Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:133
So We sent upon them the flood and locusts and lice and frogs and blood as distinct signs, but they were arrogant and were a criminal people.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His word: فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ آيَاتٍ مُفَصَّلاتٍ ("So We sent upon them the flood, the locusts, the lice (al-qummal), the frogs, and the blood — distinct signs.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The exegetes differed concerning the meaning of "al-ṭūfān". Some said: it is the water.
Mention of who said that:
14989 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to me, saying: Ḥabwiya Abū Yazīd related to us, on the authority of Yaʿqūb al-Qummī, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: When Mūsā came with the signs, the first of the signs was the ṭūfān; Allah sent upon them the sky (the rain).
14990 — Abū Hishām al-Rifāʿī related to us, saying: Ibn Yamān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ismāʿīl, on the authority of Abū Mālik, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is the water.
14991 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is the water.
14992 — ... he said: Jābir ibn Nūḥ related to us, on the authority of Abū Rawq, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is the drowning.
14993 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is the water, and "al-ṭāʿūn" (the plague) in any case.
14994 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is death in any case.
14995 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to us, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is the water.
And others said: No, it is death.
Mention of who said that:
14996 — Abū Hishām al-Rifāʿī related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Yamān related to us, saying: Al-Minhāl ibn Khalīfa related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥajjāj, on the authority of al-Ḥakam ibn Maynāʾ, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "al-ṭūfān" is death.
14997 — ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad related to me, saying: Ḥajjāj related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: I asked ʿAṭāʾ: what is al-ṭūfān? He said: death.
14998 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rajāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, on the authority of one who related it to him, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is death.
14999 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Kathīr: ( فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان ) — "So We sent upon them the flood", he said: death — Ibn Jurayj said: and I asked ʿAṭāʾ about al-ṭūfān, he said: death — Ibn Jurayj said: and Mujāhid said: death in any case.
15000 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Yamān related to us, on the authority of al-Minhāl ibn Khalīfa, on the authority of Ḥajjāj, on the authority of a man, on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "al-ṭūfān" is death. And others said: No, it was a decree of Allah that circled around them (ṭāfa).
Mention of who said that:
15001 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Qābūs ibn Abī Ẓabyān, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: ( فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان ) — he said: the decree of Allah, the ṭūfān; then he recited: فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ — ("Then a circling [decree] from your Lord came upon it while they slept" [al-Qalam: 19]).
And some of the experts in the language of the Arabs among the people of Basra claimed that "al-ṭūfān" derives from the torrent: the heavy, pouring rain (al-buʿāq) and the all-sweeping flood (al-dubāsh), namely the violent torrent; and from death: the overwhelming, swift, all-seizing death.
And some said: it is the abundance of rain and wind.
And some grammarians of Kufa said: "al-ṭūfān" is a verbal noun (maṣdar) like "al-rujḥān" and "al-nuqṣān", and has no plural.
And some grammarians of Basra said: it is a plural, whose singular by analogy is "al-ṭūfāna".
Abū Jaʿfar said: And the correct view concerning this, in my opinion, is what Ibn ʿAbbās said, according to what Abū Ẓabyān transmitted from him, namely that it was a decree of Allah that circled around them, and that it is a verbal noun from the expression of one who says: "ṭāfa bihim amru Llāhi yaṭūfu ṭūfānan" (the decree of Allah circled around them), as one says: "naqaṣa hādhā al-shayʾu yanquṣu nuqṣānan" (this thing decreased, with decrease). And if that is so, then it is possible that what circled around them was the heavy rain — and it is possible that it was the swiftly all-seizing death. And among the indications that the heavy rain may be called "ṭūfān" is the saying of Ḥusayl ibn ʿUrfuṭa:
The freshness of her traces has been changed by the tearing of the wind and the flood (ṭūfān) of the rain.
It is also transmitted as: by the tearing of the wind with the flood of the rain.
