A Critical Analysis of the Approach of Commentators in Interpreting the Incident of Moses Killing the Copt

This is a scholarly article examining a Quranic episode from Surah al-Qasas in which the Prophet Moses kills a Coptic man while defending a member of his own community. The article surveys three interpretive positions held by researchers regarding the nature of this killing: that it was a pardonable lapse without sin, that it was an unintentional killing accompanied by a minor sin, or that it was a fully justified intentional act. The author argues that all three views share the same weaknesses, namely reliance on unwarranted assumptions and inattention to the precise wording of the Quranic account, and calls for a fresh reading of the scholarly debate around this story.