Session Twenty-Six, Verse 60, The Variant Reading of “‘Ashrah”

Session Twenty-Six

Verse 60 – The Variant Reading of “‘Ashrah” – Individual Terms of the Verse – 1. “Hajar” (Stone) – The Three Possibilities Regarding “Hajar”

February 15, 2025

Summary of the Previous Session

Our discussion concerned verse 60 of Surat al-Baqarah: “And [recall] when Moses prayed for water for his people, so We said: Strike the stone with your staff; and there gushed forth from it twelve springs, each group of people knowing its own drinking place. Eat and drink from the provision of God, and do not commit corruption upon the earth, spreading mischief” («وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَى مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَشْرَبَهُمْ كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ»). We gave a general explanation of this verse; we set forth, in summary, the meaning and content of this verse, and clarified its connection to the preceding verses.

The Variant Reading of “‘Ashrah”

Before we proceed to discuss the individual terms of the verse, I shall note a disagreement that exists regarding the recitation of one of the words of this verse: regarding “‘ashrah,” there are three readings:

1. The well-known reading, or the reading held by the majority of the reciters, is the very reading I referred to at the outset of our discussion and during the recitation of the verse: “and there gushed forth from it twelve springs” («فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا»); most reciters have recited it in precisely this form. There are, however, two further readings here as well.
2. One is “ithnata ‘ashirata ‘aynan,” with kasrah on the shin — this is the reading of Abu Ja’far.
3. The other is “‘asharah,” with fatḥah on the shin.

Thus, these three readings are: “‘ashrah,” “‘ashirah,” and “‘asharah“; the majority, however, have recited “‘ashrah.”

Individual Terms of the Verse

1. “Hajar” (Stone)

The first word in this verse requiring explanation is “hajar” (stone): “so We said: Strike the stone with your staff” («فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ»). What does “hajar” mean here? Its lexical meaning is, of course, clear.

The Three Possibilities

Three possibilities have been put forward regarding “hajar,” though at least two of these possibilities have more proponents.

First Possibility

1. The “alif” and “lam” in “al-hajar” indicate the genus (al li-l-jins). If the “al” indicates the genus, its meaning is clear; as in the expression “idha mata al-rajulu fa-‘ala ahlihi kadha” (“when the man dies, such-and-such falls upon his household”) — here, the “al” indicates the genus, referring to the category of “man” in general.

Second Possibility

2. The “alif” and “lam” indicate a specific, previously known referent (‘ahd); though there is room for discussion as to which particular stone this reference points to. If we say that the “al” is one of specific reference, this means that it refers to a particular, previously known stone, which was familiar at the time this command was given; God says to Moses, peace be upon him: strike that known and familiar stone. As for the nature of this familiarity, it has been said that this was a stone possessing certain particular characteristics; some of these characteristics have indeed been enumerated. For instance, it has been said that this was a stone upon which the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, used to place his clothes whenever he wished to wash himself. Or, for instance, it has been said that this was a square-shaped stone, the size of a human head; this point is mentioned in certain exegetical works, such as Majma’ al-Bayan. Or, for instance, in certain other exegetical works, reference is made to a further characteristic, namely that this was a stone which the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, encountered along the way, and that the stone began to speak, addressing the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, saying: take me up; I shall be of benefit to you and to your companions.

A point that arises here is this: how could it be that a stone this small could, at the same time, have water begin to gush forth from twelve points within it, such that each of these points served as the drinking place for a particular group among the Children of Israel? We have already noted that the apparent sense of this expression is that this stone must have had considerable dimensions; if water gushed forth from the stone itself, this stone could not have been the size of a human head, nor could it have been of a size that the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, after speaking to the stone, could have carried it with him. The very fact that twelve points are mentioned as the locations from which water gushed forth, each point and each location serving as the drinking place for a particular group among the Children of Israel, indicates that this was a large stone. If we were to say that this stone, in terms of its dimensions, was either the size of a human head or of a size that the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, was able to carry with him, we would then have to attribute the bursting forth at twelve points and the gushing forth of water from twelve points to the location in which this stone was situated. That is, the stone was situated at a particular point, or in a particular piece of ground or mountain, such that, after this stone was struck, water began to gush forth from twelve points within that location in which this stone was situated. This, however, is not consistent with the expression “and there gushed forth from it twelve springs,” since its apparent sense is that twelve springs of water arose from the stone itself.

