Al-Baqarah: (60) And when Moses sought water for his people...

The common reading is istisqā' (with a quiescent shīn), which is the lighter form. Abu Ja'far read it with a kasra (short i) on the shīn, and some others read it with a fatḥa (short a). The first reading is preferred as it is lighter and used by the majority of reciters.

This event is the ninth recorded favor bestowed upon the Children of Israel, encompassing both worldly and religious blessings.

Worldly Blessing: Allah removed their extreme need for water, without which they would have perished in the wilderness, just as they would have perished without the descent of Manna and Quail. Allah states: {And We did not make them bodies that did not eat food} (Al-Anbiya: 8) and {And We made from water every living thing} (Al-Anbiya: 30). Indeed, the blessing of water in the wilderness was greater than the usual blessing of water. When a person is severely thirsty in a desert, with all hope lost because there is no water or vegetation, and then Allah provides water by striking a rock with a staff, causing it to split open, the person knows that this blessing is unparalleled.

Religious Blessing: This event is one of the clearest proofs of the existence, power, and knowledge of the Creator, and one of the most truthful proofs of the sincerity of Moses (peace be upon him).

Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: Location of the Request for Water

The majority of exegetes agree that this request for water occurred in the wilderness (Tīh). This is because after Allah shaded them with clouds, sent down Manna and Quail, and made their garments imperishable and unsoiled, they feared thirst, so Allah gave them water from the rock.

Abu Muslim rejected this, arguing that this miracle occurred during their journey to the wilderness. He claimed it was a separate discourse, and the request for water (Istisqā') meant asking for rain in the usual manner when drought strikes. What Allah did—making water gush from the rock—was an addition beyond merely sending rain.

The truth is that the verse does not definitively indicate which scenario occurred, although the wilderness is the more probable setting. This is supported by two points:

1. It is customary in lands to only need to ask for water in rare circumstances.
2. It is narrated that they carried the rock with them because it was designated for this purpose. Just as Manna and Quail descended upon them every morning, water would spring forth for them whenever needed—a situation only fitting for their time in the wilderness.

Issue 2: The Staff (‘aṣā)

There is disagreement regarding the staff:

• Al-Hasan said it was a staff Moses took from a tree.
• It is also said it was from the Sidr tree of Paradise, ten cubits long (the length of Moses), with two branches that shone in the dark.

The Quran indicates that its size was sufficient for leaning upon and for transforming into a great serpent. Such a transformation requires a certain length and thickness, but anything beyond that is not explicitly stated.

It is incumbent upon us to remain silent regarding such debates, as there is no definitive, transmitted, conclusive text, nor does any religious practice depend on them, making reliance on conjectures from isolated reports unnecessary. It is best to leave them aside.

Issue 3: The Definite Article (al-) in "The Rock" (al-Ḥajar)

The lām (definite article) in al-Ḥajar can imply either:

1. Specific Reference (li-l-‘ahd): Referring to a known rock. It is narrated that it was a rock from Mount Sinai that he carried with him. It was square with four faces, and from each face, three springs flowed, one for each of the twelve tribes, running in a stream to that tribe. They numbered 600,000, and their encampment spanned twelve miles. Another narration says it descended with Adam from Paradise and was passed down until it reached Shu'ayb, who gave it to Moses along with the staff. Another view is that it was the rock upon which he placed his garment when he bathed after they accused him of theft. Gabriel told him, "Allah commands you to take up this rock, for I have power over it, and you have a miracle in it." So he carried it in his satchel.

2. Generic Reference (li-l-jins): Meaning, strike the thing known as a rock. Al-Hasan said they were not commanded to strike a specific rock. He considered this clearer as proof and more evident of power. It is narrated that they said, "What if we reach land that has no stones?" So he carried a stone in his satchel, and when they camped, he cast it down. It is also narrated that he used to strike the rock with his staff, and it would burst forth water; then he would strike it again, and it would dry up. They said, "If Moses loses his staff, we will die of thirst." So Allah revealed to him: "Do not strike the rocks; rather, speak to them, and they will answer you."

There is also disagreement on the description of the rock: some say it was marble, a cubit by a cubit; others say it was like a human head.

Our preferred position is to entrust the knowledge of its specifics to Allah Almighty.

Issue 4: The Conjunction Fā’ in {Then it burst forth} (fa-nfaǧarat)

The fā’ relates to an implied phrase, meaning: "So he struck, and then it burst forth," or "If you strike, then it bursts forth."

Here arise several questions:

Answer: It is not impossible for Allah's power to command him to strike the rock, and it bursts forth before the strike, according to need. If one were to argue that this would be more miraculous, it would be closer to the truth. However, the correct view is that he did strike, and then it burst forth. This is because if Allah commands His Messenger to do something, and the Messenger fails to do it, the Messenger would be disobedient. Furthermore, if it burst forth without striking, the command to strike with the staff would be futile, as if it had no meaning. Moreover, the reports state the sequence as: "So he struck, and then it burst forth," similar to {Then it split} (Ash-Shu'ara: 63), implying "So he struck, and then it split."