And the saying of al-Rāʿī:
She becomes in the morning, when the camels reach their utmost strength, [like] an impetuous [camel] that the flood (ṭūfān) and the fright overtakes.
And the saying of Abū al-Najm:
A ṭūfān is vast and poured forth streams, a month of rainstorms and a month of hail.
As for "al-qummal", the exegetes differed concerning its meaning.
Some said: it is the grain-weevil that comes forth from the wheat.
Mention of who said that:
15002 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Yaʿqūb al-Qummī, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "al-qummal" is the grain-weevil that comes forth from the wheat.
15003 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿīd, the like of it.
And others said: No, it is the "dabā", namely the small locusts that do not yet have wings.
Mention of who said that:
15004 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "al-qummal" is the dabā.
15005 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: the dabā is the qummal.
15006 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: "al-qummal" is the dabā.
15007 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: "al-qummal" is the dabā.
15008 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, saying: Maʿmar related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: "al-qummal" is the dabā, and these are the young of the locusts.
15009 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jābir ibn Nūḥ related to us, on the authority of Abū Rawq, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "al-qummal" is the dabā.
15010 — ... he said: Yaḥyā ibn Ādam related to us, on the authority of Qays, on the authority of one whom he mentioned, on the authority of ʿIkrima, who said: "al-qummal" are the daughters of the locusts.
15011 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: "al-qummal" is the dabā.
And others said: No, "al-qummal" are the fleas.
Mention of who said that:
15012 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: ( فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان والجراد والقمل ) — he said: some people claimed concerning the qummal that they are the fleas.
And some said: they are small black creatures.
Mention of who said that:
15013 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Abū Bakr, who said: I heard Saʿīd ibn Jubayr and al-Ḥasan both say: al-qummal are small black creatures.
And some of the experts in the language of the Arabs among the people of Basra claimed that "al-qummal" among the Arabs is "al-ḥamnān" — and al-ḥamnān is a kind of tick (qirdān), whose singular is "ḥamnāna", larger than the qamqāma. And "al-qummal" is a plural, whose singular is "qamla", and it is a creature resembling the louse that the camels eat, as has been transmitted to me, and it is what al-Aʿshā meant in his saying:
A people whose sons work [with] lice (qummal), and stout chains, and a tightly bolted gate.
And al-Farrāʾ said: I have heard nothing about that; if it is not a plural, then its singular is "qāmil", like "sājid" and "rākiʿ"; and if it is a noun with a plural meaning, then its singular is "qamla". Mention of the events that befell the people of Firʿawn at the appearance of these signs, and the reason why Allah caused them to appear among them.
15014 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb al-Qummī related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar ibn al-Mughīra, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, who said: When Mūsā came to Firʿawn, he said to him: send with me the Children of Israel! But he refused that. So Allah sent upon them the ṭūfān — namely the rain — and poured some of it upon them, and they feared that it would be a punishment. They said to Mūsā: implore your Lord for us to remove the rain from us, then we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you. So he implored his Lord, but they did not believe and did not send the Children of Israel with him. Then He caused to grow for them in that year of vegetation, fruit, and pasture-grass such as He had never caused to grow before. They said: this is what we had desired! Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and let them loose upon the pasture-grass. When they saw their effect upon the pasture-grass, they knew that it would not leave the crops. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the locusts from us, then we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! So he implored his Lord, and He removed the locusts from them, but they did not believe and did not send the Children of Israel with him. They threshed and stored [their grain] in the houses, and said: we have secured it! Then Allah sent upon them the qummal — namely the grain-weevil that comes forth from it — and a man would bring ten threshing-measures to the mill, but would not bring back even three qafīz of it. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the qummal from us, then we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! So he implored his Lord, and He removed it from them, but they refused to send the Children of Israel with him. While he was sitting with Firʿawn, he heard the croaking of a frog, and he said to Firʿawn: what will you and your people suffer from this! He said: and what could the stratagem of this accomplish? But they did not pass the evening except that a man would be sitting up to his chin in frogs, and as soon as he wished to speak the frogs would leap into his mouth. They said to Mūsā: implore your Lord for us to remove these frogs from us, then we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! [So He removed them from them, but they did not believe.] Then Allah sent upon them the blood: everything they drew from the rivers and wells, or what was in their vessels, they found to be fresh blood. They complained to Firʿawn and said: we have been afflicted with the blood and have no drink! He said: he has bewitched you! They said: how has he bewitched us, when we find nothing of water in our vessels but we find it to be fresh blood? Then they came to him and said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove this blood from us, then we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! So he implored his Lord, and He removed it from them, but they did not believe and did not send the Children of Israel with him.