Unless one were to say that “and there gushed forth from it” does not refer to the ground itself, or, for instance, that we should say “fa-infajarat min al-darbah” — that is, that the twelve springs arose from this very strike. In any case, either the bursting forth must have resulted from this strike — though this runs contrary to the apparent sense, for, were this the case, the verse would have said “fa-infajarat bihi” (“and there gushed forth by means of it”), that is, “by means of this strike, twelve springs [gushed forth]” — or we must attribute this either to the location or to the stone itself. If we wish to attribute it to the stone itself — that twelve springs arose from it in such a manner that each served as the drinking place for a particular group and community among the Children of Israel — given the dimensions we have described, this appears problematic. This was so that each group among the Children of Israel could make use of these drinking places as separate groups; whereas, with respect to a small stone, no such possibility would exist — unless we say that these waters, as they flowed, subsequently separated from one another, such that each could serve as the drinking place for a particular group.

In any case, this possibility exists regarding “hajar” — namely, that the “alif” and “lam” indicate a specific, previously known referent, pointing to a particular stone that was familiar to the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him.

Third Possibility

3. A further possibility is to say that this refers to a stone from Paradise; that is, the “alif” and “lam” here indicate neither the genus nor a previously known referent in the ordinary sense, but rather intend to convey that this was a stone from Paradise. If we take the “al” here to be one of specific reference (‘ahd) in this particular sense — that is, referring to that very stone which had been brought from Paradise — certain narrations support this meaning as well. In a narration transmitted from Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, reference is made to three stones that descended from Paradise: “Three stones descended from Paradise: the Station of Abraham, the stone of the Children of Israel, and the Black Stone” («نَزَلَتْ ثَلَاثَةُ أَحْجَارٍ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ مَقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَحَجَرُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَالْحَجَرُ الْأَسْوَدُ») — one being the stone of the Station of Abraham, peace be upon him; another, the stone of the Children of Israel; and the third, the Black Stone.

Thus, three possibilities exist here: one, that the “al” indicates the genus and refers to the general category of “stone”; another, that the “al” indicates a specific, previously known referent, and that what is meant by this reference is a particular and specific stone; and a third possibility, that this stone was a stone from Paradise. This specific stone, however, could refer either to this very stone from Paradise, or it could be a stone that became known and familiar only afterward. For if a particular external stone is intended at that time, it was not, at that time, “previously known” — it became so only afterward.

If we take this into account as well, the possibilities perhaps become four. One, that “al-hajar” refers to a previously known referent, and that what is intended by this is the heavenly referent — that is, “‘ahd” in the sense of referring to the stone from Paradise. Another, that it refers to the genus of stone in general. Another, that it refers to a specific stone — and if it is a specific stone, it would not then have been “previously known,” but rather became known only afterward. And another, that it was a stone that was familiar as between God and Moses — for instance, that very stone upon which he used to place his clothes. Thus, these four possibilities exist.

The possibility that is more consistent with the apparent sense of the verse is that this was a specific stone situated in a particular place, and that either this stone itself, or the location in which this stone was situated, had the capacity for twelve springs to arise from it. This, then, is a general explanation regarding “hajar.”

Question:

Professor: We are discussing these terms; certain narrations have, in some cases, been transmitted on this point, and the question arises as to why this verse states “Strike the stone with your staff” («اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ») rather than “Strike a stone with your staff” (hajaran). As for “the sea” (al-bahr), or the river, this was clear, since it was a particular river; there, the question of genus simply has no application — it was the Nile River, which was parted by the staff. Here, however, “hajar” is a generic noun (ism jins), and it could either have a specific external referent or not.