Answer (Three ways):

1. Fajr fundamentally means splitting, and infijār means splitting open. Hence, the fājir (sinner) is one who splits the unity of Muslims by turning to transgression. Inbijāj is the term for a narrow, small split. Thus, they differ as general and specific, so they do not contradict.
2. Perhaps it first gushed forth (inbajasa) slightly, and then burst forth (infajara) copiously. This is like springs: water appears slightly at first, then increases due to continuous flow.
3. It is not impossible that their need for water was intense, so it burst forth (came out copiously), and then their need lessened, so the water gushed forth (came out slightly).

Answer: This question depends on whether one affirms the existence of the Free Agent (Allah) or denies it.

• If affirmed, the question dissolves, as He is capable of creating bodies as He wills, just as He created seas and other things.
• If denied, then searching for the meaning of the Quran and its exegesis is futile. This is the answer to all miracles they find improbable, such as the raising of the dead or the healing of the blind and lepers.

Furthermore, philosophers cannot definitively rule this out. They hold that the four elements share a common substrate (hayūlā) and that corruption and generation can occur upon it. They also state that air can turn into water and vice versa. They even say that if air is placed in a silver vessel, it solidifies, and water droplets form on the edges of the vessel. They argue these droplets result from the air turning into water, proving this possibility in principle. Terrestrial events are subject to celestial influences, so it is not impossible for a celestial influence to cause this strange event in this world. Thus, philosophers cannot assert its falsehood.

As for the Mu'tazila, since they believe the servant is the creator of his own actions, we ask them: Why is it not possible for the servant to create a body? They offer two very weak paths, which we will mention in the exegesis of the magic verse, along with their weaknesses. If this is the case, they cannot definitively assert that this event was solely Allah's act, thus closing the door on their ability to prove miracles and prophethood.

However, our Ash'ari scholars, believing that no creator exists except Allah, assert that the agent of these extraordinary acts is Allah Almighty. Consequently, they can use the clarity of the miracle performed at the claimant's hand as proof of his truthfulness.

Answer: The first option (pre-existing storage) is false, as a small container cannot hold a great body except through interpenetration, which is impossible. The latter two options are both plausible:

1. If the first (air to water), Allah removed the dryness from the air's particles and created moisture within them.
2. If the second (creation ex nihilo), He created those particles and created the moisture within them.

Discussions in this area are similar to those concerning the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) actions in some battles when water became scarce. He placed his hand in his ablution container, and water flowed from between his fingers until they had enough.

Answer: Each is a dazzling, overwhelming miracle. However, the miracle of Muhammad (PBUH) is stronger because the gushing of water from a rock is known in principle. The gushing of water from between the fingers is utterly unprecedented, making it stronger.

Answer: The people of Moses were numerous. When a large group is severely thirsty and then finds water, disputes and conflicts often arise, potentially leading to great strife. Allah perfected this favor by assigning a specific spring to each tribe that would not mix with others. It is customary that disputes among members of one group are less severe than those between different groups.

Answer: In five ways:

1. The mere appearance of water is a miracle.
2. The emergence of a large volume of water from a small rock.
3. The emergence of water according to their need.
4. The emergence of water upon striking the rock with the staff.
5. The cessation of the water when they were no longer in need.

These five aspects cannot be achieved except through a perfect power encompassing all possibilities, an all-encompassing knowledge of all that is known, and a high wisdom transcending time and age—which belongs only to Allah Almighty.

Regarding {Indeed, every people knew its drinking place}

We say that they knew it because Allah commanded every person not to drink except from a specific stream so they would not dispute over water when needed. The attribution of the drinking place to them is because Allah permitted each tribe that water which emerged from the stream nearest to them, making it like their possession, thus justifying its attribution to them.

Regarding {Eat and drink of the provision of Allah}

There is an omission here. The meaning is: "So We said to them," or Moses said to them, "Eat and drink."

He said "Eat" for two reasons:

1. Due to the prior mention of Manna and Quail, as if He said: Eat from the Manna and Quail which Allah provided you without toil or trouble, and drink from this water.
2. Because sustenance requires water; by giving them water, it is as if Allah gave them both food and drink.

The Mu'tazila used this verse to argue that provision (rizq) means what is lawful (ḥalāl). They argue that the minimum implication of {Eat and drink} is permission (ibāḥah), which requires the provision to be permissible. If unlawful provision existed, it would simultaneously be permissible and unlawful, which is impossible.

Regarding {And do not commit evil in the land, spreading corruption}

‘Ath (committing evil/spreading corruption) is the most severe form of corruption (fasād). They were told: Do not persist in corruption while you are already corrupting, as they were persistent in it. The intent here relates to the common human tendency to quarrel and dispute over water during intense need. Thus, Allah is saying: If dispute arises over this water, do not exaggerate the dispute. And Allah knows best.

Verse 7: {And when you said, "O Moses, we will never endure one kind of food. So invoke for us your Lord to bring forth for us of what the earth grows—its vegetables and its cucumbers and its wheat and its lentils and its onions." He said, "Will you exchange what is better for what is inferior? Go down to a settlement, and you will have whatever you asked for." And they were covered with humiliation and neediness and incurred the wrath of Allah. That was because they used to disbelieve in the signs of Allah and kill the prophets unjustly. That was for their disobedience and transgression.}