Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:160
And We divided them into twelve descendant tribes [as distinct] nations. And We inspired to Moses when his people implored him for water, "Strike with your staff the stone," and there gushed forth from it twelve springs. Every people knew its watering place. And We shaded them with clouds and sent down upon them manna and quails, [saying], "Eat from the good things with which We have provided you." And they wronged Us not, but they were [only] wronging themselves.
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: وَقَطَّعْنَاهُمُ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ أَسْبَاطًا أُمَمًا ("And We divided them into twelve tribes, communities").
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: We divided them — that is, the people of Mūsā among the children of Israel. Allah divided them and made them into different tribes, twelve tribes.
* * *
We have already explained earlier the meaning of "the tribes" (al-asbāṭ), and who they are.
* * *
The grammarians of Arabic differed concerning the reason why "the twelve" (al-ithnatā ʿashrata) is in the feminine form, while "the tribes" (al-asbāṭ) is a masculine plural. Some grammarians of Basra said: He meant twelve groups (firqa), and then He informed that the groups were "tribes," and He did not let the number relate to "tribes."
* * *
Some of them considered this explanation weak (yastakhillu) and said: the number can only relate to the word that follows it; but "the groups" (al-firaq) precedes "the twelve," so that "the twelve" is in the feminine form in conformity with the word that precedes it. Then the expression reads: "And We divided them into twelve groups, tribes" — thus the feminine form is correct because of what preceded it.
* * *
Some grammarians of Kufa said: He said "the twelve" in the feminine form, while "the tribe" (al-sibṭ) is masculine, because the expression is directed toward "the communities" (al-umam), so that the feminine form prevailed, even though "the tribe" is masculine. This is like the word of the poet: "And verily these Kilāb are ten bellies (ʿashr abṭun) / and you are innocent of her ten tribes." He let "the belly" (al-baṭn) relate to the tribe (qabīla) and the sub-tribe (faṣīla), and therefore he made the plural of "the belly" feminine.
* * *
Yet others among the grammarians of Kufa said: "The twelve" was made feminine, while "the tribe" is masculine, because of the mention of "the communities."
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: The correct view in this matter, in my judgment, is that "the twelve" was made feminine because of the feminine form of "the portion" (al-qiṭʿa), and the meaning of the expression is: "And We divided them into twelve portions," after which He designated "the portions" (al-qiṭaʿ) as "the tribes." It is not permissible for "the tribes" to be a specification (tamyīz) of "the twelve," since it is a plural, for the specification with numbers above "ten" up to "twenty" occurs in the singular and not in the plural. And "the tribes" is a plural without a singular. This is as one says: "I have twelve woman (imraʾa, singular)." One does not say: "I have twelve women (niswa, plural)." This makes clear that "the tribes" is not a specification of "the twelve," and that the view in this matter is as we have said.
* * *
As for "the communities" (al-umam), these are the groupings. And "the tribe" (al-sibṭ) among the children of Israel is like "the generation" (al-qarn).
* * *
It has been said: They were divided into tribes only because of their mutual difference in their religion.
* * *
The explanation of His word: وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى إِذِ اسْتَسْقَاهُ قَوْمُهُ أَنِ اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانْبَجَسَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَشْرَبَهُمْ وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ (160) ("And We revealed to Mūsā, when his people asked him for water: Strike the rock with your staff. Then there gushed forth from it twelve springs; each group of people knew its drinking place. And We overshadowed them with the cloud, and We sent down to them the manna and the quails: Eat of the good things with which We have provided you. And they did Us no wrong, but they wronged themselves.")
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: "And We revealed to Mūsā" — when We had divided the children of Israel, his people, into twelve groups and let them wander in the desert, and they asked Mūsā for water because of the thirst and the receding of the water — "Strike the rock with your staff."
* * *
We have already explained the occasion for which his people asked him for water, and we have explained the meaning of revelation (al-waḥy) with its proofs.
* * *
— "Then there gushed forth" (fa-nbajasat): then there flowed and welled up from the rock twelve springs of water. "Each group of people knew" — that is to say: each group of people of the twelve tribes — "its drinking place," whereby no tribe entered upon another at the drinking. "And We overshadowed them with the cloud," which protected them from the heat of the sun and its torment.
* * *
We have already explained earlier the meaning of "the cloud" (al-ghamām), and likewise "the manna and the quails" (al-mann wa-l-salwā).
* * *
— "And We sent down to them the manna and the quails," as food for them. "Eat of the good things with which We have provided you" — He says: and We said to them: eat of the permitted (ḥalāl) with which We have provided you, O people, and which We have made agreeable for you. "And they did Us no wrong, but they wronged themselves." In the expression something is omitted, the mention of which has been left out because what is visible was sufficient to indicate what is omitted, namely: "But they grew weary of that and said: we will not have patience with a single kind of food, and they exchanged what was less for what was better." — "And they did Us no wrong" — He says: and they brought about no diminution in Our kingdom and Our dominion through what they asked and through what they did. "But they wronged themselves" — that is to say: they diminished their own share by exchanging the better for the lesser, and the excellent for the inferior.
