ﲙ ﲚ ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ
And We had certainly given Moses nine evident signs, so ask the Children of Israel [about] when he came to them and Pharaoh said to him, "Indeed I think, O Moses, that you are affected by magic."
Tafsir
Verse range: 17:101-104
In this verse, there are several issues:
The purpose of this discourse is to answer the objection of the disbelievers who said, "We will never believe you until you bring us overwhelming miracles."
Allah responded by saying: {And We certainly gave Moses the Book} (referring to the miracles equivalent to, or even greater than, what you requested). If it had been in Our knowledge that bringing such miracles in your time would be beneficial, We would have done so, just as We did for Moses. This indicates that We did not bring them in your time because We knew there was no benefit in doing so.
Allah mentioned many miracles of Moses (PBUH) in the Quran.
It is narrated that Ibn Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz asked Muhammad ibn Ka'b about the {nine clear signs}. Muhammad ibn Ka'b mentioned the untying of the tongue's knot and the destruction of wealth. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz then said, "This is how a jurist should be." He then ordered a pouch to be brought out, which contained broken eggshells, broken nuts, beans, chickpeas, and lentils—all turned into stones.
Having established these sixteen miracles, we note that the verse specifies {nine clear signs}. This specification does not negate the existence of more, as we established in the principles of jurisprudence that specifying a number does not imply the negation of anything beyond it. We rely on this verse regarding the nine.
Seven of these nine are agreed upon: the staff, the hand, the flood, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood. The remaining two are subject to differing opinions among the exegetes. Since these accounts are not based on presumptive evidence, let alone certain evidence, those narrations (beyond the agreed seven) are left aside.
Regarding the interpretation of {nine clear signs}, the best opinion is what Safwan ibn Assal narrated: A Jew said to his companion, "Let us go to this Prophet and ask him about the nine signs." They went to the Prophet (PBUH) and asked him. He replied: "That you associate nothing with Allah, that you do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not practice sorcery, do not consume usury, do not slander chaste women, do not flee the battlefield, and specifically for you Jews, that you observe the Sabbath." The two Jews kissed his hands and feet and said, "We testify that you are a Prophet. If we were not afraid of being killed, we would have followed you."
This phrase involves several discussions:
First View: It is an interjection inserted into the speech. The meaning is: {And We certainly gave Moses nine clear signs} when he came to the Children of Israel. Ask them. In this case, the request to ask the Children of Israel is not to gain knowledge from them, but rather to demonstrate the truthfulness of the Messenger's account to the common Jews and their scholars. Thus, this question is a request for testimony.
Second View: The command means: Ask the Children of Israel about Pharaoh, and tell him: {Send the Children of Israel with me}.
Third View: Ask the Children of Israel to agree with you and seek from them sincere faith. Under this interpretation, the meaning is: We commanded him to ask them to support you, so their hearts and hands would be with you.
The command to ask the Children of Israel refers to those who were present during the time of the Prophet (PBUH). Although the ones Moses came to were those of his time, since the people of Muhammad's time were the descendants of those who were present with Moses, this figurative reference is appropriate.
Allah then recounted that Pharaoh told Moses: {Indeed, I think you, O Moses, are bewitched} (Al-Isra: 45). There are several interpretations for the word mas-hoor (bewitched):
Moses (PBUH) replied: {You know well that none sent these down except the Lord of the heavens and the earth}. This reply involves discussions:
Al-Kisa'i recited it with a damma on the tā’ (عَلِمْتُ), meaning: You know (and acknowledge) that they are from Allah's knowledge; if you know and admit it, you will be saved; otherwise, you perish. The rest read it with a fath on the tā’ (عَلِمْتَ), which is the reading of Ali (RA). Ibn Abbas read it with a fath on the tā’ and a damma on the mīm.
Ali (RA) used to say, "By Allah, the enemy of Allah did not know, but Moses knew." When this reached Ibn Abbas (RA), he argued using the verse {And they denied them, while their souls were certain of them} (An-Naml: 14), to prove that Pharaoh and his people were aware of the truth of Moses's message.
Al-Zajjaj preferred the reading with fath (عَلِمْتَ), because Pharaoh's knowledge that these signs were sent down from Allah is a stronger basis for argument. Moses's argument against Pharaoh based on Pharaoh's own knowledge is stronger than arguing based on Moses's own knowledge.
