وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَى حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ هَذَا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ وَهَذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَى فَقَضَى عَلَيْهِ قَالَ هَذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ ﴿۱۵﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿۱۶﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرًا لِلْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۱۷﴾

﴾15﴿ Wa dakhalal madeenata 'alaa heene ghaflatim min ahlihaa fawajada feeha raju laini yaqtatilaani haazaa min shee'atihee wa haaza min 'aduwwihee fastaghaasahul lazee min shee'atihee 'alal lazee min 'aduwwihee fawakazahoo Moosaa faqadaa 'alaihi qaala haaza min 'amalish Shaitaani innahoo 'aduwwum mmudillum mubeen
﴾16﴿ Qaala Rabbi innee zalamtu nafsee faghfir lee faghafaralah; innahoo Huwal Ghafoorur Raheem
﴾17﴿ Qaala Rabbi bimaaa an'amta 'alaiya falan akoona zaheeral lilmujrimeen

﴾15﴿ And he entered the city at a time when its inhabitants were unaware, and he found there two men fighting—one from his own people and the other from his enemies. The one from his own people sought his help against the one from his enemies. Moses struck him with his fist and ended his life. Moses said, This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a manifest misleading enemy
﴾16﴿ He said, "O my Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me." Then He forgave him. Indeed, Allah is the Forgiving, the Merciful
﴾17﴿ He said, O my Lord, because of the favor You have bestowed upon me, I will never be an assistant to the wrongdoers

[15] Since Musa (peace be upon him) disliked the religion of Pharaoh, he had no attachment to them and kept himself separate from them.
For this reason, he entered the city during midday, a time when common people were asleep.
The word "ʿalā" indicates that his intention was to go at a time of heedlessness.
“He sought his help” (fa-istaghāthahu)—it is said that a Copt (from the people of Pharaoh) was making an Israelite carry a bundle of firewood to Pharaoh’s kitchen, and the Israelite was unable to bear it.
“So Musa struck him with his fist” (fa-wakazahu Mūsā)—helping the oppressed is essential in all religions, so Musa (peace be upon him) struck the oppressor on the chest to push him away.
He did not intend to kill him, but the Israelite could not be separated from him without a blow.
“And he finished him” (fa-qaḍā ʿalayh)—this expression is a known metaphor for death, or the pronoun could refer to Allah, meaning Allah decreed his death.
“This is from the work of Satan”—some people have taken this to mean that it was a sin, because it was attributed to Satan.
The first response is: attributing something to Satan does not necessarily imply sin—because the servant of Musa (peace be upon him) attributed forgetting the fish to Satan.
Since Satan is pleased with such an outcome (where duty is affected), it is ascribed to him.
The second answer: “this” (hādhā) refers to the slain man, and “work” refers to his group or army.
The third answer: since this action had no permission from Allah, and the oppressor could not be repelled without striking him, it was considered contrary to the ideal course of action.
So Musa (peace be upon him), out of fear of Allah, attributed it to Satan—not considering it a sin, but as a shortcoming in comparison to what would have been better.
[16] After feeling regret, he turned to Allah in humility, expressing servitude.
Some people have taken the phrase “I have wronged myself, so forgive me” to mean that this act of Musa (peace be upon him) was a sin.
The answer is: according to the principle “the good deeds of the righteous are seen as shortcomings by those nearest to Allah”, this action, although contrary to what was best (khilāf al-awlā), was not a sin.
However, Musa (peace be upon him) referred to it as wrongdoing and sought forgiveness for it.
The use of the words wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness does not necessarily imply actual sin, but such expressions are often used out of humility and servitude to Allah.
For example, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) taught Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) this supplication: “O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly, and none forgives sins but You, so forgive me with a forgiveness...” (and so on).
“So He forgave him”—this became clear to him through divine inspiration, which is revealed to prophets even before prophethood.
[17] There are two opinions regarding this statement:
The first opinion is that it is a declarative sentence and serves as a promise for the future.
Within this view, there are two interpretations:
First interpretation: This Israelite, in one aspect, was also guilty, and I helped him—but in the future, I will not assist such guilty people.
Second interpretation: Now, while helping this oppressed person, a killing occurred at my hands, and You granted me the blessing of forgiveness—so in the future, I will not help any wrongdoer, but rather I will support only the oppressed.
The second opinion is that it is a supplication, and he used the blessing of forgiveness and other favors as a means to ask: through these blessings, protect me in the future from aiding wrongdoers.
It is narrated from ʿAṭāʾ (may Allah have mercy on him) that it is not permissible for a person to help a tyrant, to be his scribe (secretary), or to accompany him.
This ruling is detailed in the Tafsir of al-Qurṭubī.