15015 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ḥabwiya Abū Yazīd related to us, on the authority of Yaʿqūb al-Qummī, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: When they feared the drowning, Firʿawn said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove this rain from us, then we will believe in you — then he mentioned something resembling the narration of Ibn Ḥumayd, on the authority of Yaʿqūb.
15016 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: Then Allah sent upon them — that is, upon the people of Firʿawn — the ṭūfān, namely the rain, and everything they possessed drowned. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove it from us, then we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah removed it from them, and their crops came up thereby. They said: it would not have pleased us if we had not gotten rain. Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they ate their crops. They asked Mūsā to implore his Lord to remove it, and they would believe in him. He implored and He removed it, while there was still a remnant of their crops. They said: why should we believe, when there remains of our crop a remnant that is enough for us? Then Allah sent upon them the dabā — namely the qummal — and it licked clean the whole earth, and crawled between the garment and the skin of each of them and bit him; and if one of them had food, it became full of dabā, until one of them even built a pillar of gypsum and made it smooth so that nothing could climb up it, and placed food on top of it; but when he climbed up to it to eat it, he found it full of dabā. They were not struck by any plague harder than the dabā — and that is "al-rijz" which Allah mentioned in the Qurʾān that came upon them. They asked Mūsā to implore his Lord to remove it from them, and they would believe in him. When it was removed from them, they refused to believe. Then Allah sent upon them the blood: an Israelite and a Copt would come together to draw from one water, and the water of that Copt would come out as blood, while for the Israelite water would come out. When that became too heavy for them, they asked Mūsā to remove it, and they would believe in him. He removed that, but they refused to believe. And that is when Allah says: فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابَ إِذَا هُمْ يَنْكُثُونَ — ("But when We removed the punishment from them, at once they broke [their word]" [al-Zukhruf: 50]).
15017 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: ( فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان ) — he said: Allah sent upon them the water, until they stood in it. Then He removed it from them, but they did not believe, and their land became fertile such as it had never been before. Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they ate it, except for a small part, but even then they did not believe. Then Allah sent the qummal — namely the dabā, and these are the young of the locusts — and they ate what remained of their crops, but they did not believe. Then He sent upon them the frogs, and they entered their houses and fell into their vessels and onto their beds, but they did not believe. Then Allah sent upon them the blood: when one of them wished to drink, that water turned into blood. Allah said: ( آيات مفصلات ) — "distinct signs".
15018 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: ( فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان ) up to His word: ( مجرمين ) — he said: Allah sent upon them the water until they stood in it, and they implored Mūsā, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them; then they returned to the evil that was their habit. Then their land brought forth plants. Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they ate the greater part of their crops and fruits. Then they implored Mūsā, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them; then they returned to the worst that was their habit. Then Allah sent upon them the qummal — this dabā that you have seen — and it ate what the locusts had left of their crops, and licked it clean. Then they implored Mūsā, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them; then they returned to the worst that was their habit. Then Allah sent upon them the frogs, until they filled their houses and their forecourts. Then they implored Mūsā, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them; then they returned to the worst that was their habit. Then Allah sent upon them the blood: they drew from their water nothing but red blood, until it is even mentioned that the enemy of Allah, Firʿawn, brought together two men at one vessel, a Copt and an Israelite, and then what was on the side of the Israelite was water, and what was on the side of the Copt was blood. Then they implored Mūsā, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them — among nine signs: the years [of drought], the diminution of the fruits, and He showed them the hand of Mūsā, peace be upon him, and his staff.
