60. " and (remember) when
moses sought water for his people, so we said:
` strike the rock with your staff. '
then there gushed forth from it twelve springs.
each (group of) people knew their (respective)
drinking-place.
` eat and drink of allah's provision,
and commit you not evil in the earth, doing
corruption'."
commentary :
the miracle of water gushing forth in the desert !
again in this verse, allah has pointed out one of the important
favours bestowed upon the children of israel, saying:
" and (remember) when moses sought water for his people, ..."
when moses (a.s.) prayed for water, allah accepted his plea
as the qur'an says: "...so we said: ` strike the rock with your staff.'..."
"...then there gushed forth from it twelve springs. ..."
each of those springs flowed for a definite tribe so that among all
of the tribes of israelites: "... each (group of) people knew their
(respective) drinking place. ..."
there are a variety of ideas about what kind of stone that rock
was and how moses (a.s.) was supposed to strike that rock, and in what
form the flow of water appeared from it. what the qur'an says is not
more than that moses (a.s.) struck the rock with his staff and then
twelve springs gushed forth therefrom.
this incident is referred to in exod 17: 1-6, with the only
difference being that the number of twelve springs that gushed forth
from the rock is not mentioned.
however, the lord, on one hand, sent ` manna ' and ` salwa '
(quails) for them, and, on the other hand, provided them enough water,
easily available, and told them: "...` eat and drink of allah's
provision,
and commit you not evil in the earth, doing corruption '."
in fact, the lord advises them, as a showing of gratitude for these
great bounties, that at least they should lay stubbornness and obstinacy
aside and stop hurting prophets (a.s.). |