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Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 60 (2:60)

ٱلْبَقَرَة

۞ وَإِذِ ٱسْتَسْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ فَقُلْنَا ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْحَجَرَ ۖ فَٱنفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ …

Quran 2:60 is ayah 60 of Surah Al-Baqarah (“The Cow”), a Medinan surah of 286 ayahs. It is in Juz 1, on page 9 of the Madani Mushaf.

2:60
۞ وَإِذِٱسْتَسْقَىٰمُوسَىٰلِقَوْمِهِۦفَقُلْنَاٱضْرِببِّعَصَاكَٱلْحَجَرَ ۖفَٱنفَجَرَتْمِنْهُٱثْنَتَاعَشْرَةَعَيْنًا ۖقَدْعَلِمَكُلُّأُنَاسٍمَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۖكُلُوا۟وَٱشْرَبُوا۟مِنرِّزْقِٱللَّهِوَلَاتَعْثَوْا۟فِىٱلْأَرْضِمُفْسِدِينَ٦٠
wa-idhi is'tasqā mūsā liqawmihi faqul'nā iḍ'rib biʿaṣāka l-ḥajara fa-infajarat min'hu ith'natā ʿashrata ʿaynan qad ʿalima kullu unāsin mashrabahum kulū wa-ish'rabū min riz'qi l-lahi walā taʿthaw fī l-arḍi muf'sidīna

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."(60)

Word by word

  1. ۞ وَإِذِwa-idhiAnd when
  2. ٱسْتَسْقَىٰis'tasqāasked (for) water
  3. مُوسَىٰmūsāMusa
  4. لِقَوْمِهِۦliqawmihifor his people
  5. فَقُلْنَاfaqul'nā[so] We said
  6. ٱضْرِبiḍ'ribStrike
  7. بِّعَصَاكَbiʿaṣākawith your staff
  8. ٱلْحَجَرَ ۖl-ḥajarathe stone
  9. فَٱنفَجَرَتْfa-infajaratThen gushed forth
  10. مِنْهُmin'hufrom it
  11. ٱثْنَتَاith'natā(of)
  12. عَشْرَةَʿashratatwelve
  13. عَيْنًا ۖʿaynansprings
  14. قَدْqadIndeed
  15. عَلِمَʿalimaknew
  16. كُلُّkulluall
  17. أُنَاسٍunāsin(the) people
  18. مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۖmashrabahumtheir drinking place
  19. كُلُوا۟kulūEat
  20. وَٱشْرَبُوا۟wa-ish'rabūand drink
  21. مِنminfrom
  22. رِّزْقِriz'qi(the) provision (of)
  23. ٱللَّهِl-lahiAllah
  24. وَلَاwalāand (do) not
  25. تَعْثَوْا۟taʿthawact wickedly
  26. فِىfīin
  27. ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍithe earth
  28. مُفْسِدِينَmuf'sidīnaspreading corruption

Tafsir (commentary) of 2:60

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Twelve Springs gush forth

Allah said, "Remember My favor on you when I answered the supplication of your Prophet, Musa, when he asked Me to provide you with water. I made the water available for you, making it gush out through a stone. Twelve springs burst out of that stone, a designated spring for each of your tribes. You eat from the manna and the quails and drink from the water that I provided for you, without any effort or hardship for you. So worship the One Who did this for you.

وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

(And do not act corruptly, making mischief on the earth) meaning, "Do not return the favor by committing acts of disobedience that cause favors to disappear."

Ibn `Abbas said that the Children of Israel, "Had a square stone that Musa was commanded to strike with his staff and, as a result, twelve springs burst out of that stone, three on each side. Each tribe was, therefore, designated a certain spring, and they used to drink from their springs. They never had to travel from their area, they would find the same bounty in the same manner they had in the first area."This narration is part of the long Hadith that An-Nasa'i, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded about the trials.

This story is similar to the story in Surat Al-`Araf (Chapter 7) although the latter was revealed in Makkah. In Surat Al-A`raf, Allah used the third person when He mentioned the Children of Israel to the Prophet and narrated what He favored them with. In this Surat Al-Baqarah, which was revealed in Al-Madinah, Allah directed His Speech at the Children of Israel. Further, Allah said in Surat Al-A`raf,

فَانبَجَسَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا

(And there gushed forth out of it twelve springs) (7:160), describing what first occurred when the water begins to gush out. In the Ayah in Surat Al-Baqarah, Allah described what happened later on, meaning when the water burst out in full force. Allah knows best.

Read the full Surah Al-Baqarah