Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 60
| ۞ وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ ۖ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا ۖ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَشْرَبَهُمْ ۖ كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- 'idh istasqaa mosaa li- qawm -hi fa- qulnaa id.rib bi- cas.aa -ka al- h.ajar fa- infajarat min -hu ithnataa cashrah cayn(an) qad calima kull unaas mashrab -hum kulo wa- ishrabo min rizq 'allaah wa- laa tacthaw fe al- 'ard. mufsiden |
| Pickthall | : | And when Moses asked for water for his people, We said: Smite with thy staff the rock. And there gushed out therefrom twelve springs (so that) each tribe knew their drinking place. Eat and drink of that which Allah hath provided, and do not act corruptly, making mischief in the earth. |
| Asad | : | And [remember] when Moses prayed for water for his people and We replied, "Strike the rock with thy staff!" - whereupon twelve springs gushed forth from it, so that all the people knew whence to drink.45 [And Moses said:] "Eat and drink the sustenance provided by God, and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption." |
| Malik | : | Remember the time when Musa (Moses) prayed for water for his people; We said: "Strike the rock with your staff." Thereupon We caused twelve springs to come out of that rock. Each tribe was assigned its own drinking-place. Then they were commanded: "Eat and drink of what Allah has provided and do not create mischief in the land." |
| Yusuf Ali | : | And remember Moses prayed for water for his people; We said: "Strike the rock with thy staff." Then gushed forth therefrom twelve springs. Each group knew its own place for water. So eat and drink of the sustenance provided by Allah and do no evil nor mischief on the (face of the) earth. 73 |
Note - 45I.e., according to their tribal divisions.
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Note - 73Here we have a reference to the tribal organization of
the Jews, which played a great part in their forty years'
march through the Arabian deserts (Num. i. and ii.) and
their subsequent settlement in the land of Canaan (Josh.
xxii. and xiv.). The twelve tribes were derived from the
sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (soldier
of God) after he had wrestled, says Jewish tradition,
with God (Genesis xxxii. 28). Israel had twelve sons
(Gen. xxxv. 22-26), including Levi and Joseph. The
descendants of these twelve sons were the "Children of
Israel." Levi's family got the priesthood and the care
of the Tabernacle; they were exempted from military
duties for which the census was taken (Nu. i. 47-53), and
therefore from the distribution of Land in Canaan (Josh.
xiv. 3); they were distributed among all the Tribes, and
were really a privileged caste and not numbered among the
Tribes; Moses and Aaron belonged to the house of Levi.
On the other hand Joseph, on account of the high position
to which he rose in Egypt as the Pharoah's minister, was
the progenitor of two tribes, one in the name of each of
his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus there were
twelve Tribes in all, as Levi was cut out and Joseph
represented two tribes. Their having fixed stations and
watering places in camp and fixed territorial areas later
in the Promised Land prevented confusion and mutual
jealousies and is pointed to as an evidence of the
Providence of God acting through His prophet Moses. Cf.
also vii. 160.
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Here we have a reference to the tribal organization of the Jews, which played a great part in their forty years' march through the Arabian deserts (Num. i. and ii.) and their subsequent settlement in the land of Canaan (Josh. xxii. and xiv.). The twelve tribes were derived from the sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (soldier of God) after he had wrestled, says Jewish tradition, with God (Genesis xxxii. 28). Israel had twelve sons (Gen. xxxv. 22-26), including Levi and Joseph. The descendants of these twelve sons were the "Children of Israel." Levi's family got the priesthood and the care of the Tabernacle; they were exempted from military duties for which the census was taken (Nu. i. 47-53), and therefore from the distribution of Land in Canaan (Josh. xiv. 3); they were distributed among all the Tribes, and were really a privileged caste and not numbered among the Tribes; Moses and Aaron belonged to the house of Levi. On the other hand Joseph, on account of the high position to which he rose in Egypt as the Pharoah's minister, was the progenitor of two tribes, one in the name of each of his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus there were twelve Tribes in all, as Levi was cut out and Joseph represented two tribes. Their having fixed stations and watering places in camp and fixed territorial areas later in the Promised Land prevented confusion and mutual jealousies and is pointed to as an evidence of the Providence of God acting through His prophet Moses. Cf. also vii. 160. |