15019 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: ( فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان ) — namely the rain, until they feared destruction. Then they came to Mūsā and said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the rain from us, [truly, we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you; then he implored his Lord and He removed the rain from them], and Allah thereby caused their crops to come up and made their land fertile. They said: it would not please us that we had not gotten rain, at the cost of abandoning our religion; we will never believe in you and never send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they hastened to spoil their fruits and crops. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us [to remove the locusts from us, truly, we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you!]. So he implored his Lord and He removed the locusts from them. There was still a remnant of their crops and provisions left, and they said: enough has remained for us; we will never believe in you and never send the Children of Israel with you. Then Allah sent upon them the qummal — namely the dabā — and it sought out what the locusts had left behind. Then they became fearful and felt destruction approaching; they said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the dabā from us, truly, we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! So he implored his Lord and He removed the dabā from them. They said: we are not believers in you and we will not send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah sent upon them the frogs, and filled their houses with them, and they suffered from them a severe torment such as they had never suffered before, for they leaped into their cooking-pots and spoiled their food and extinguished their fires. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the frogs from us, we have suffered affliction and torment from them, truly, we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! So he implored his Lord and He removed the frogs from them. They said: we do not believe in you and we will not send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah sent upon them the blood, and they could eat nothing but blood and drink nothing but blood. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the blood from us, truly, we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! So he implored his Lord and He removed the blood from them. They said: O Mūsā, we will never believe in you and never send the Children of Israel with you! They were distinct signs, one after another, so that Allah would have the proof (al-ḥujja) against them. Then Allah seized them on account of their sins and drowned them in the sea.
15020 — ʿAbd al-Karīm related to me, saying: Ibrāhīm related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, saying: Abū Saʿd related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: Upon the people of Firʿawn the signs were sent: the locusts, the qummal, the frogs, and the blood — distinct signs. He said: and a man of the Children of Israel sailed with a man of the people of Firʿawn in the boat, and the Israelite drew water, while the man of Firʿawn drew blood. He said: and a man of the people of Firʿawn was lying asleep on his side, and the qummal and the frogs piled up on him so that he could not turn over to his other side. And thus they remained, until Allah revealed to Mūsā: depart by night with My servants, truly, you will be pursued.
15021 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: When Mūsā came to Firʿawn with the message, he refused to believe and to send the Children of Israel with him, and he showed himself arrogant and said: I will never send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah sent upon them the ṭūfān — namely the water — and caused the sky to rain upon them, until they nearly perished, and everything became impossible for them. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us by that which He has entrusted to you; if you remove this from us we will surely believe in you and surely send the Children of Israel with you! So he implored Allah, and He removed the rain from them, and Allah thereby caused their crops to come up and by that rain brought everything in their land to life. They said: by Allah, it would not have pleased us if this rain had not reached us, for it has been good for us; we will not send the Children of Israel with you and not believe in you, O Mūsā! Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they ate the greater part of their crops and hastened to spoil them. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the locusts from us, truly, we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel with you! So Allah removed the locusts from them. The locusts had left a remnant of their crops, and they said: enough of our crops has remained for us; we will not leave our religion, and we will not believe in you and not send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah sent upon them the qummal — and "al-qummal" is the dabā, namely the locusts that have no wings — and it sought out what remained of their crops, trees, and all their plants, and the qummal was harder upon them than the locusts, and they knew no means against the qummal, and they despaired of it. They came to Mūsā and said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us to remove the qummal from us, for it has left nothing for us, it has eaten what remained of our crops, and if you remove the qummal from us we will surely believe in you and surely send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah removed the qummal from them, but they broke their word and said: we will not believe in you and not send the Children of Israel with you! Then Allah sent upon them the frogs, and the houses became full of them, and there remained for them no food or drink but there were frogs in it, and they suffered from it something such as they had never suffered before. They said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us, if you remove the plague (al-rijz) from us we will surely believe in you and surely send the Children of Israel with you! He said: Then Allah removed it from them, but they did not do it. Then Allah revealed: فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الرِّجْزَ إِلَى أَجَلٍ هُمْ بَالِغُوهُ إِذَا هُمْ يَنْكُثُونَ — ("But when We removed the plague from them until a term which they would reach, at once they broke [their word]") — up to: وَكَانُوا عَنْهَا غَافِلِينَ — ("and they were heedless of it").
