Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:17

Regarding the placement of "he said" (qala) in the saying of the Exalted: "He said, 'My Lord, for that which You have bestowed upon me...'" (Al-Qasas: 17), its rationale is evident. The ba in bima (for that which) is for an oath, and ma is a masdariyah (infinitive particle). The response to the oath is omitted; that is, "I swear by Your favor upon me that I shall refrain from such an act." It is also said that it means: "I shall repent."

His saying, "I will never be a helper to the criminals," is a conjunction to the response of the oath. Perhaps what is meant by His favor upon him is His preservation of him from the evil of Pharaoh, his return to his mother, his distinction over the rest of the Children of Israel, and the like. It is also said that the intended meaning is His forgiveness of him, which is not far-fetched. His knowledge—peace be upon him—that He, the Glorified, had forgiven him, if this statement was made before prophethood, was by way of inspiration or a vision.

Zahir (helper/supporter) means an assistant. Mujrimin (criminals) is the plural of mujrim. It refers to one who causes another to fall into a crime, or one whose assistance leads to a crime, such as the Israelite whose dispute with the Copt led to assistance that resulted in a crime in the view of Moses—peace be upon him. Thus, the application of "criminals" here is a figurative attribution to the cause. It is permitted that the intent behind this is the disbelievers, meaning those who sought his aid and the like, based on the assumption that he had not yet entered Islam. Others said he meant by "criminals" Pharaoh and his people. The meaning is: "I swear by Your favor upon me that I shall repent, and thus I will never be a helper to the disbelievers by accompanying them or increasing their number," for he—peace be upon him—used to accompany Pharaoh and ride as he rode, like a son with a father, and he was called the son of Pharaoh. It is not hidden that the former explanation is more appropriate to the context.

It is possible that the ba is for a suppliant oath (al-qasm al-isti'tafi), in that it is connected to an implied verb of supplication, and the sentence "I will never be..." is derived from it, with the fa occurring in the response to the supplication or a conditional clause. That is: "By the right of Your favor upon me, protect me, so that I will never be..." or "If You protect me, I will never be..." A suppliant oath is that which emphasizes a request, such as your saying, "By God, visit me," whereas a non-suppliant oath is that which emphasizes an indicative statement, such as "By God, I will certainly stand." This is the view of Ibn al-Hajib. It is said that a suppliant oath is that in which the object sworn by suggests affection and intimacy, such as "By Your encompassing grace, show me favor," which applies to the case here, while a non-suppliant oath is that where the object is more general. According to both views, they are two categories of the absolute oath. The apparent view of al-Zamakhshari is that what is commonly understood by "oath" is that which emphasizes indicative speech and constitutes a binding vow; therefore, what is intended by the suppliant oath is a distinct category. Some have considered the application of "oath" to the suppliant form to be metaphorical.

It makes the intent of supplication here unlikely what was narrated from Ibn Abbas—may God be pleased with both of them—that Moses—peace be upon him—did not make an exception (i.e., he did not say "If God wills"), and so he was tested by it—that is, by being a helper to the criminals once again—which is the saying of the Exalted: "And suddenly, the one who sought his help the day before..." This is because an exception does not suit the suppliant oath, as the negation is dependent upon the protection of God, the Mighty and Majestic.

It is also possible that the ba is causal, connected to an implied verb to which "I will never be..." is conjoined, and ma is a relative pronoun. The meaning is: "Because of that which You have bestowed upon me of strength, I thank You, and I shall never use it except in aiding Your allies, and I will not allow a Copt to overcome an Israelite." This is a binding upon himself to aid His allies—the Exalted—like a vow, and there is no oath intended in any way, contrary to those who imagined such. It is not hidden that this, even if the report does not render it far-fetched, is not free from remoteness when considering the sequence.

"Lan" (will never) on the mentioned interpretations is for negation. In al-Bahr, it is said that it is for supplication. Ibn Hisham recounted its refutation by stating that a verb of supplication is not attributed to the speaker but to the addressee or the absent, such as "O Lord, do not punish so-and-so." It is permissible to say, "May God not punish Amr." Then he said, and it is refuted by the saying: "Then may I remain for you immortal, the immortality of the mountains." It is not hidden from you that it being for supplication in the latter interpretation in the verse is not apparent, and on the first interpretation, it is not free from obscurity. Perhaps he who interpreted it as supplication combined "By what You have bestowed upon me" with supplication, and connected the prepositional phrase to something like "Protect me," making the fa explanatory, and "I will never be..." as an explanation of that omitted part, as was said regarding the saying of the Exalted: "We responded to him, and We removed..." Let this be pondered.

Scholars have utilized this verse as evidence to prohibit aiding oppressors and serving them.

'Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from 'Ubayd Allah ibn al-Walid al-Rassa'i that he asked 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah about a brother of his who was a scribe. He said: "My brother has no role in the affairs of the authorities except that he writes for them with his pen what enters and what exits. If he leaves his pen, he incurs debt and is in need, and if he uses it, he finds sufficiency." He asked: "For whom does he write?" He said: "For Khalid ibn 'Abd Allah al-Qasri." He said: "Did you not hear what the righteous servant said: 'My Lord, for that which You have bestowed upon me, I will never be a helper to the criminals'? Let your brother not worry about anything, and let him discard his pen, for God, the Exalted, will provide him with sustenance."

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Abu Hanzala Jabir ibn Hanzala al-Dabbi, the scribe, who said: A man said to 'Amir, "O Abu 'Amr, I am a scribe; I write what enters and what exits, taking a provision by which I and my family find sufficiency." He said: "Perhaps you write of blood being shed?" He said: "No." He said: "Perhaps you write of wealth being seized?" He said: "No." He said: "Perhaps you write of a house being demolished?" He said: "No." He said: "Have you heard what Moses—peace be upon him—said: 'My Lord, for that which You have bestowed upon me, I will never be a helper to the criminals'?" He said: "You have reached me, O Abu 'Amr; by God, the Mighty and Majestic, I will never write for them with a pen again." He said: "By God, the Exalted, God, the Glorified, will never leave you without provision."

The pious predecessors used to avoid serving them with the utmost avoidance. 'Abd ibn Humayd and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Salama ibn Nabit, who said: 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muslim sent word to al-Dahhak, saying: "Go with the gifts of the people of Bukhara and give it to them." He replied: "Exempt me." He did not cease seeking exemption until he exempted him. One of his companions said to him: "What is the harm in you going and giving it to them while you are not losing anything of your own?" He replied: "I do not like to assist the oppressors in any of their affairs."

If the tradition is authentic that a caller will call out on the Day of Resurrection: "Where are the oppressors and their likes, even those who prepared an inkwell for them or sharpened a pen for them?"—then they will be gathered in a coffin of iron and cast into Hell—then let whoever knows himself to be among their helpers weep for his own soul, and let him abandon what he is upon before his grave settles upon him. Among what breaks the back is what was narrated from some of the great ones, that a tailor asked him: "I am one who sews for the oppressors; am I counted among their helpers?" He replied: "No, you are one of them; as for the one who sells you the needle, he is among their helpers." So, there is no power nor strength except by God, the Exalted, the Almighty. Alas for him who sold his religion for his worldly life and purchased the pleasure of the oppressor with the wrath of his Lord. This is, indeed, the flood has reached the embankments and the valley has flowed, covering the villages.