Tarikh (al-Tabari) 211
The story of Moses the one who spoke with Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
الْآيَاتِ الَّتِي أُرْسِلَتْ عَلَى قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ لَمَّا فُرِغَ مِنْ أَمْرِ السَّحَرَةِ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنْ فِرْعَوْنُ أُرْسِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْآيَاتُ. وَقَدْ زَعَمَ السُّدِّيُّ أَنَّ الْآيَاتِ أُرْسِلَتْ قَبْلَ لِقَاءِ السَّحَرَةِ. وَالْمَقْصُودُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَمْ يُهْلِكْهُمْ إِلَّا بَعْدَ إِقَامَةِ الْحُجَجِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَإِرْسَالِ الرَّسُولِ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَإِزَاحَةِ الشُّبَهِ عَنْهُمْ، وَأَخْذِ الْحُجَّةِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْهُمْ، فَبِالتَّرْهِيبِ تَارَةً وَالتَّرْغِيبِ أُخْرَى، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ بِالسِّنِينَ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ فَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُوا لَنَا هَذِهِ وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُوا بِمُوسَى وَمَنْ مَعَهُ أَلَا إِنَّمَا طَائِرُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ وَقَالُوا مَهْمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِ مِنْ آيَةٍ لِتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ آيَاتٍ مُفَصَّلَاتٍ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا مُجْرِمِينَ الْأَعْرَافِ: 130 - 133 ]. فالله تعالى ابْتَلَى آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ، وَهُمْ قَوْمُهُ مِنَ الْقِبْطِ، بِالسِّنِينَ، وَهِيَ أَعْوَامُ الْجَدْبِ الَّتِي لَا يُسْتَغَلُّ فِيهَا زَرْعٌ وَلَا يُنْتَفَعُ بِضَرْعٍ. وَقَوْلُهُ: وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَهِيَ قِلَّةُ الثِّمَارِ مِنَ الْأَشْجَارِ، لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ أَيْ; فَلَمْ يَنْتَفِعُوا وَلَمْ يَرْعَوُوا، بَلْ تَمَرَّدُوا وَاسْتَمَرُّوا عَلَى كُفْرِهِمْ وَعِنَادِهِمْ فَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ وَهُوَ الْخِصْبُ وَنَحْوُهُ قَالُوا لَنَا هَذِهِ أَيْ; هَذَا الَّذِي نَسْتَحِقُّهُ وَهَذَا الَّذِي يَلِيقُ بِنَا، وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُوا بِمُوسَى وَمَنْ مَعَهُ أَيْ; يَقُولُونَ هَذَا; بِشُؤْمِهِمْ أَصَابَنَا هَذَا. وَلَا يَقُولُونَ فِي الْأَوَّلِ: إِنَّهُ بَرَكَتُهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مُجَاوَرَتِهِمْ، وَلَكِنَّ قُلُوبَهُمْ مُنْكِرَةٌ مُسْتَكْبِرَةٌ نَافِرَةٌ عَنِ الْحَقِّ، إِذَا جَاءَ الشَّرُّ أَسْنَدُوهُ إِلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ رَأَوْا خَيْرًا ادَّعَوْهُ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَلَا إِنَّمَا طَائِرُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَيِ; اللَّهُ يَجْزِيهِمْ عَلَى هَذَا أَوْفَرَ الْجَزَاءِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ وَقَالُوا مَهْمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِ مِنْ آيَةٍ لِتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ أَيْ; مَهْمَا جِئْتَنَا بِهِ مِنَ الْآيَاتِ، وَهِيَ الْخَوَارِقُ لِلْعَادَاتِ فَلَسْنَا نُؤْمِنُ بِكَ وَلَا نَتَّبِعُكَ وَلَا نُطِيعُكَ وَلَوْ جِئْتَنَا بِكُلِّ آيَةٍ. وَهَكَذَا أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فِي قَوْلِهِ: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ وَلَوْ جَاءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ آيَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ [ يُونُسَ: 96، 97 ]. فأرسل الله عليهم الطُّوفَانُ، وهُوَ كَثْرَةُ الْأَمْطَارِ الْمُتْلِفَةِ لِلزُّرُوعِ وَالثِّمَارِ. