back to front as they are made to swim in it, saying, “If only we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger!” in the life of this world.
“And they will say, ‘Our Lord, we obeyed our masters and great ones, and they led us astray from the way. (67) Our Lord, give them a double punishment and curse them with a mighty curse.’ (68) O you who believe, do not be like those who harmed Moses; then Allah cleared him of what they said, and he was honorable in the sight of Allah. (69)”
“And they will say, ‘Our Lord, we obeyed our masters.’” Ibn Amir and Yaqub recited it as sādātinā, with an alif before the final tāʾ and with the tāʾ in the genitive, as a plural of a plural. The others recited it with a fatḥah on the tāʾ and without an alif before it. “And our great ones, and they led us astray from the way. Our Lord, give them a double punishment”—that is, twice the punishment of others—“and curse them with a mighty curse.” Asim recited it as kabīran, with a b. Al-Kalbi said: that is, an abundant punishment. The others recited it as kathīran, with a th, in view of Allah’s saying: “Upon them is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people” (2:161). This supports the sense of abundance—that is, time after time.
Allah, exalted is He, says: “O you who believe, do not be like those who harmed Moses; then Allah cleared him of what they said.” That is, Allah declared him free of what they alleged. “And he was honorable in the sight of Allah”: noble and held in high esteem. It is said: a man is described as wajīh when he possesses standing and rank.
Ibn Abbas said: He was favored by Allah; he did not ask Allah for anything except that He gave it to him.
Al-Hasan said: His supplications were answered.
It was also said: He was beloved and accepted.
They differed concerning the manner in which Moses was harmed.
Abd al-Wahid al-Malihi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Numaymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Ismail informed us; Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us; Rawh ibn Ubadah informed us; Awf informed us, from al-Hasan, Muhammad, and Khilas, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Moses was an exceedingly modest man who kept himself covered; out of modesty, no part of his skin was seen. Yet some of the Children of Israel harmed him and said, ‘The only reason he covers himself so thoroughly is some defect in his skin—either leprosy, a swelling of the testicles, or some other affliction.’ But Allah intended to clear him of what they said. One day, he went off alone, placed his clothes upon a stone, and then bathed. When he had finished, he went to take his clothes, but the stone ran off with his garment. Moses took up his staff and pursued the stone, saying, ‘My garment, Stone! My garment, Stone!’ until he came upon an assembly of the Children of Israel,”