Quran Universe
28:15

وَدَخَلَ ٱلۡمَدِينَةَ عَلَىٰ حِينِ غَفۡلَةٖ مِّنۡ أَهۡلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيۡنِ يَقۡتَتِلَانِ هَٰذَا مِن شِيعَتِهِۦ وَهَٰذَا مِنۡ عَدُوِّهِۦۖ فَٱسۡتَغَٰثَهُ ٱلَّذِي مِن شِيعَتِهِۦ عَلَى ٱلَّذِي مِنۡ عَدُوِّهِۦ فَوَكَزَهُۥ مُوسَىٰ فَقَضَىٰ عَلَيۡهِۖ قَالَ هَٰذَا مِنۡ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۖ إِنَّهُۥ عَدُوّٞ مُّضِلّٞ مُّبِينٞ

Wadakhala almadeenata AAala heeni ghaflatin min ahliha fawajada feeha rajulayni yaqtatilani hatha min sheeAAatihi wahatha min AAaduwwihi faistaghathahu allathee min sheeAAatihi AAala allathee min AAaduwwihi fawakazahu moosa faqada AAalayhi qala hatha min AAamali alshshaytani innahu AAaduwwun mudillun mubeenun

And he entered the city at a time of inattention by its people and found therein two men fighting: one from his faction and one from among his enemy. And the one from his faction called for help to him against the one from his enemy, so Moses struck him and [unintentionally] killed him. [Moses] said, "This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a manifest, misleading enemy."

Word by word
  1. وَدَخَلَAnd he entered
  2. ٱلۡمَدِينَةَthe city
  3. عَلَىٰat
  4. حِينِa time
  5. غَفۡلَةٖ(of) inattention
  6. مِّنۡof
  7. أَهۡلِهَاits people
  8. فَوَجَدَand found
  9. فِيهَاtherein
  10. رَجُلَيۡنِtwo men
  11. يَقۡتَتِلَانِfighting each other
  12. هَٰذَاthis
  13. مِنof
  14. شِيعَتِهِۦhis party
  15. وَهَٰذَاand this
  16. مِنۡof
  17. عَدُوِّهِۦۖhis enemy
  18. فَٱسۡتَغَٰثَهُAnd called him for help
  19. ٱلَّذِيthe one who
  20. مِن(was) from
  21. شِيعَتِهِۦhis party
  22. عَلَىagainst
  23. ٱلَّذِيthe one who
  24. مِنۡ(was) from
  25. عَدُوِّهِۦhis enemy
  26. فَوَكَزَهُۥso Musa struck him with his fist
  27. مُوسَىٰso Musa struck him with his fist
  28. فَقَضَىٰand killed him
  29. عَلَيۡهِۖand killed him
  30. قَالَHe said
  31. هَٰذَاThis (is)
  32. مِنۡof
  33. عَمَلِ(the) deed
  34. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۖ(of) Shaitaan
  35. إِنَّهُۥIndeed,he
  36. عَدُوّٞ(is) an enemy
  37. مُّضِلّٞone who misleads
  38. مُّبِينٞclearly
Al-Qasas · 28:15Makkah

One blow in anger, and a man was dead.

How fast a fight can go too far

In the city
two men fightingan Israelite, a Copt
calls
Musatakes a side
one punch
a deathnot intended
What he said at once
he had it comingjustify it
Shaytan's worka clear misleading enemy

Musa entered the city at a time when people were not paying attention. Two men were fighting, one from his people and one from Fir'awn's. When asked for help, he struck the other man with his fist and the man died. Musa immediately named it Shaytan's doing.

Someone insults your brother in the car park and you step in hot. A shove becomes something worse. Taking a side in a fight you do not understand can wreck lives in seconds. Musa did not defend it; he called it what it was.

If I was defending my side, what I did was justified.

Anger in a moment of loyalty can still be Shaytan's work, and I should say so plainly.

Try this

Next time you feel heat rising in an argument, step back one pace and breathe before you act.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 28:14)

And when he reached maturity, and was complete, We bestowed on him Hukm and knowledge. And thus do We reward the doers of good (14)And he entered the city when its people were unaware: and he found there two men fighting, – one of his party, and the other of his foes. The man of his (own) party asked him for help against his foe, so Musa struck him with his fist and he died. He said: "This is of Shaytan's doing, verily, he is a plain misleading enemy. (15)He said: "My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me." Then He forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful (16)He said: "My Lord! For that with which You have favored me, I will nevermore be a helper of the criminals! (17)

How Musa killed a Coptic Man

Having described Musa's beginnings, Allah then tells us that when he reached maturity, and was complete in stature, Allah gave him Hukm and religious knowledge. Mujahid said that this means prophethood.

وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ

(And thus do We reward the doers of good.) Then Allah describes how Musa reached the status that was decreed for him, that of Prophethood and speaking to Allah, as a direct consequence of killing the Coptic, which was the reason why he left Egypt and went to Madyan. Allah says:

وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَىٰ حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا

(And he entered the city when its people were unaware.) Ibn Jurayj narrated from 'Ata' Al-Khurasani, from Ibn 'Abbas, "That was between Maghrib and 'Isha'." Ibn Al-Munkadir narrated from 'Ata' bin Yasar from Ibn 'Abbas, "That was in the middle of the day." This was also the view of Sa'id bin Jubayr, 'Ikrimah, As-Suddi and Qatadah.

فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ

(and he found there two men fighting,) meaning, hitting one another and struggling with one another.

هَٰذَا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ

(one of his party,) meaning, an Israelite,

وَهَٰذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ

(and the other of his foes.) meaning, a Coptic. This was the view of Ibn 'Abbas, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Muhammad bin Ishaq. The Israelite man asked Musa, peace be upon him, for help, and Musa took advantage of the fact that people were not paying attention, so he went to the Coptic man and

فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَىٰ فَقَضَىٰ عَلَيْهِ

(so Musa struck him with his fist and he died.) Mujahid said, "This means he punched him with his fist." And then he died.

قَالَ

(He said) refers to Musa.

هَٰذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۖ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ - قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ - قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ

("This is of Shaytan's doing, verily, he is a plain misleading enemy." He said: "My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me." Then He forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. He said: "My Lord! For that with which You have favored me,) meaning, 'what You have given me of prestige, power and blessings – '

 فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرًا

(I will nevermore be a helper of the criminals!) 'those who disbelieve in You and go against Your commands.'