سُوْرَةُ الْقَصَصِ
Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 17
قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرًا لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿17﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He said: "My Lord! For that with which You have favoured me, I will never more be a helper of the Mujrimûn (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners)!"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
رَبِّ
rabbi
My Lord
بِمَآ
bimā
Because
أَنْعَمْتَ
anʿamta
You have favored
عَلَىَّ
ʿalayya
[on] me
فَلَنْ
falan
so not
أَكُونَ
akūna
I will be
ظَهِيرًۭا
ẓahīran
a supporter
لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ
lil'muj'rimīna
(of) the criminals
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
In {قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَاۤ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ … : ’’ بِمَاۤ ‘‘}, the letter "ba" is for causation, meaning: O my Lord! Because You have bestowed favors upon me by blessing me with every kind of blessing and covered my actions, for this reason I make a covenant with You that I will never again be a helper of the criminals. It is possible that by "criminal" Musa (peace be upon him) meant the Israelite whom he had helped, because he became the cause of the crime, and it is also possible that by "criminals" Musa (peace be upon him) meant Pharaoh and his people, because they were disobedient and criminal before Allah Almighty, and his making a covenant before Allah meant that the gratitude for the blessings, honor, comfort, and strength You have granted me is that I should not spend it in supporting and aiding these criminals, but rather sever my ties with them and not become a part of this oppressive government. Ibn Jarir and many other commentators have taken this as the meaning of Musa’s (peace be upon him) covenant, and Hafiz Ibn Kathir has also interpreted it accordingly. From this verse, the prohibition of supporting and cooperating with oppressive rulers is established.
