peace. The prophets inherited it in succession until it reached Shuayb, peace be upon him, who gave it to Moses, peace be upon him.

Muqatil said: The staff was called Nab'ah. Concerning His saying, “the rock,” there is disagreement. Wahb said: It was not a particular rock; rather, Moses would strike any rock in the expanse of stones, and springs would gush forth—one spring for each tribe. There were twelve tribes, and each spring would then flow in a channel to the tribe it had been commanded to provide with water.

Others said that it was a particular rock, as indicated by its being specified with the definite article. Ibn Abbas said: It was a light, square rock about the size of a man’s head. Moses would carry it in his bag, and whenever they needed water, he would set it down and strike it with his staff. Ata said: The rock had four sides, with three springs on each side—one spring for each tribe. It was also said that the rock was marble, and it was said that it was a kind of soft stone (1), containing twelve hollows. From each hollow sprang a fountain of fresh water. When they had finished, and Moses wished to carry it, he would strike it with his staff and the water would disappear. It provided water each day for six hundred thousand people.

Said ibn Jubayr said: It was the rock upon which Moses placed his garment when he went to bathe, whereupon it fled off with his garment, passing by an assembly of the Children of Israel after they had accused him of a scrotal swelling (2). When it stopped, Gabriel came to him and said, “Allah Most High says: ‘Take up this rock. In it is a manifestation of My power, and for you it is a miracle.’” So he took it up and placed it in his bag.

Ata said: Moses would strike it twelve times, and at the spot of every blow there would appear something like a woman’s breast; it would then perspire, after which streams would burst forth and flow. Most exegetes say that “it gushed forth” and “it burst forth” have the same meaning. Abu Amr ibn al-Ala said: “It gushed forth” means that it perspired, while “it burst forth” means that it flowed.

Thus His saying, “Then twelve springs burst forth from it,” means: he struck it, and it burst forth—that is, water flowed from it—“twelve springs,” according to the number of the tribes. “Each people knew their drinking-place”: that is, the place where they drank; no tribe intruded upon another in its drinking-place. “Eat and drink from Allah’s provision”: that is, We said to them, “Eat of the manna and quails, and drink of the water.” All of this was Allah’s provision, coming to them without hardship. “And do not spread corruption throughout the earth”: al-ʿayth is the most extreme form of corruption. The verb is variously conjugated: ʿathiya, yaʿthī, ʿaythan; ʿathā, yaʿthū, ʿathwan; and ʿātha, yaʿīthu, ʿaythan.

“And when you said, ‘O Moses, we cannot endure one kind of food. So call upon your Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us some of what the earth produces: its herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions.’ He said, ‘Would you exchange what is better for what is inferior? Go down to a town, and you will have what you asked for.’ Humiliation and poverty were imposed upon them, and they incurred wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah’s signs and killed the prophets unjustly. That was because they disobeyed and transgressed.” (61)

Concerning His saying, “And when you said, ‘O Moses, we cannot endure one kind of food’”: this was because they became weary and tired of eating manna and quails. He referred to them as “one kind of food,” though they were two, because the Arabs may refer to two things with the wording used for one, just as they may refer to one thing with the wording used for two. This is like His saying (12/b), “From them both emerge pearls and coral” (al-Rahman, 22), whereas they emerge only from