15022 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Abū Tumayla related to us, saying: Al-Ḥasan ibn Wāqid related to us, on the authority of Zayd, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: The frogs were land animals, and when Allah sent them upon the people of Firʿawn, they heard and obeyed, and they began to drown themselves in the cooking-pots while they were boiling, and in the ovens while they were blazing; and Allah rewarded them for their good obedience with the coolness of the water.
15023 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: Then the enemy of Allah — that is, Firʿawn, when the magicians believed — returned defeated and bound, and after that he refused anything but persistence in disbelief and continuance in evil. Then Allah made the signs follow one another upon him and seized him with the years [of drought]: He sent upon him the ṭūfān, then the locusts, then the qummal, then the frogs, then the blood — distinct signs. He sent the ṭūfān — namely the water — and it flooded the surface of the earth and then stood still, and they could not plow nor do anything, until they were exhausted by hunger. When that reached them, they said: O Mūsā, implore your Lord for us, if you remove the plague from us we will surely believe in you and surely send the Children of Israel with you! Then Mūsā implored his Lord and He removed it from them, but they fulfilled for him nothing of what they had said. Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they ate the trees — as has been transmitted to me — until they even ate the iron nails of the doors, so that their houses and dwellings collapsed. They said the same as they had said before, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them, but they fulfilled for him nothing of what they had said. Then Allah sent upon them the qummal, and I was told that Mūsā was commanded to walk to a sand-hill to strike it with his staff. He went to a great, loose sand-hill and struck it with it, and the qummal poured out upon them, until it overwhelmed the houses and the provisions and deprived them of sleep and rest. When it exhausted them they said to him the same as they had said before, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them, but they fulfilled for him nothing of what they had said. Then Allah sent upon them the frogs, and they filled the houses, the provisions, and the vessels, so that no one opened a garment, food, or vessel but he found in it the frogs that had overwhelmed it. When it exhausted them they said to him the same as they had said before, and he implored his Lord and He removed it from them, but they fulfilled for him nothing of what they had said. Then Allah sent upon them the blood, and the waters of the people of Firʿawn became blood: they could not draw from any well or river, nor draw from any vessel, but it was fresh blood.
15024 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, that it was related to him: that the woman of the people of Firʿawn came to the woman of the Children of Israel when thirst had exhausted them, and said: give me of your water to drink! And then she would draw for her from her jug or pour for her from her waterskin, but it would turn back in the vessel into blood, until she even said to her: put it in your mouth and then spit it into my mouth! And she would take water into her mouth, but when she spat it into her [the other woman's] mouth, it became blood. Thus they remained for seven days.
15025 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: the locusts ate their crops and plants, the frogs fell upon their beds and food, and the blood was in their houses, clothes, water, and food.
= He said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Kathīr, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: When the Nile flowed as blood, the Israelite drew good water, while the Copt drew blood, and they shared one vessel, so that what was on the side of the Israelite was good water and what was on the side of the Copt was blood.
