They were thirsty in the wilderness, so Moses prayed for them for water. It was said to him, "Strike the stone with your staff." The "lam" may be for reference, indicating a known stone. It has been narrated that it was a stone from Mount Sinai that he carried with him. It was a square stone with four sides, from which three springs gushed forth from each side. For each tribe, there was a spring that flowed into a stream for the tribe that was commanded to be given drink. They were six hundred thousand, and the area of the camp was twelve miles. It was said that Adam brought it down from Paradise, and it was inherited until it reached Shu'ayb, who handed it to him with the staff. It was also said that it was the stone upon which he placed his garment when he bathed, as they threw it at him, and he fled with it. Gabriel said to him: "Allah, the Exalted, says to you: Raise this stone, for I have power in it and you have a miracle in it." He carried it in his satchel. Or it may be for the type, meaning strike the thing that is called a stone. Al-Hasan said: He was not commanded to strike a specific stone. He said: "This is more evident in the argument and clearer in the power." It was narrated that they said: "What if we reach a land where there are no stones?" So he carried a stone in his satchel, and wherever they camped, he would throw it. It was said that he would strike it with his staff and it would burst forth, and he would strike it with it and it would dry up. They said: "If Moses loses his staff, we will die of thirst." So it was revealed to him: "Do not strike the stones; speak to them and they will obey you, perhaps they will take heed." It was said that it was made of marble and was an arm's length in size. It was said to be like the head of a man. It was said that it was from the myrtle of Paradise. Its length was ten arms' lengths according to the length of Moses, and it had two branches that would shine in the darkness. It was carried on a donkey. The "fa" is related to something omitted, meaning he struck it, so it burst forth. Or if you strike it, it has burst forth, as we mentioned in the saying: "So He turned to you." In this case, the "fa" is an expressive conjunction that only occurs in eloquent speech. It was read as "ten" with a broken "shīn" and with an opened one; both are dialects. Each tribe has its own source of water, which is the spring from which they drink. Eat from the provision of Allah, from what He has provided you of food, which is the manna and quails, and from the water of the springs. It was said that the water causes the crops and fruits to grow, so it is a provision from which one eats and drinks. Al-'athī is the greatest corruption, so it was said to them: "Do not persist in corruption during your time of corruption," because they were persistent in it.