Those supporting Ali's reading countered Ibn Abbas's evidence by saying that {while their souls were certain of them} indicates they were certain of something, but the verse does not prove they were certain that these signs were sent down from Allah. They also countered the second point (Pharaoh calling Moses insane) by noting that Pharaoh said, {Indeed, the messenger who has been sent to you is mad} (Ash-Shu'ara: 27). Moses replied, {You know well...}, as if negating that claim, saying: "You know the truth of what I brought with sound knowledge, the knowledge of rational people, and you have no doubt that these verses are from Allah, despite your foolishness."
The structure is: {You know well that none sent these signs down...}. This is analogous to the saying: "And life after those people [is meaningless]."
The phrase {as clear insight} (basa'ir) means clear proofs, as if they are the insights of intellects. The reality is that a miracle is an extraordinary act performed by an agent for the purpose of confirming a claim. Moses's miracles possessed both qualities: they were extraordinary acts, and sound intellects testify that turning a staff into a serpent is a great miracle only Allah can perform. Furthermore, that serpent swallowed the ropes and staffs of the magicians, despite their number, and then returned to being a staff. Such actions can only be performed by Allah. The same applies to the splitting of the sea and the overshadowing of the mountain. Thus, it is established that none sent these down except the Lord of the heavens.
The second quality is that Allah created them only to indicate the truthfulness of Moses in his claim of prophethood. This is the meaning of {none sent these down except the Lord of the heavens and the earth} while they are {clear insight}—meaning they indicate the truthfulness of Moses's claim. These subtleties can only be understood after mastering the science of Usul (Principles of Jurisprudence). It is unlikely that non-rational Usul can overpower the interpretation of God's word.
Allah then recounted that Moses said to Pharaoh: {And indeed, I think you, O Pharaoh, are doomed} (Al-Isra: 103). Note that Pharaoh had said to Moses: {And indeed, I think you, O Moses, are bewitched} (Al-Isra: 45). Moses countered him by saying: {And indeed, I think you, O Pharaoh, are doomed} (mathboor).
Al-Farra' said: Mathboor means cursed, prevented from good. Arabs say, "What thabarak (prevented/diverted) you from this?" Abu Zayd said: They say, Thabartu fulanan 'an al-shay' (I turned someone away from a thing). Mujahid and Qatadah said: destroyed/perished. Al-Zajjaj said: If a man is mathboor, he is ruined; thuboor is ruin. It is known from common speech that someone calls for woe and ruin (wayl wa thuboor) upon suffering a calamity. Allah says: {Call out today for one ruin, or call out for many ruins} (Al-Furqan: 13-14).
Pharaoh described Moses as bewitched, so Moses replied that Pharaoh is mathboor. Meaning: These signs are evident, and these miracles are overwhelming. No rational person doubts they are from Allah, and that He revealed them to confirm me, yet you deny them. Nothing drives you to this denial except envy, obstinacy, misguidance, ignorance, and love of the world. Whoever is like this, his end is destruction and ruin.
Then Allah said: {So he intended to drive them from the land}—meaning Pharaoh intended to expel Moses and his people, the Children of Israel, from the land of Egypt. The meaning of istifzaz (driving out/expelling) from the land was previously explained in this Surah. Al-Zajjaj said: It is possible that istifzaz means driving them out through killing or removal.
Then Allah said: {So We drowned him and those with him, all together}. The meaning is what Allah mentioned in {And the evil plot encompasses none but its authors} (Fatir: 43). Pharaoh intended to expel Moses from Egypt so the land would be exclusively his. Allah destroyed Pharaoh and made the kingship of Egypt exclusive to Moses and his people, saying: {Settle the land for the Children of Israel}, making it pure for them, free from their enemy.
Allah then said: {And when the final promise comes, We will bring you forth in confusion} (lififā). This refers to the Day of Resurrection. {We will bring you forth in confusion} means gathering you from here and there. Lifif is a great gathering of mixed groups: noble and base, obedient and disobedient, strong and weak. Anything mixed with something else is called lafeef. Hence the saying, "The armies were intermingled" (luffifat al-juyush), and "the shins were pressed against each other" (iltaffat as-saq bis-saq). The meaning is: We will bring you from your graves to the place of assembly, mixed together—all creation, believer and disbeliever, righteous and wicked.
{And with truth We have sent it down, and with truth it has descended. And We have not sent you except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And [We have revealed] a Quran which We have separated [into parts] that you might recite it to the people over a period. And We have sent it down in stages. Say, "Believe in it or do not believe. Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall down upon their faces in prostration, And they say, 'Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled.'" }
