Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:80

"O Children of Israel..."

This is a narration of how Allah, the Exalted, addressed them after the drowning of their enemy and their deliverance from him. However, this did not occur immediately thereafter, but rather after He had bestowed upon them various forms of religious and worldly blessings.

It has been said that this is an original address to those of them who were present during the time of the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), based on the meaning that Allah, the Exalted, favored them by what He did for their forefathers primarily, and for them secondarily. This has been critiqued by the observation that His saying, "And what made you hasten..." (and so on) refutes it, as it is impossible to interpret that as an original address; the same applies to the preceding context. Therefore, the interpretation is that of narration, with the implied phrase "We said," as a continuation of "We revealed." That is: "And We said, 'O Children of Israel, We saved you from your enemy'"—Pharaoh and his people—when they were afflicting you with the worst of punishments, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women.

Hamid recited najjaynakum (We saved you) with a doubled jeem and without a preceding hamza, using the nun of majesty. Hamza, al-Kisa’i, al-A’mash, and Talha recited anjaytukum using the ta representing the pronoun (I saved you).

"...and We made an appointment with you at the right side of the Mount..."

The word janib (side) is in the accusative case as an adjective for the genitive al-tur (the Mount). It has also been recited in the genitive case, which al-Zamakhshari justified by the principle of "adjacency" (al-jiwar), similar to the saying, "This is the hole of a ruined lizard" (hadha juhr dabbin kharibin). Abu Hayyan critiqued this, stating that the aforementioned genitive case is so rare and anomalous that the Quranic recitation should not be interpreted through it. He stated: "The correct view is that it is an adjective for the Mount itself because of the blessing (yumn) it possesses, or because it is to the right of one who faces the mountain."

The truth is that the rarity does not reach the point of forbidding the interpretation of the recitation, especially if it is anomalous in that regard, and the harmony between the two recitations requires it. His statement, "or because it is to the right of..." is incorrect if we assume "the Mount" is the mountain. If he had said, "or because it is to the right of one traveling from Egypt to the Levant," it would have been correct.

The word janib is put in the accusative case as a locative adverb. Some have forbidden this on the grounds that it is delimited, instead making it accusative as the object of wa’adna (We made an appointment) through extension of usage, or with the implication of an omitted genitive: "the coming to the side of..." Abu al-Baqa’ favored this view. If it is an adverb, the [actual] object is implied: "We made an appointment with you—by means of your Prophet—in that side, for Musa (peace be upon him) to come for the private conversation and for the descent of the Torah upon him." Attributing the appointment to them, despite it being for Musa (peace be upon him), is in consideration of its connection to them and the permeation of its benefit to them; thus, they are all as if they were appointed. The metaphor lies in the attribution, and in that, there is the fulfillment of the station of favor and gratitude in its due measure.

Hamza and those mentioned with him previously recited wa’adtukum (I made an appointment with you) using the ta representing the pronoun. It has also been recited as wa’adnakum (We promised you) from the root wa’d (to promise).

"And We sent down to you Al-Mann and Al-Salwa."

Al-Mann is taranjabin (manna), and al-Salwa is the quail. The mann used to descend upon them in the wilderness like snow from dawn until sunrise, a sa’ (measure) for every person. The south wind would bring the quail to them, and each one of them would take what sufficed him.