Ash-Shu'araa (The Poets)

13. “And my breast straitens, and my tongue is not eloquent, therefore send for Aaron (to help me).”

14. “And they have a crime against me, therefore I fear that they may slay me.”

15. “Said (Allah): ‘By no means, so go you both with Our signs, surely We are with you, hearing’.”

The purpose of Moses’ wrong action, mentioned in verse 14, is an event that is referred to in Surah Al-Qasas, No. 28, verse 14. Before his prophethood, Moses (as) entered a city and saw that one of his adherents was fighting with one of the people of Pharaoh. Moses’ adherent asked Moses’ help, and Moses (as), supporting him, struck the Coptic enemy with his fist and he died.

This event sent a shock wave across the region and it forced Moses (as) to escape. Although this action of Moses was not done to kill that person, for it was done to support an oppressed person, it caused Moses (as) to be counted as a murderer in the view of the people of Pharaoh.

When Moses (as) was appointed as a prophet, he said to Allah that he feared the death of that Coptic man prevented him from his mission.

It is understood from the word ‘Kalla’ (nay) that the act of Moses (as) was not a deliberate murder, otherwise, Allah may not say to a willful murderer:

“...‘By no means so go you both with Our signs, surely We are with you, hearing.”

And therefore, Moses (as) implies that his breast straitens, and has: not enough capacity for the accomplishment of this mission.

Moses also added that his tongue was not eloquent enough and, therefore, he (as) asked Him to give his brother the messengership, too, so that they could struggle with together.

Moses (as) wanted to carry out this great commandment with the help of Aaron, his brother, in spite of those stubborn oppressors.

The verse says:

“And my breast straitens, and my tongue is not eloquent, therefore send for Aaron (to help me).”

In the next verse Moses (as) implies that, further, they have a charge of crime against him, as they think, because he had killed one of those cruel Coptic people when the man was quarrelling with an oppressed person from the children of Israel.

The verse says:

“And they have a crime against me, therefore I fear that they may slay me.”

Moses (as) feared that the people of Pharaoh might kill him as retaliation for slaying one of them and this could put an end to that great mission.

As a matter of fact, Moses (as) encountered 4 problems on the way of carrying this great mission and he asked Allah to solve them, (the problem of denial, the problem of straitening of breast, the problem of retaliation, the problem of lack of eloquence).

Meanwhile, it gets clear that Moses (as) did not fear about his own life, but he feared that he might get killed before fulfilling his mission, and so he asked Allah to help him more, for succeeding in this struggle.

The kind of means that Moses (as) asked Allah in this connection is a clear evidence upon this fact. He asked expansion of breast (great and extensive soul), eloquence, and commissionership of his brother, Aaron, to participate in this great job.

This matter has been explained in details, in Surah Ta-Ha, where it says:

“(Moses) said: ‘My Lord expand me my breast!” “And make easy for me my task,” “And loose a knot from my tongue,” “(That) they may understand my saying;” “And appoint for me an assistant from my family,” “Aaron, my brother;” “Strengthen my back by him,” “And associate him (with me) in my affair.” “So that we glorify You much,” “And remember You abundantly.”1

Through the next verse, Allah fulfilled this sincere demand of Moses, where the Qur’an says:

“Said (Allah): ‘By no means, so go you both with Our signs, surely We are with you, hearing’.”

This statement means that they can not kill you, your breast will not be straitened and you will be eloquent.

Allah also fulfilled Moses’ praying about his brother and he was commissioned, too, to go to invite Pharaoh and his people to the truth.

Allah never left them alone and He helped them in tight conditions, and they paved the path of the Truth firmly and with assurance.

Thus, by three sentences Allah provided Moses (as) enough assurances of support and fulfilled his demand; by the word ‘Kalla’ (nay) Allah assured him that they could not kill him. Also he would have no problem in speaking and in his job.

And with the sentence /faǒhaba bi ’ayatina/ (So go you both with Our signs), Allah sent his brother, Aaron, to help Moses (as). And finally, with the sentence /’inna ma‘akum mustami‘un/ (Surely We are with you, hearing), He promised them to support them anywhere on the earth.

It is considerable that, in the last sentence, the pronoun has been used in the plural form and it is said,

‘We are with you’.

It is possible that this sentence refers to the matter that Allah is present in all meetings and gatherings that Moses (as) and his brother have with the people of Pharaoh and He hears all their words, and, thus, helps these two brothers to overcome those oppressors.

Some think that since the Arabic word /ma‘a/ (with) indicates support and helps, and this help is not for the people of Pharaoh, they are wrong, but this word indicates the perpetual presence of Allah in all scenes and places. Even he is with wrongdoers and lifeless creatures and there is no place in which He is not present.

The application of a derivative of the word /’istima‘/ that means: ‘to listen carefully’ puts emphasis on this fact, too.