Session Thirty-One, Verse 60, The Five Parts of the Verse, Part Three

Session Thirty-One

Verse 60 – The Five Parts of the Verse – Part Three: “And There Gushed Forth from It Twelve Springs” – Points One, Two, and Three

April 20, 2025

Part Three: “And There Gushed Forth from It Twelve Springs”

We have noted that the third part of verse 60 contains several points; we offered a general explanation regarding this part. “And there gushed forth from it twelve springs, each group of people knowing its own drinking place” («فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَشْرَبَهُمْ»). The third part contains several points, which we shall now set forth.

Point One

The first point is this: in this verse, it states “and there gushed forth from it twelve springs” («فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا») — the discussion here concerns the infijar (bursting forth) of water. In Surat al-A’raf, however, it states: “And We revealed to Moses, when his people asked him for water: Strike the stone with your staff; and there gushed forth from it twelve springs, each group of people knowing its own drinking place” («وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى إِذِ اسْتَسْقَاهُ قَوْمُهُ أَنِ اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانْبَجَسَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَشْرَبَهُمْ»). The difference between these two verses lies in the words “infajarat” and “inbajasat.” “Infijar” means the emergence of water in abundance and with force; when the verse speaks of the infijar of water, it means that the water surged forth forcefully. “Inbijas,” however, means the emergence of water in a small quantity — that is, neither forcefully nor abundantly. The question that arises is: is there not a contradiction between these two verses? In one place, the verse states that the water emerged with force and abundance, surging forth; yet in another place, it states that the water emerged from this stone only in a small quantity. In response to this question, the late al-Razi, in al-Tafsir al-Kabir, has put forward three aspects.

First aspect: “fajr” originally means splitting (shaqq), and “infijar” means a splitting open; “fajir” (transgressor) is likewise so called for this reason — “yashuqqu ‘asa al-muslimin bi-khurujihi ila al-fusuq” (“he splits the staff of the Muslims through his departure into transgression”). “Inbijas,” too, is a noun denoting splitting, but a limited, minor splitting — “ismun lil-shaqq al-dayyiq al-qalil” (“a noun for a narrow, slight splitting”). Hence, both terms carry the meaning of splitting, but “inbijas” denotes a particular kind of splitting. The difference between “infajarat” and “inbajasat” is, in fact, a difference of the general and the specific (‘amm wa khass), and there is no contradiction between the general and the specific.

Second aspect: the second aspect is that “inbijas,” which denotes a minor emergence, occurred at the very outset of the water’s coming forth from the stone, whereas “infijar” occurred subsequently. When the strike of the staff took place, the water initially emerged from the stone in a small quantity; then it burst forth a second time, suddenly becoming forceful and abundant. This is a natural occurrence; springs, too, are generally of this kind. The emergence and gushing forth of oil from the ground is likewise of this kind — it gradually begins to emerge from the ground. Springs of water, too, are generally of this kind: water gradually emerges from the ground, and then, once the passage opens, it suddenly bursts forth, emerging with force and abundance.

Third aspect: “infijar” and “inbijas” relate to the intensity and the diminishment of need; that is, when they were in need, this water emerged in the manner of infijar; then, once their need diminished, it would emerge from this stone in the manner of inbijas.

Apart from the first aspect, which is itself also not to be rejected, the second and third aspects may well suffice to dispel the apparent suggestion of contradiction. Verse 60 of Surat al-Baqarah refers to the continuation of the water’s emergence; verse 160 of Surat al-A’raf refers to the beginning of the water’s emergence. Hence, there is no conflict or contradiction whatsoever between them. Or, for instance, we might say that, at first, when their need was intense, the water emerged in the manner of infijar, and then, as their need diminished, this gradually subsided and emerged in a lesser quantity. It appears that these two aspects are acceptable, and perhaps the second aspect is, in a certain sense, preferable to the third.

