Reveals the Israelite’s True Character | لقاءٌ ثانٍ يكشف حقيقة الإسرائيلي
The very same man who had called for Musa’s help the day before cries out again, but this time Musa notices he is a repeat troublemaker rather than an innocent victim, and rebukes him directly. This shift matters: Musa’s help the first time had been given in good faith to someone who turns out to be quarrelsome by habit.
يستغيث الرجل نفسه الذي طلب نصرة موسى في اليوم السابق مرة أخرى، لكن موسى يلاحظ هذه المرة أنه مشاغب متكرر لا ضحية بريئة، فيوبخه مباشرة. ولهذا التحول أهميته: فمساعدة موسى الأولى كانت بحسن نية لشخص تبين أنه مشاغب بطبعه.
4. Fear Twisting a Rebuke Into a Public Accusation | خوفٌ يحوّل التوبيخ إلى اتهامٍ علني
Misreading Musa’s rebuke as a threat against himself, the Israelite blurts out a reference to the previous killing in front of witnesses, accusing Musa of wanting to be a tyrant. This single moment of panic is what exposes the secret that had remained hidden until then, not any investigation or informant.
وإذ يسيء الإسرائيلي فهم توبيخ موسى فيظنه تهديدا موجها إليه هو، يفلت منه ذكر القتل السابق أمام الشهود، متهما موسى بأنه يريد أن يكون جبارا. وهذه اللحظة الواحدة من الذعر هي ما كشف السر الذي ظل مخفيا حتى ذلك الحين، لا أي تحقيق أو وشاية.
5. Word Reaches the Palace and a Death Sentence Follows | يصل الخبر إلى القصر ويصدر حكم الإعدام
The Coptic man overhears the accusation and reports it to Pharaoh’s palace, where the chiefs convene and decide to have Musa killed. What began as an act of intervening on behalf of someone in trouble ends, through a chain of small events, in an official death sentence from the highest levels of the state that raised him.
يسمع القبطي هذا الاتهام فينقله إلى قصر فرعون، حيث يجتمع الأشراف ويقررون قتل موسى. وما بدأ تدخلا لنصرة شخص في ورطة ينتهي، عبر سلسلة من الأحداث الصغيرة، بحكم إعدام رسمي من أعلى مستويات الدولة التي رعته.
6. A Warning From an Unnamed Ally and a Prayer for Refuge | تحذيرٌ من رجلٍ مجهول ودعاءٌ للنجاة
A man rushes from the farthest end of the city specifically to warn Musa of the plot against his life, urging him to leave immediately. Musa flees Egypt on this warning alone, praying, “My Lord, save me from the wrongdoing people,” a plea for rescue from Pharaoh and his chiefs, who had resolved to kill him.
يهرع رجل من أقصى المدينة تحديدا ليحذر موسى من المؤامرة على حياته، حاثا إياه على الرحيل فورا. ويفر موسى من مصر بناء على هذا التحذير وحده، داعيا: “رب نجني من القوم الظالمين”، وهو دعاء بالنجاة من فرعون وملئه الذين عزموا على قتله.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why did Moses run away from Egypt?
He had accidentally killed a Coptic man while defending an Israelite, and once the matter was exposed, Pharaoh’s council sentenced him to death.
How did Moses accidentally kill the Coptic man?
He struck him with his hand while intervening to help an Israelite man in a fight, and the blow proved fatal.
How was the killing eventually exposed?
The same Israelite man, panicking during a second confrontation, publicly referenced the earlier killing in front of a Copt who reported it to the palace.
Who warned Moses of the plot to kill him?
A man who rushed from the far end of the city specifically to alert him and advise him to leave.
What did Moses pray after fleeing?
“My Lord, save me from the wrongdoing people,” referring to Pharaoh and his court.