يَـٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ قَدْ أَنجَيْنَـٰكُم مِّنْ عَدُوِّكُمْ وَوَٰعَدْنَـٰكُمْ جَانِبَ ٱلطُّورِ ٱلْأَيْمَنَ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ 80
Translations
O Children of Israel, We delivered you from your enemy, and We made an appointment with you at the right side of the mount, and We sent down to you manna and quails,
Transliteration
Ya bani Isra'ila qad anjaynakum min aduwwikum wa wa'adnakum janiba al-turi al-aymana wa nazzalna alaikum al-manna wa al-salwa
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah addresses the Children of Israel, reminding them of His favors: their salvation from Pharaoh and his army, His promise to meet them at the right side of Mount Tur (Sinai) where the Torah would be given, and His provision of manna and quail during their wilderness journey. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah emphasizes the succession of divine blessings upon Bani Israel as evidence of Allah's care and their obligation to obedience, while also serving as a rebuke for those among them who later forgot these mercies.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Ta-Ha, a Meccan surah revealed to console the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during early persecution in Mecca. The surah contextualizes the story of Musa (Moses) and Bani Israel's trials and Allah's deliverance, drawing parallels to the early Muslim community's struggles and divine support. The ayah specifically recalls the post-exodus period when Allah provided sustenance and prepared them to receive the Torah.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (3461) narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said regarding manna and quail: 'The manna and quail were provided to the Children of Israel.' Additionally, Muslim traditions emphasize the manna as a sign of Allah's provision, mentioned in various hadiths about divine sustenance and miracles.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to reflect on Allah's blessings in our lives—both collective and personal—and to recognize that divine favor comes with the responsibility of obedience and gratitude. When we remember how Allah has saved us from difficulties and provided for us, we should respond not with ingratitude or heedlessness, but with renewed commitment to following His guidance.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ فَٱذْهَبْ فَإِنَّ لَكَ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ أَن تَقُولَ لَا مِسَاسَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوْعِدًا لَّن تُخْلَفَهُۥ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَـٰهِكَ ٱلَّذِى ظَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفًا ۖ لَّنُحَرِّقَنَّهُۥ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُۥ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ نَسْفًا
[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.' And indeed, you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. And look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will surely burn it and blow it [i.e., its ashes] into the sea with a blast.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى مَنْ أَسْرَفَ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنۢ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ ۚ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَشَدُّ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ
And thus do We recompense he who transgressed and did not believe in the signs of his Lord. And the punishment of the Hereafter is more severe and more enduring.
إِذْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّكَ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ
When We inspired to your mother what We inspired,
وَلَقَدْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنْ أَسْرِ بِعِبَادِى فَٱضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقًا فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ يَبَسًا لَّا تَخَـٰفُ دَرَكًا وَلَا تَخْشَىٰ
And We had inspired to Moses, "Travel by night with My servants and strike for them a dry path through the sea; you will not fear being overtaken [by Pharaoh] nor be afraid [of drowning]."