Al-Farrā’ said: He said, “twelve” in the feminine form, although sibṭ (tribe) is masculine, because He said, “communities”; thus, the feminine agreement refers back to the communities. Al-Zajjāj said: The meaning is: “We divided them into twelve communities.” He only said, “tribes, communities,” in the plural, although numbers above ten are not followed by a plural distinguishing noun; thus, one does not say, “Twelve men came to me.” This is because “tribes” is in fact an adjective qualifying the omitted distinguishing noun, namely “group”: that is, “We divided them into twelve groups, communities.”

It was also said that there is an inversion in the word order, its intended sense being: “We divided them into twelve tribal communities.” The tribes are clans; the singular is sibṭ (tribe).

His saying, exalted is He: “And We revealed to Moses, when his people asked him for water”—while they were in the wilderness—“Strike the rock with your staff.” “Thereupon twelve springs burst forth from it”: that is, they gushed forth. Abu ‘Amr ibn al-‘Alā’ said: It first seeped forth—and this is inbijās—then it gushed forth. “Each group knew its own drinking place”: that is, each tribe; and every tribe consisted of the descendants of one father.

His saying, exalted is He: “And We shaded them with clouds”—while they were in the wilderness, protecting them from the heat of the sun—“and sent down upon them manna and quails: ‘Eat of the good things We have provided for you.’ They did not wrong Us, but they wronged themselves.”

“And when it was said to them, ‘Settle in this town and eat from it wherever you wish. Say, “Pardon us,” and enter the gate bowing humbly; We shall forgive you your sins.’” The people of Medina, Ibn ‘Āmir, and Ya‘qūb read the verb in the passive, with the initial t vowelled with u and the f vowelled with a: “Your sins will be forgiven.” The others read it with the initial n vowelled with a and the f vowelled with i: “We shall forgive you your sins.” Ibn ‘Āmir read “your sin” in the singular, with the final t in the nominative case. [Abū ‘Amr read “your errors,” while the people of Medina and Ya‘qūb read “your sins” in the plural, with the final t in the nominative case.] (1) The others read it in the plural, with the final t in the accusative case. “And We shall increase those who do good.”

“But those among them who did wrong substituted a word other than that which had been said to them; so We sent down upon them a punishment”—that is, a torment—“from heaven because of their wrongdoing.”

“And ask them about the town that stood by the sea, when they transgressed regarding the Sabbath: when their fish came to them openly on their Sabbath day, but on days when they did not observe the Sabbath, they did not come to them. Thus We tested them because of their defiance.” (163)

His saying, exalted is He: “And ask them about the town that stood by the sea.” It was said that it was Midian, [that is, ask