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَعَطَاءٍ: هُوَ كَثْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: الطُّوفَانُ الْمَاءُ، وَالطَّاعُونُ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: أَمْرٌ طَافَ بِهِمْ. وَأَمَّا الْجَرَادُ فَمَعْرُوفٌ. وَعَنْ سَلْمَانَ الْفَارِسِيِّ، قَالَ: سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنِ الْجَرَادِ، فَقَالَ: أَكْثَرُ جُنُودِ اللَّهِ، لَا آكُلُهُ وَلَا أُحَرِّمُهُ وَتَرْكُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَكْلَهُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّقَذُّرِ لَهُ; كَمَا تَرَكَ أَكْلَ الضَّبِّ، وَتَنَزَّهَ عَنْ أَكْلِ الْبَصَلِ وَالثُّومِ وَالْكُرَّاثِ، لِمَا ثَبَتَ فِي " الصَّحِيحَيْنِ "، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى، قَالَ: غَزْونَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ سَبْعَ غَزَوَاتٍ نَأْكُلُ الْجَرَادَ. وَالْمَقْصُودُ أَنَّهُ اسْتَاقَ خَضْرَاءَهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ لَهُمْ زُرُوعًا وَلَا ثِمَارًا، وَلَا سَبَدًا وَلَا لَبَدًا. من الآيات التي أرسلت على بني إسرائيل القمل وَأَمَّا الْقُمَّلُ، فَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: هُوَ السُّوسُ الَّذِي يَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْحِنْطَةِ، وَعَنْهُ، أَنَّهُ الْجَرَادُ الصِّغَارُ الَّذِي لَا أَجْنِحَةَ لَهُ.وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ، وَالْحَسَنُ: هُوَ دَوَابُّ سُودٌ صِغَارٌ. وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ: هِيَ الْبَرَاغِيثُ. وَحَكَى ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ عَنْ أَهْلِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ أَنَّهَا الْحَمْنَانُ. وَهُوَ صِغَارُ الْقِرْدَانِ فَوْقَ الْقَمْقَامَةِ، فَدَخَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْبُيُوتَ وَالْفُرُشَ، فَلَمْ يَقِرَّ لَهُمْ قَرَارٌ، وَلَمْ يُمْكِنْهُمْ مَعَهُ الْغَمْضُ وَلَا الْعَيْشُ. وَفَسَّرَهُ عَطَاءُ بْنُ السَّائِبِ بِهَذَا الْقُمَّلِ الْمَعْرُوفِ. إرسال الضفادع على قوم فرعون وَأَمَّا الضَّفَادِعُ فَمَعْرُوفَةٌ، لَبَّسَتْهُمْ حَتَّى كَانَتْ تَسْقُطُ فِي أَطَعِمَاتِهِمْ وَأَوَانِيهِمْ، حَتَّى إِنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ إِذَا فَتَحَ فَمَهُ لِطَعَامٍ أَوْ شَرَابٍ، سَقَطَتْ فِي فِيهِ ضِفْدِعَةٌ مِنْ تِلْكَ الضَّفَادِعِ. وَأَمَّا الدَّمُ فَكَانَ قَدْ مُزِجَ مَاؤُهُمْ كُلُّهُ بِهِ، فَلَا يَسْتَقُونَ مِنَ النِّيلِ شَيْئًا إِلَّا وَجَدُوهُ دَمًا عَبِيطًا، وَلَا مِنْ نَهْرٍ وَلَا بِئْرٍ وَلَا شَيْءٍ إِلَّا كَانَ دَمًا فِي السَّاعَةِ الرَّاهِنَةِ. هَذَا كُلُّهُ، وَلَمْ يَنَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ. وَهَذَا مِنْ تَمَامِ الْمُعْجِزَةِ الْبَاهِرَةِ، وَالْحُجَّةِ الْقَاطِعَةِ أَنَّ هَذَا كُلَّهُ يَحْصُلُ لَهُمْ عَنْ فِعْلِ مُوسَى، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، فَيَنَالُهُمْ عَنْ آخِرِهِمْ، وَلَا يَحْصُلُ هَذَا لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، وَفِي هَذَا أَدَلُّ دَلِيلٍ. قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: فَرَجَعَ عَدُوُّ اللَّهِ فِرْعَوْنُ حِينَ آمَنَتِ السَّحَرَةُ مَغْلُوبًا مَفْلُولًا، ثُمَّ أَبَى إِلَّا الْإِقَامَةَ عَلَى الْكُفْرِ وَالتَّمَادِيَ فِي الشَّرِّ، فَتَابَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ بِالْآيَاتِ، فَأَخَذَهُ بِالسِّنِينَ، فَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِ الطُّوفَانَ، ثُمَّ الْجَرَادَ، ثُمَّ الْقُمَّلَ، ثُمَّ الضَّفَادِعَ، ثُمَّ الدَّمَ آيَاتٍ مُفَصَّلَاتٍ; فَأَرْسَلَ الطُّوفَانَ - وَهُوَ الْمَاءُ - فَفَاضَ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ رَكَدَ لَا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْ يَحْرُثُوا وَلَا أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا شَيْئًا، حَتَّى جُهِدُوا جُوعًا، فَلَمَّا بَلَغَهُمْ ذَلِكَ، وَلَمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّجْزُ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِنْدَكَ لَئِنْ كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ [ الْأَعْرَافِ: 134 ]. فَدَعَا مُوسَى رَبَّهُ، فَكَشْفَهُ عَنْهُمْ، فَلَمَّا لَمَّ يَفُوا لَهُ بِشَيْءٍ، فَأَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْجَرَادَ، فَأَكَلَ الشَّجَرَ، فِيمَا بَلَغَنِي، حَتَّى إِنْ كَانَ لَيَأْكُلُ مَسَامِيرَ الْأَبْوَابِ مِنَ الْحَدِيدِ، حَتَّى تَقَعَ دُورُهُمْ وَمَسَاكِنُهُمْ، فَقَالُوا مِثْلَ مَا قَالُوا، فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ فَكَشَفَ عَنْهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَفُوا لَهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِمَّا قَالُوا، فَأَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُمَّلَ، فَذَكَرَ لِي أَنَّ مُوسَى، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، أُمِرَ أَنْ يَمْشِيَ إِلَى كَثِيبٍ حَتَّى يَضْرِبَهُ بِعَصَاهُ فَمَشَى إِلَى كَثِيبٍ أَهْيَلَ عَظِيمٍ، فَضَرَبَهُ بِهَا، فَانْثَالَ عَلَيْهِمْ قُمَّلًا حَتَّى غَلَبَ عَلَى الْبُيُوتِ وَالْأَطْعِمَةِ، وَمَنَعَهُمُ النَّوْمَ وَالْقَرَارَ، فَلَمَّا جَهَدَهُمْ، قَالُوا لَهُ مِثْلَ مَا قَالُوا لَهُ، فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ، فَكَشَفَ عَنْهُمْ، فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَفُوا لَهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِمَّا قَالُوا، فَأَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الضَّفَادِعَ، فَمَلَأَتِ الْبُيُوتَ وَالْأَطْعِمَةَ وَالْآنِيَةَ، فَلَمْ يَكْشِفْ أَحَدٌ ثَوْبًا وَلَا طَعَامًا إِلَّا وَجَدَ فِيهِ الضَّفَادِعَ قَدْ غَلَبَتْ عَلَيْهِ، فَلَمَّا جَهَدَهُمْ ذَلِكَ، قَالُوا لَهُ مِثْلَ مَا قَالُوا، فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ فَكَشَفَ عَنْهُمْ، فَلَمْ يَفُوا لَهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِمَّا قَالُوا، فَأَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الدَّمَ فَصَارَتْ مِيَاهُ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ دَمًا، لَا يَسْتَقُونَ مِنْ بِئْرٍ، وَلَا نَهْرٍ وَلَا يَغْتَرِفُونَ مِنْ إِنَاءٍ، إِلَّا عَادَ دَمًا عَبِيطًا. وَكُلَّمَا شَاهَدُوا آيَةً وَعَايَنُوهَا وَجَهَدَتْهُمْ وَأَضْنَكَتْهُمْ، حَلَفُوا وَعَاهَدُوا مُوسَى; لَئِنْ كَشَفَ عَنْهُمْ هَذِهِ لِيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ، وَلَيُرْسِلُنَّ مَعَهُ مَنْ هُوَ مِنْ حِزْبِهِ، فَكُلَّمَا رُفِعَتْ عَنْهُمْ تِلْكَ الْآيَةُ عَادُوا إِلَى شَرٍّ مِمَّا كَانُوا عَلَيْهِ، وَأَعْرَضُوا عَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ بِهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ، وَلَمْ يَلْتَفِتُوا إِلَيْهِ، فَيُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَةً أُخْرَى، هِيَ أَشَدُّ مِمَّا كَانَتْ قَبْلَهَا وَأَقْوَى، فَيَقُولُونَ، فَيَكْذِبُونَ. وَيَعِدُونَ وَلَا يَفُونَ لَئِنْ كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَيُكْشَفُ عَنْهُمْ ذَلِكَ الْعَذَابُ الْوَبِيلُ. ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ إِلَى جَهْلِهِمُ الْعَرِيضِ الطَّوِيلِ. هَذَا، وَالْعَظِيمُ الْحَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ يُنْظِرُهُمْ وَلَا يَعْجَلُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَيُؤَخِّرُهُمْ وَيَتَقَدَّمُ بِالْوَعِيدِ إِلَيْهِمْ. فَلَمَّا يَئِسَ مِنْ إِيمَانِهِمْ وَمِنْ إِيمَانِ فِرْعَوْنَ دَعَا مُوسَى وَأَمَّنَ هَارُونُ فَقَالَ: رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَأَهُ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَالًا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِكَ رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلَى أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاشْدُدْ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ. فَاسْتَجَابَ اللَّهُ لَهُمَا، فَمَسَخَ اللَّهُ أَمْوَالَهُمْ، مَا عَدَا خَيْلَهُمْ وَجَوَاهِرَهُمْ وَزِينَتَهُمْ حِجَارَةً، وَالنَّخْلَ، وَالْأَطْعِمَةَ، وَالدَّقِيقَ، وَغَيْرَ ذَلِكَ، فَكَانَتْ إِحْدَى الْآيَاتِ الَّتِي جَاءَ بِهَا مُوسَى .
Translation
✧ The signs that were sent upon the people of Pharaoh When the matter of the sorcerers was concluded and Pharaoh did not believe, the signs were sent upon him. Al-Suddī claimed that the signs were sent before the encounter with the sorcerers. The intended meaning is that Allah, exalted is He, did not destroy them except after establishing the proofs against them, sending the Messenger to them, removing doubts from them, and taking the proof against them from themselves—by intimidation at times and by encouragement at other times—as He, exalted is He, said: “And We certainly seized the people of Pharaoh with years of drought and a deficiency in fruits that perhaps they might take heed. But when good came to them, they said, ‘This is ours [by right].’ And if a bad [condition] struck them, they saw an evil omen in Moses and those with him. Unquestionably, their omen is with Allah, but most of them do not know. And they said, ‘No matter what sign you bring us with which to bewitch us, we will not be believers in you.’ So We sent upon them the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood as distinct signs, but they were arrogant and were a criminal people” [al-Aʿrāf: 130-133]. So Allah, exalted is He, tested the people of Pharaoh—and they are his people from the Copts—with years, which are years of drought during which no crop grows and no udder yields benefit. And His saying, “and a deficiency in fruits” means scarcity of fruits from the trees, “that perhaps they might take heed”; yet they did not benefit nor desist, but persisted and continued in their disbelief and obstinacy. “But when good came to them”—which is fertility and the like—“they said, ‘This is ours [by right]’”; that is, this is what we deserve and this is what befits us. “And if a bad [condition] struck them, they saw an evil omen in Moses and those with him”; that is, they said, “This—by their ill fortune—has befallen us.” They did not say in the former case that it was their blessing and the goodness of their proximity; rather their hearts were deniers, arrogant, and averse to the truth. When evil came, they attributed it to him, and if they saw good, they claimed it for themselves. Allah, exalted is He, said: “Unquestionably, their omen is with Allah”; that is, Allah will recompense them for this with the fullest recompense, “but most of them do not know.” “And they said, ‘No matter what sign you bring us with which to bewitch us, we will not be believers in you’”; that is, whatever sign you bring us—and these are the extraordinary breaches of natural order—we will not believe in you, nor follow you, nor obey you, even if you bring us every sign. Thus Allah informed about them in His saying: “Indeed, those upon whom the word of your Lord has come into effect will not believe, even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful punishment” [Yūnus: 96-97]. So Allah sent upon them the flood, which is abundant destructive rains for crops and fruits. From Ibn ʿAbbās and ʿAṭāʾ: it is abundant death. Mujāhid said: the flood is water, and the plague upon every condition. From Ibn ʿAbbās: a matter that encompassed them. As for the locusts, they are well known. From Salmān al-Fārisī, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about locusts, and he said: “They are among the most numerous of Allah’s soldiers; I do not eat them nor do I declare them forbidden.” The Prophet’s ﷺ leaving off eating them was only on account of finding them repulsive, just as he left off eating the lizard and abstained from eating onions, garlic, and leeks, because of what is established in the “Two Sahihs” from ʿAbd Allāh b. Abī Awfā, who said: We went on seven expeditions with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ eating locusts. The intended meaning is that it drove off their greenery, leaving them neither crops nor fruits, nor hair nor wool. Among the signs sent upon the Children of Israel: the lice As for the lice, from Ibn ʿAbbās: it is the weevil that comes out of wheat. And from him: it is the small locusts that have no wings. Saʿīd b. Jubayr and al-Ḥasan said: they are small black creatures. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Zayd b. Aslam said: they are fleas. Ibn Jarīr reported from the scholars of Arabic that they are the small ticks above the qamqāmah. They entered their houses and beds with them, so they had no rest, and with them they could not close their eyes or live. ʿAṭāʾ b. al-Sāʾib interpreted it as these well-known lice. The sending of frogs upon the people of Pharaoh As for the frogs, they are well known. They covered them until they fell into their foods and vessels, so much so that when one of them opened his mouth for food or drink, a frog from those frogs fell into his mouth. As for the blood, all their water was mixed with it; they drew nothing from the Nile but found it fresh blood, and not from any river, well, or anything except that it became blood at that very moment. All this, while the Children of Israel were not touched by any of it at all. This is part of the complete dazzling miracle and decisive proof, that all this befell them through the action of Moses ﷺ, and it befell all of them to the last one, while none of