WHEN A MISTAKE BECOMES A LESSON

 FAJR REMINDER: WHEN A MISTAKE BECOMES A LESSON

By: Umm Affān

Rabī' Al-Awwal 21, 1448 (3-September-2026)

Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām), under the Protection of Allāh, grew up in the very house of Fir’aun. He eventually attained his full strength and reached maturity. Then, one day, he entered the city and found two men fighting—one from his own people, the Banī Israel (an Israelite), and the other from his enemies, a Coptic.

The Israelite man called upon Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) for help against the Coptic. Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām), taking advantage of the fact that people were not paying attention, approached the Coptic and struck him with his fist. The man died from the blow.

Subḥānallāh! This was how Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) mistakenly killed a person. Yet, he (‘Alayhi Salām) did not simply dismiss the incident as a mistake and move on. He immediately felt remorse and hastened to seek Allāh’s Forgiveness. Allāh (ﷻ) informs us that he said:

رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

“My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.” Then He forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” [Sūrah Al-Qasas (28) Verse 16]

Despite having been forgiven, Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) would still remember this incident on the Day of Judgement when the people would seek the Prophets’ intercession. In a lengthy Ḥadīth reported by Abū Hurayrah concerning how people will approach one Prophet after another, seeking their intercession before Allāh, Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) said:

فَيَأْتُونَ مُوسَى، فَيَقُولُونَ يَا مُوسَى أَنْتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، فَضَّلَكَ اللَّهُ بِرِسَالَتِهِ وَبِكَلاَمِهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ، اشْفَعْ لَنَا إِلَى رَبِّكَ أَلاَ تَرَى إِلَى مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ فَيَقُولُ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَدْ غَضِبَ الْيَوْمَ غَضَبًا لَمْ يَغْضَبْ قَبْلَهُ مِثْلَهُ، وَلَنْ يَغْضَبَ بَعْدَهُ مِثْلَهُ، وَإِنِّي قَدْ قَتَلْتُ نَفْسًا لَمْ أُومَرْ بِقَتْلِهَا، نَفْسِي نَفْسِي نَفْسِي، اذْهَبُوا إِلَى غَيْرِي،

The people will then go to Mūsā and say, “O Mūsā! You are Allāh's Messenger (ﷺ), and Allāh gave you superiority above the others with this message and with His direct Talk to you; (please) intercede for us with your Lord. Don't you see in what state we are?' Mūsā will say, 'My Lord has today become angry as He has never become before, nor will He become thereafter; I killed a person whom I had not been ordered to kill. Myself! Myself! Myself! Go to someone else; go to 'Eesa.” [Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhārī 4712]

This teaches us something profound about a believer's attitude towards sin. A sincere servant of Allāh does not take sins lightly, whether they are minor or major. Rather, when he falls into sin, he hastens to repent and seek Allāh’s Forgiveness. Al-Ḥārith Ibn Suwayd reported: 'Abdullāh Ibn Mas’ūd (Raḍiyallāhu 'Anhu) said, 

إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَأَنَّهُ قَاعِدٌ تَحْتَ جَبَلٍ يَخَافُ أَنْ يَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّ الْفَاجِرَ يَرَى ذُنُوبَهُ كَذُبَابٍ مَرَّ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ

“Verily, the believer views his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain, fearing it will fall upon him. The wicked views his sins as if they were a fly passing over his nose.” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5949]

We should also remember the example of Prophet Ādam (‘Alayhi Salām) and his wife. They disobeyed Allāh by eating from the tree which they had been commanded not to approach. But when they realized their transgression, they did not persist in their disobedience or attempt to justify what they had done. Instead, they immediately turned to Allāh in repentance. Allāh (ﷻ) informs us that they said:

رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

“Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.” [Sūrah Al-Araf (7) Verse 23]

Then Allāh forgave them, just as He forgave Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām). Dear Brethren! Never allow the weight of your sins to make you despair of Allāh’s Mercy. Whatever your sins may be, Allāh is Ever-Ready to accept the sincere repentance of His servants. Turn back to Him, seek His Forgiveness, and He will forgive you.

After Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) accidentally killed the Coptic man and sought Allāh’s Forgiveness, he nevertheless remained fearful of the consequences of what had happened. Allāh (ﷻ) reveals:

فَأَصْبَحَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ خَائِفًا يَتَرَقَّبُ

“So he became afraid, looking about in the city (waiting as to what will be the result of his crime of killing).” [Sūrah Al-Qasas (28) Verse 18]

The following day, Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) encountered the same Israelite man whom he had previously helped. The man was now involved in another fight with a Coptic. As Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) passed by, the Israelite again called upon him for help. Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) responded to him, and Allāh (ﷻ) informs us that he said:

إِنَّكَ لَغَوِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ

“Verily, you are a plain misleader!” [Sūrah Al-Qasas (28) Verse 18]

Despite this, Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) still intended to assist him. However, the Israelite man, perhaps overcome by fear and weakness, assumed that Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) intended to harm him. In self-defense, he exclaimed, as Allāh (ﷻ) narrates:

يَا مُوسَىٰ أَتُرِيدُ أَن تَقْتُلَنِي كَمَا قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا بِالْأَمْسِ إِن تُرِيدُ إِلَّا أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا تُرِيدُ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُصْلِحِينَ

“O Mūsā! Is it your intention to kill me as you killed a man yesterday? Your aim is nothing but to become a tyrant in the land, and not to be one of those who do right.” [Sūrah Al-Qasas (28) Verse 19]

Subḥānallāh! The secret was suddenly exposed. When the other Coptic heard what had happened, he reported the incident to Fir’aun. Fir’aun consequently became aware of what Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) had done. He became furious and resolved to kill him. He then sent people to pursue Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām).

It was a great mercy from Allāh that the matter was exposed, because the Israelite man's statement alerted Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) to the danger he was facing. Had the matter remained hidden, the consequences could have been even more serious.

There is a saying: “Once beaten, twice shy.” A negative experience can make a person more cautious and less likely to repeat the same mistake. This meaning is also reflected in the statement of the Prophet (ﷺ). Abū Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

لَا يُلْدَغُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ جُحْرٍ وَاحِدٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ

“The believer is not stung twice from the same hole.” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6133, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2998]

Therefore, we should learn from our experiences and exercise wisdom and caution. A believer should not knowingly expose himself to the same danger repeatedly or ignore genuine warning signs after having already experienced harm.

The story of Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) teaches us that even when a person makes a serious mistake, the correct response is not to despair or become paralyzed by guilt. Rather, he should acknowledge his wrongdoing, turn immediately to Allāh, seek His Forgiveness, and learn from what happened. At the same time, we should never treat sin as something insignificant. The believer fears his sins, hastens to repent, and remains conscious of their consequences—even after Allāh has forgiven him.

I beseech Allāh (ﷻ) to increase us in guidance, grant us sincere repentance, protect us from repeating our mistakes, and forgive all our transgressions. Aameen