۞ وَإِذِ ٱسْتَسْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ فَقُلْنَا ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْحَجَرَ ۖ فَٱنفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ ٱثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا ۖ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۖ كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ مِن رِّزْقِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ 60
Translations
And [recall] when Moses prayed for water for his people, so We said, "Strike with your staff the stone." And there gushed forth from it twelve springs, and every people [i.e., tribe] knew its watering place. "Eat and drink from the provision of Allāh, and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."
Transliteration
Wa-idhi istasqa Musa liqawmihi faqulna idrib bi-'asaka al-hajara finfajarat minhu ithna 'ashrata 'aynan qad 'alima kullu unasin mashrababum kulu wa-ashrabu min rizqi Allah wa-la ta'thaw fi al-ardi mufsideen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah recounts the miracle of Moses striking the rock with his staff, from which twelve springs gushed forth—one for each tribe of the Israelites—demonstrating Allah's provision and care for His people in the wilderness. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this as evidence of Allah's power and the fulfillment of His promise to sustain the believers, while the command to eat and drink from Allah's rizq (provision) while abstaining from corruption emphasizes both divine bounty and human responsibility.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan section of Surah Al-Baqarah and recalls an episode from the Israelite narrative to remind the Muslim community of Allah's historical support for the faithful. The context serves to reinforce lessons about trusting in divine provision and maintaining moral conduct, relevant to the developing Muslim society in Medina.
Related Hadiths
The event is referenced in Sahih Bukhari (hadith on the journey of Bani Israel) and Sunan Ibn Majah, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions the twelve springs corresponding to the twelve tribes as a sign of Allah's knowledge of each group's needs. Thematically, hadiths on trusting in Allah's rizq (provision) are abundant in the Sunnah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah's provision is abundant and abundantly distributed with perfect justice—each person receives what they need—and that receiving divine blessings obligates us to use them responsibly and refrain from causing corruption on earth. It reminds believers that gratitude for Allah's gifts is best expressed through ethical conduct and obedience.
Related Ayahs
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
Do you not know that to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and [that] you have not besides Allāh any protector or any helper?
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allāh and the Last Day," but they are not believers.
وَٱلْمُطَلَّقَـٰتُ يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ ثَلَـٰثَةَ قُرُوٓءٍ ۚ وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَهُنَّ أَن يَكْتُمْنَ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ فِىٓ أَرْحَامِهِنَّ إِن كُنَّ يُؤْمِنَّ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۚ وَبُعُولَتُهُنَّ أَحَقُّ بِرَدِّهِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ إِنْ أَرَادُوٓا۟ إِصْلَـٰحًا ۚ وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Divorced women remain in waiting [i.e., do not remarry] for three periods, and it is not lawful for them to conceal what Allāh has created in their wombs if they believe in Allāh and the Last Day. And their husbands have more right to take them back in this [period] if they want reconciliation. And due to them [i.e., the wives] is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable. But the men [i.e., husbands] have a degree over them [in responsibility and authority]. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ فَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
Those are the ones who have bought the life of this world [in exchange] for the Hereafter, so the punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be aided.