this happened to any of the Children of Israel. In this is the clearest evidence. Muḥammad b. Isḥāq said: The enemy of Allah, Pharaoh, returned when the sorcerers believed, defeated and broken, then he insisted upon persisting in disbelief and continuing in evil. So Allah followed him with signs, seizing him with years, and sent upon him the flood, then the locusts, then the lice, then the frogs, then the blood as distinct signs. He sent the flood—which is water—and it overflowed upon the face of the earth and then became stagnant, so that they were unable to plow or do any work, until they were worn out with hunger. When that reached them, and when the punishment fell upon them, they said: “O Moses, invoke your Lord for us by what He has promised you. If you remove the punishment from us, we will surely believe you, and we will send with you the Children of Israel” [al-Aʿrāf: 134]. So Moses invoked his Lord, and He removed it from them. Then when they did not fulfill anything for him, Allah sent upon them the locusts, and they ate the trees—according to what reached me—until they even ate the iron nails of the doors, so that their houses and dwellings fell. They said the like of what they had said, so he invoked his Lord, and He removed it from them, but they did not fulfill anything of what they said. So Allah sent upon them the lice. It was mentioned to me that Moses ﷺ was commanded to walk to a mound until he struck it with his staff. He walked to a great shifting sand dune and struck it with it, and lice poured out upon them until they overcame the houses and foods and deprived them of sleep and rest. When that exhausted them, they said to him the like of what they had said, so he invoked his Lord, and He removed it from them. Then when they did not fulfill anything of what they said, Allah sent upon them the frogs, and they filled the houses, foods, and vessels. No one uncovered a garment or food but found frogs in it that had overcome it. When that exhausted them, they said to him the like of what they had said, so he invoked his Lord, and He removed it from them, but they did not fulfill anything of what they said. So Allah sent upon them the blood, and the waters of the people of Pharaoh became blood. They drew from no well, nor river, nor scooped from any vessel, except that it returned as fresh blood. Every time they witnessed a sign and beheld it, and it exhausted and distressed them, they swore and covenanted with Moses that if he removed this from them, they would surely believe in him and would send with him those of his party. But every time that sign was lifted from them, they returned to something worse than what they had been upon, and turned away from the truth he brought them, and paid no attention to him. So Allah would send upon them another sign, more severe and stronger than the one before it. They would speak, but they lied; they promised, but they did not fulfill: “If you remove the punishment from us, we will surely believe you, and we will send with you the Children of Israel.” So that heavy punishment was removed from them. Then they returned to their extensive and prolonged ignorance. All this while the Great, Forbearing, Omnipotent gives them respite and does not hasten against them; He delays them and sends the threat to them ahead of time. When Moses despaired of their belief and of Pharaoh’s belief, he supplicated, and Aaron said amen, saying: “Our Lord, indeed You have given Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and wealth in the life of this world. Our Lord, that they may lead [men] astray from Your way. Our Lord, obliterate their wealth and harden their hearts so that they will not believe until they see the painful punishment.” So Allah answered them both, and Allah transformed their wealth—except their horses, jewels, and adornment—into stones: the palm trees, foods, flour, and other things. This was one of the signs that Moses brought.
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No grade is recorded for this wording.