سُوْرَةُ الْقَصَصِ
Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 16
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى فَٱغْفِرْ لِى فَغَفَرَ لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿16﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
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.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
رَبِّ
rabbi
My Lord
إِنِّى
innī
Indeed, I
ظَلَمْتُ
ẓalamtu
[I] have wronged
نَفْسِى
nafsī
my soul
فَٱغْفِرْ
fa-igh'fir
so forgive
لِى
lī
[for] me
فَغَفَرَ
faghafara
Then He forgave
لَهُۥٓ ۚ
lahu
[for] him
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed He
هُوَ
huwa
He (is)
ٱلْغَفُورُ
l-ghafūru
the Oft-Forgiving
ٱلرَّحِيمُ
l-raḥīmu
the Most Merciful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
He prayed: "My Lord! Indeed, I have wronged myself [26], so forgive me." So Allah forgave him. Surely, He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
[26]
Sayyiduna Musa’sؑ Prayer for Forgiveness After Accidental Killing:
It appears that the slain person was an old and weak man, and was already close to death. On top of that, with a single blow from a powerful man like Musa, his death occurred. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, even a blow from a strong man does not usually cause death. And the Copt was fighting on the basis that he belonged to the ruling nation. Now, when his death occurred at the hands of Musaؑ, it was, in any case, a crime of killing, but it happened unintentionally. For this crime of accidental killing, Musaؑ sought forgiveness from Allah Almighty. Thus, Allah Almighty forgave him for this crime. In this verse, the word ﴿غَفَرَ﴾ is used. And ﴿غَفَرَ﴾ means to forgive, as well as to cover, conceal, and hide. And ﴿مَغْفَرٌ﴾ refers to the helmet that soldiers wear on their heads during battle. And in these meanings, the use of this word is common. In this sense, the meaning of the prayer of Hazrat Musaؑ would be: O Allah! Cover up my crime or my mistake so that no one becomes aware of it. Lest this very matter could become a cause of sectarian provocation and a precursor to a great trial for the Children of Israel. And it is better that Musa’s prayer be understood in both meanings. Thus, in reality, Allah Almighty concealed Musa’sؑ mistake, and except for the Israelite whom he had helped, no one became aware of this incident.
[26]
Sayyiduna Musa’sؑ Prayer for Forgiveness After Accidental Killing:
It appears that the slain person was an old and weak man, and was already close to death. On top of that, with a single blow from a powerful man like Musa, his death occurred. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, even a blow from a strong man does not usually cause death. And the Copt was fighting on the basis that he belonged to the ruling nation. Now, when his death occurred at the hands of Musaؑ, it was, in any case, a crime of killing, but it happened unintentionally. For this crime of accidental killing, Musaؑ sought forgiveness from Allah Almighty. Thus, Allah Almighty forgave him for this crime. In this verse, the word ﴿غَفَرَ﴾ is used. And ﴿غَفَرَ﴾ means to forgive, as well as to cover, conceal, and hide. And ﴿مَغْفَرٌ﴾ refers to the helmet that soldiers wear on their heads during battle. And in these meanings, the use of this word is common. In this sense, the meaning of the prayer of Hazrat Musaؑ would be: O Allah! Cover up my crime or my mistake so that no one becomes aware of it. Lest this very matter could become a cause of sectarian provocation and a precursor to a great trial for the Children of Israel. And it is better that Musa’s prayer be understood in both meanings. Thus, in reality, Allah Almighty concealed Musa’sؑ mistake, and except for the Israelite whom he had helped, no one became aware of this incident.