15026 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Abū Bakr, who said: Saʿīd ibn Jubayr related to me: that Mūsā, when he had contended against Firʿawn with the four signs — the staff, the hand, the diminution of the fruits, and the years [of drought] — said: O Lord, this servant of Yours has exalted himself on the earth and has become insolent on the earth, and has used violence against me and exalted himself above You and shown himself haughty with his people; O Lord, seize Your servant with a punishment that You make a chastisement for him and his people, and a lesson for my people, and a sign for whoever comes after me among the remaining nations! Then Allah sent upon them the ṭūfān — namely the water — and the houses of the Children of Israel and the houses of the Copts were intertwined and mixed together; and the houses of the Copts filled with water, until they stood in the water up to their collarbones: whoever of them sat down drowned; but into the houses of the Children of Israel not a drop entered. Then the Copts began to call to Mūsā: implore your Lord for us by that which He has entrusted to you, if you remove the plague from us we will surely believe in you and surely send the Children of Israel with you! He said: Then they made a covenant with Mūsā by which he took from them their pledges. The water had seized them on Saturday, and it remained upon them seven days, until the following Saturday. Then Mūsā implored his Lord, and He lifted the water from them, and their land became lush green from that water, and they remained a month in prosperity. Then they denied and said: this water was nothing but a favor for us and a fertility for our land; it would not have pleased us if it had not been. = He said: and someone had said to Ibn ʿAbbās: I asked Ibn ʿUmar about the ṭūfān, and he said: I do not know whether it was death or water! Then Ibn ʿAbbās said: does Ibn ʿUmar not read "Surah al-ʿAnkabūt", where Allah mentions the people of Nūḥ and says: فَأَخَذَهُمُ الطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ — ("Then the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers" [al-ʿAnkabūt: 14]). Do you not see: if they had died, to whom did Mūsā, peace be upon him, come with the four signs after the ṭūfān?
= He said: Then Mūsā said: O Lord, Your servants have broken Your covenant and violated my pledge; O Lord, seize them with a punishment that You make a chastisement for them, and a lesson for my people, and a sign for whoever comes after them among the remaining nations! He said: Then Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they left for them no leaf, tree, flower, or fruit but they ate it, until they even left nothing to harvest; and when they had destroyed all the greenery, they ate the wood, until they ate the doors and the roofs of the houses. And the locusts were afflicted with hunger, so that they were not sated, except that they did not enter the houses of the Children of Israel. Then they cried out and wailed to Mūsā and said: O Mūsā, this time, implore your Lord for us by that which He has entrusted to you, if you remove the plague from us we will surely believe in you and surely send the Children of Israel with you! And they gave him the covenant of Allah and His pledge. Then he implored for them his Lord, and Allah removed the locusts from them, after they had remained upon them seven days, from Saturday to Saturday; then they remained a month in prosperity, and then returned to their denial, their rejection, and their evil deeds. He said: Then Mūsā said: O Lord, Your servants have broken my covenant and violated my agreement, so seize them with a punishment that You make a chastisement for them, and a lesson for my people, and a sign for whoever comes after me among the remaining nations! Then Allah sent upon them the qummal. Abū Bakr said: I heard Saʿīd ibn Jubayr and al-Ḥasan both say: beside them lay a reddish sand-hill near a village among the villages of Egypt called "ʿAyn Shams", and Mūsā walked to that sand-hill and struck it with his staff one strike, whereupon it became qummal that crawled toward them — and they are small black creatures. And the qummal crawled toward them and seized their hair, their skins, their eyelashes, and their eyebrows, and clung to their skins as if they were pox upon them. Then they cried out and wailed to Mūsā: we repent and will not return, so implore your Lord for us! Then he implored his Lord, and He lifted the qummal from them after it had remained upon them seven days, from Saturday to Saturday. Then they remained a month in prosperity, and then returned and said: never were we more justified in being convinced that he is a magician than today; he has made the sand into creatures! By the might of Firʿawn, we will never believe him and never follow him! Thus they returned to their denial and rejection. Then Mūsā implored against them and said: O Lord, Your servants have broken my covenant and violated my pledge, so seize them with a punishment