Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 60
Quran 2:60 · The Cow · Madani · Para 1 · Page 9
وَاِذِ اسْتَسْقٰی مُوْسٰی لِقَوْمِهٖ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِّعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ ؕ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَیْنًا ؕ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ اُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ؕ كُلُوْا وَاشْرَبُوْا مِنْ رِّزْقِ اللّٰهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِی الْاَرْضِ مُفْسِدِیْنَ ۟
Transliteration
Wa-ithi istasqa moosaliqawmihi faqulna idrib biAAasaka alhajarafanfajarat minhu ithnata AAashrata AAaynan qadAAalima kullu onasin mashrabahum kuloo washraboomin rizqi Allahi wala taAAthaw fee al-ardimufsideen
Saheeh International
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."
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
Remember, from Allah’s blessings upon you, when you were in the wilderness, and you suffered great thirst, so Moses prayed to his Lord and asked that He give you water. Allah commanded that he hit the rock with his stick, and when he hit it, twelve springs appeared from it, the same number as the number of your tribes. Water gushed from them, and Allah made clear to each tribe which was their spring to drink from, so that there would be no conflict between you. And He told you to eat and drink from what He provided for you, without any effort or work from you, and told you not to put your efforts into ruining things on earth.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
And (remember) when Musa asked for water for his people, We said: "Strike the stone with your stick." Then gushed forth therefrom twelve springs. Each (group of) people knew its own place for water. "Eat and drink of that which Allah has provided and do not act corruptly, making mischief on the earth. (60)
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.
وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ 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 ﷺ 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.