“Say: If you possessed the treasuries of my Lord’s mercy, you would still withhold them for fear of spending; for man is ever stingy. (100) And We certainly gave Moses nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel when he came to them and Pharaoh said to him, ‘Moses, I indeed think that you are bewitched.’ (101)”

“Say: If you possessed the treasuries of my Lord’s mercy,” that is, the blessings of my Lord. It was also said: the provision of my Lord. “You would still withhold,” that is, you would be miserly and hold it back, “for fear of spending,” meaning for fear of poverty. This was stated by Qatadah.

It was also said: for fear of their being exhausted. One says, “The man spent all his wealth,” meaning that he became destitute and his wealth was gone; and, “The thing was exhausted,” meaning that it was gone.

It was also said: You would withhold from spending for fear of poverty.

“For man is ever stingy,” that is, miserly and withholding from expenditure. His saying, Exalted is He, “And We certainly gave Moses nine clear signs,” means clear proofs; these are the nine signs.

Ibn Abbas and al-Dahhak said: They were the staff, the shining white hand, the impediment that was in his tongue, which was removed, the splitting of the sea, the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood.

Ikrimah, Qatadah, Mujahid, and Ata said: They were the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, the blood, the staff, the hand, the years of drought, and the reduction of crops.

Muhammad ibn Kab al-Qurazi mentioned the obliteration and the sea in place of the years of drought and the reduction of crops. He said: A man among them would be in bed with his family and would become two stones; and a woman among them would be standing baking and would become a stone.

Some said that they were the signs of the Book. (1)

Abu Said Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Tha‘labi informed us; al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi informed me; Harun ibn Muhammad ibn Harun al-Attar informed us; Yusuf ibn Abdullah ibn Mahan reported to us; al-Walid al-Tayalisi narrated to us; Shubah narrated to us, from Amr ibn Murrah, from Abdullah ibn Maslamah, from Safwan ibn Assal al-Muradi, that a Jew said to his companion, “Come, let us ask this prophet.” The other said, “Do not call him a prophet, for if he hears you, he will become doubly watchful.” So they came to him and asked him about this verse: “And We certainly gave Moses nine clear signs.” He said: “Do not associate anything with Allah; do not kill the soul whom Allah has forbidden except by right; do not commit adultery; do not consume usury; do not practice sorcery; do not take an innocent person to a ruler in order that he may kill him; do not be excessive; and do not falsely accuse others of adultery.”