that You make a chastisement for them, and a lesson for my people, and a sign for whoever comes after me among the remaining nations! Then Allah sent upon them the frogs: one of them would lie down, and the frogs would climb upon him and pile up on him, until he could not turn to the other side; and he would open his mouth to eat something, but the frog would reach his morsel first in his mouth; and he would knead no dough but the frogs spread out in it, and he would boil no pot but it became full of frogs. They were punished with the severest torment by them, and they complained to Mūsā, peace be upon him, and said: this time we repent and will not return! Then he took their covenant and their pledge. Then he implored his Lord, and Allah removed the frogs from them after they had remained upon them seven days, from Saturday to Saturday. Then they remained a month in prosperity, and then returned to their denial and rejection and said: his magic has now become clear to you; he makes the dust into creatures and brings the frogs without water! Thus they caused Mūsā, peace be upon him, harm. Then Mūsā said: O Lord, Your servants have broken my covenant and violated my pledge, so seize them with a punishment that You make a chastisement for them, and a lesson for my people, and a sign for whoever comes after me among the remaining nations! Then Allah afflicted them with the blood and spoiled their provision: the Israelite and the Copt would come together to the Nile and draw, and for the Israelite water would come out, while for the Copt blood would come out; and they would go to the jug in which the water was, and for the Israelite water would come out in his vessel, and for the Copt blood.
15027 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Abū Saʿd related to us, saying: I heard Mujāhid concerning His word: ( فأرسلنا عليهم الطوفان ) — he said: death — "and the locusts", he said: the locusts ate their household goods, their clothes, and the nails of their doors — "and the qummal", that is the dabā, which Allah caused to prevail over them after the locusts — he said: "and the frogs", which fell into their food that was in their houses and into their drink.
And some said: the "blood" that Allah sent upon them was nosebleed (ruʿāf).
Mention of who said that:
15028 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Khālid related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Abī Bukayr related to us, saying: Zuhayr related to us, saying: Zayd ibn Aslam said: as for "al-qummal", that is the qummal (louse) — and as for "the blood", Allah caused the nosebleed to prevail over them.
And as for His word: ( آيات مفصلات ) — "distinct signs", its meaning is: marks and proofs of the truthfulness of the prophethood of Mūsā and the truth of that to which he called them — "mufaṣṣalāt", distinct: they were separated from one another, so that one followed the other and one came after another.
And in agreement with what we have said concerning its explanation, the exegetes have spoken.
Mention of who said that:
15029 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: They were distinct signs, one after another, so that Allah would have the proof against them; then Allah seized them on account of their sins and drowned them in the sea.
15030 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning His word: ( آيات مفصلات ) — he said: one follows the other, so that Allah would have the proof against them and then take vengeance upon them. The sign remained among them seven days, from Saturday to Saturday, and was then lifted from them for a month. Allah, mighty and exalted, said: فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ — ("Then We took vengeance upon them and drowned them in the sea" [al-Aʿrāf: 136]) ... the rest of the verse.
15031 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, saying: Ibn Isḥāq said: ( آيات مفصلات ) — that is to say: one sign after another, one following the other.
And Mujāhid used to say concerning the meaning of "al-mufaṣṣalāt", according to what is transmitted from him, that which:
15032 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Abū Saʿd related to us, saying: I heard Mujāhid say concerning "āyātin mufaṣṣalāt": he said: well-known [signs].
The explanation of His word: فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا مُجْرِمِينَ (133) ("But they showed themselves arrogant and were a criminal people." (7:133))
Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His mention, says: Then these, upon whom Allah sent that which is mentioned in these verses of signs and proofs, showed themselves too arrogant to believe in Allah and to affirm His messenger Mūsā ﷺ and to follow him in that to which he called them, and they exalted themselves against Allah and were insolent toward Him — ( وكانوا قومًا مجرمين ) — "and were a criminal people", He says: they were a people who acted according to that which Allah abhors of disobedience and corruption, out of insolence and recalcitrance.