Question:

Professor: Variation in the narration of stories and accounts is a conventional matter in the Qur’an; we have already noted that, in this very narrative of the Children of Israel and the nature of their relationship with the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, what is recorded in these verses in Surat al-Baqarah is, by and large, also found in Surat al-A’raf; yet several differences exist even here. We have already noted, in the preceding verses, the differences between corresponding passages in these two surahs, and we have likewise explained the basis for these differences. The reason for this is that God Almighty, in narrating stories in the Qur’an, intends to extract and convey certain messages to His audience; the principal purpose behind the mention of these narratives in the Qur’an, and their repetition, is to extract or convey messages and lessons from these narratives to the audience. On this basis, the Qur’an is not bound to narrate a single story with one and the same expression, word, and form in every instance — for, indeed, such repetition in this manner might itself, in some sense, give rise to tedium. Moreover, in each particular passage, a particular purpose is pursued through this narration, and a particular point is intended. Hence, the existence of these differences in expression, or even, at times, differences in sequence between what appears in Surat al-A’raf and Surat al-Baqarah — we have cited several such instances. The answer to all these questions, doubts, or ambiguities is that the purpose behind narrating these stories lies in the lessons that the audience must draw from them, and in the particular messages that God Almighty wishes to convey to the audience through these narratives; in each passage, emphasis is placed on a particular point or matter. This, then, is in no way inconsistent with divine wisdom, since, throughout all of these instances, the overall framework remains intact. Among rational people, in books, and in writings, this is a conventional matter, and no difficulty appears to arise from it.

Point Two

The narration of this episode is, in fact, an account of a miracle in the story of the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, and the Children of Israel; thus far, God Almighty has narrated several miracles that occurred on the part of the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, on behalf of the Children of Israel. Here too, when the verse states “We said: Strike the stone with your staff; and there gushed forth from it twelve springs” («قُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا»), what is the miraculous aspect here? Several aspects of this miracle may be cited here.

First aspect: one is the very appearance and emergence of water itself, wherever this might occur; at the point where the Children of Israel requested water from the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, there was no spring or river, while they were in severe distress from thirst and had requested water. Hence, the very making of water available — whether from a stone, whether through striking it or without striking it — was itself a miracle.

Second aspect: the fact that such a great quantity of water emerged from a single boulder is, in itself, a further aspect of this miracle. At times, water becomes available to a group in a quantity not particularly noteworthy; this is especially significant given that large population, which, according to certain accounts, numbered six hundred thousand people. Hence, the second aspect is the emergence of water of this volume from a single location.

Third aspect: this water emerged for as long as they had need of it, and in a manner proportionate to their need. This water was sufficient for all of them, in such a manner that twelve drinking places were established for that population. A further aspect is that, once their thirst was satisfied, the flow of water likewise ceased; that is, it was as though water had been prepared in advance, for the purpose of satisfying the thirst of a specific population — this is no small matter.

Fourth aspect: a further aspect is precisely that which is explicitly stated in the verse itself: “We said: Strike the stone with your staff; and there gushed forth from it twelve springs” («قُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا»). We have noted that “fa-infajarat” relates, in the implied form, to the striking — that is, “fadaraba wa-infajarat” (“he struck, and it gushed forth”). This bursting forth of water as a consequence of the striking is itself a further aspect of this miracle.

Point Three

A similar miracle has been related concerning the Prophet, peace be upon him, namely that water flowed forth from between the fingers of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The question then arises: is this miracle greater, or is the miracle that occurred for the Prophet, peace be upon him, greater? That is, is the flow of water resulting from the striking of the staff upon the stone greater, or the flow of water from between the fingers of the Prophet, peace be upon him? That both are miracles is clear; but the emergence of water from between the fingers is certainly greater and more powerful than the emergence of water from the stone. For the emergence of water from a stone is not an entirely unconventional matter; it is true that this occurred through the striking of the staff, but water does, after all, spring forth from the ground. The emergence of water from between the fingers, however, is, in fact, a matter that appears stronger and more compelling in terms of its miraculous quality.

Topic of the Next Session

Several further points remain, which, God willing, we shall set forth in the coming session.