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wa-la-qad ʾātaynā mūsā tisʿa ʾāyātin bayyinātin fa-sʾal banī ʾisrāʾīla ʾidh jāʾahum fa-qāla lahū firʿawnu ʾinnī la-ʾaẓunnuka yā-mūsā masḥūran
Certainly We gave Moses nine manifest signs. So ask the Children of Israel. When he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, ‘O Moses, indeed I think you are bewitched.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Isra’ – Verses 101 - 102
101. “And indeed We give Moses nine clear signs, so ask the Children of Israel when he came to them, and, Pharaoh said to him: ‘O’ Mūsa! Verily I think you are bewitched’.”
102. “He said: ‘Indeed you know that none has sent these (miracles) down save the Lord of the heavens and the earth (as) clear proofs, and I think you lost, O’ Pharaoh!’”
In several of the foregoing verses, we noted as to what peculiar demands the pagans used to put to the Prophet (S). We, here, find Him, in fact, exposing one of the examples of such scenes in preceding generations as to how they witnessed extraordinary events and miracles and they, yet, looked for pretexts, rejecting everything. At first, He says:
“And indeed We give Moses nine clear signs…”
These divine signs consist of: The stick, the white hand, the storm, locusts, one kind of plant-pest called /qummal/, the over-increase in the number of frogs, blood, drought, and deficiencies. Later, in order to stress this point further, He adds in implication to Moses that if your opponents even reject this matter outright, in order to deliver an ultimatum to them, tell them to ask the sons of Israel as to how they were when these verses came down to them.
Notwithstanding these, not only they did not subject themselves to the acceptance of the fact, but also they accused Moses of being a sorcerer, and of being crazy. The verse continues saying:
“…so ask the Children of Israel when he came to them, and, Pharaoh said to him: ‘O’ Mūsa! Verily I think you are bewitched’.”
This is the case with all the arrogant people who used to accuse the godly men of sorcery or insanity for their innovations and their movement against the treatment of corrupt communities and their exhibition of extraordinary behaviour, so as to be able to influence naive people, scattering them from around the prophets. Thus verse 102 shows Moses (as) did not keep quiet in face of all this under accusation, affirming categorically, where it declares:
“He said: ‘Indeed you know that none has sent these (miracles) down save the Lord of the heavens and the earth (as) clear proofs, and I think you lost, O’ Pharaoh!’”
Therefore, O pharaoh!, you reject the facts while having full knowledge of the facts and while you are cognizant of them. I believe you, Pharaoh, will eventually perish.
Two Points in Conclusion
The first point: In the Glorious Qur’an, there are numerous verses and miracles mentioned concerning Moses, among which one might refer to the following:
1. Conversion of the stick into a giant snake and the act of swallowing of the tools of the sorcerers.1
2. The white hand or the shining of the hands of Mūsa (as) like a source of light.2
3. The pounding storms.3
4. ‘Locusts’ which dominated their farms and their trees, and served as a nuisance for their flourishing agriculture. 4
5. One plant-pest agent which exterminates cereals, called /qummal/5
6. The frogs which emerged from the Nile River and reproduced to such an extent that they made people’s lives miserable and full of difficulties.6
7. ‘Nose-bleeding’ or ‘blood’ which signifies the universal counteraction of nose bleeding or the turning of the Nile into the colour of the blood which made the river water neither good for drinking nor fit for agriculture. 7
8. The splitting of the sea in such a way that the Children of Israel could pass through it.8
9. The descending of /mann/ and /salwa/ which was explained under verse 57, of Surah Al-Baqarah.
10. The gushing of the springs from stone.9
11. The splitting away of part of the mountain and its placement as a canopy over them.10
12) Famine and draught as well as shortage of fruits.11
13. Returning to life of a murdered individual whose death instigated intensive opposition among the Children of Israel.12
14. Use of the cloud shadows as canopy which protected them in a miraculous way in intense desert heat. 13
The issue in question in here is: What is the objective of ‘the nine verses’, which have been alluded to in the verses under discussion? The expressions utilized in these verses reveal the fact that they signify miracles which were mentioned in connection with Pharaoh and the adherents of Pharaoh, and not the ones which were involved with the Children of Israel themselves, like the descending of ‘Mann and Salwa’, and the emergence of the spring from a stone, and the like.
Considering this point, one can claim that the five topics which are dealt with in verse 133 of Surah Al-’A‘raf, are among these nine signs: Storm, plant-pest, locusts, over reproduction of frogs, and blood. Undoubtedly, the two famous miracles of Mūsa (as), that is, the issue of the ‘stick’, and the ‘white hand’ are among the nine signs, specially, it is noteworthy that we find verses 10 to 12 of Surah An-Nahl the same expression of the ‘nine signs’, which are mentioned after the statement of these two great miracles.
These all make up the seven supernatural or ‘extraordinary events’. Now, let us turn to the other two verses. Undoubtedly, the drowning of the people of Pharaoh, and the like, cannot be included among these signs, for the goal of explaining of the signs is to guide the people of the Pharaoh and not those which caused their destruction and extermination. Concentrating on Surah Al-’A‘raf, in which we find many of these verses, exhibits the fact that the objective in mind of the other two signs have been the ‘draught’ and ‘the shortage of all kinds of fruits’, for after the miracle of the stick and the ‘white hand’ and before the mentioning of the five signs of the storm and the locust, the holy verse says:
“And certainly We afflicted the clan of Pharaoh with drought and scarcity of fruits, so that they may take admonition.” 14
The second point: who is the one questioning the Prophet (S)? Apparently, the verses show that the Prophet (S) was commissioned to investigate from the Children of Israel about the nine signs which were revealed to Moses (as), asking them about how the people of the Pharaoh rejected the authenticity of the call of Moses (as) despite all those clear signs under so many different pretexts. But, as such a person like the Prophet (S) did not require putting to them such a query despite all his knowledge and wisdom; some commentators have still regarded other addressees as the agents who have put the question to them.
However, taking into consideration that the question raised was not the one put by the Prophet (S) for himself, rather, it was put for the acceptance by the pagans, it does not matter that the investigator be the Prophet (S) himself so that the pagans should know that if the Prophet (S) did not accept to give in the various proposals of the pagans, it was because such proposals did not have any motives for the sake of seeking the truth. On the contrary, their attitude was based on obstinacy, fanaticism and hostility, and their story was like the one we read about in the story of Moses (as) and Pharaoh.
Footnotes