goods, then send them into the camp to sell them there. Instruct them that no woman is to refuse herself to any man who desires her; for if even one of their men commits illicit sexual intercourse, you will have overcome them.” They did so. When the women entered the camp, a Canaanite woman named Kasta, daughter of Sur, passed by one of the leading men of the Children of Israel, called Zimri son of Shalum, the chief of the tribe of Simeon son of Jacob. Captivated by her beauty, he rose to her and took her by the hand (1). Then he brought her before Moses and said, “I suppose you will say that she is forbidden to you?” He replied, “Yes, she is forbidden to you, so do not go near her.” He said, “By Allah, I shall not obey you in this.” Then he took her into his tent and had intercourse with her.

Allah immediately sent a plague upon the Children of Israel. Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron was Moses’s chief officer. He was a man of imposing build and mighty strength in battle, and he had been absent when Zimri son of Shalum did what he did. He returned while the plague was ravaging the Children of Israel, and when he was told what had happened, he took his spear, which was made entirely of iron, and entered their tent while they were lying together. He impaled them both with his spear, then came out carrying them aloft toward the sky. He held the spear with his arm, braced his elbow against his side, and rested the spear against his beard. He was Eleazar’s firstborn, and he began to say, “O Allah, this is how we deal with whoever disobeys You.” Then the plague was lifted.

They counted those among the Children of Israel who had perished in the plague from the time Zimri had intercourse with the woman until Phinehas killed him, and found that seventy thousand of them had died within an hour of the day. From that time onward, the Children of Israel gave the descendants of Phinehas, from every animal they slaughtered, the hump, the foreleg, and the jaw, because he had braced the spear against his side, held it with his arm, and rested it against his beard; and they gave them the firstborn of all their possessions and of their children, because he was Eleazar’s firstborn. It was concerning Bal‘am that Allah Most High revealed: “And recite to them the account of the one to whom We gave Our signs”—the verse.

Muqatil said: “The king of Balqa said to Bal‘am, ‘Supplicate to Allah against Moses.’ He replied, ‘He follows my religion; I will not supplicate against him.’ So the king fashioned a piece of wood in order to crucify him. When Bal‘am saw this, he set out on his she-donkey to supplicate against him. But when he saw their army, the she-donkey halted beneath him, and he struck her. She said, ‘Why do you strike me? I am commanded, and there is a fire before me that has prevented me from moving.’ So he returned and informed the king, who said, ‘You shall certainly supplicate against him, or I shall crucify you.’

So he invoked the Greatest Name of Allah against Moses, asking that he not enter the city. His supplication was answered, and Moses and the Children of Israel fell into the wilderness wandering because of it. Moses said, ‘My Lord, for what sin have we fallen into this wandering?’ He said, ‘Because of Bal‘am’s supplication.’ Moses said, ‘Just as You heard his supplication against me, then hear my supplication against him.’ Moses, peace be upon him, supplicated (2) that the Greatest Name and faith be stripped from him. So Allah removed from him the knowledge of Him and stripped him of it; it came forth from his chest like a white dove. This is the meaning of His saying: ‘So he cast them off.’”