Tafseer of The Stories · Al-Qasas · 28:16
He said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me," and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the word of the Most High: قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ('He said: My Lord, I have wronged my own soul; so forgive me. And He forgave him. Truly, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful') (verse 16)
The Most High says, relating Mūsā's remorse over what had happened — his slaying of the man whom he had killed — and his turning in repentance to Allah, and his supplication for forgiveness for that: رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي — through the slaying of him whom I had not been commanded to kill; so forgive me that transgression, conceal it for me, and do not call me to account for it by punishing me for it.
What we have said concerning this is also what the exegetes said.
Mention of who said that:
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي : he said: through my slaying [of him], for it does not befit a prophet to kill until he has received the command to do so — and he had not received that command.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: he recognized the way out, and said: ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ .
As for فَغَفَرَ لَهُ ('and He forgave him'): the Most High says: Allah forgave Mūsā his transgression and did not punish him for it; إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ — that is, Allah is the One Who, for those who return to Him in repentance, conceals their sins, Who grants them forgiveness out of grace, Who is merciful toward people such that He would [not] punish them for their sins after they have repented of them.
