Ayah
Word by Word
وَإِذۡ
And when
قُلۡتُمۡ
you said
يَٰمُوسَىٰ
O Musa
لَن
Never (will)
نَّصۡبِرَ
we endure
عَلَىٰ
[on]
طَعَامٖ
food
وَٰحِدٖ
(of) one (kind)
فَٱدۡعُ
so pray
لَنَا
for us
رَبَّكَ
(to) your Lord
يُخۡرِجۡ
to bring forth
لَنَا
for us
مِمَّا
out of what
تُنۢبِتُ
grows
ٱلۡأَرۡضُ
the earth
مِنۢ
of
بَقۡلِهَا
its herbs
وَقِثَّآئِهَا
[and] its cucumbers
وَفُومِهَا
[and] its garlic
وَعَدَسِهَا
[and] its lentils
وَبَصَلِهَاۖ
and its onions
قَالَ
He said
أَتَسۡتَبۡدِلُونَ
Would you exchange
ٱلَّذِي
that which
هُوَ
[it]
أَدۡنَىٰ
(is) inferior
بِٱلَّذِي
for that which
هُوَ
[it]
خَيۡرٌۚ
(is) better
ٱهۡبِطُواْ
Go down
مِصۡرٗا
(to) a city
فَإِنَّ
so indeed
لَكُم
for you
مَّا
(is) what
سَأَلۡتُمۡۗ
you have asked (for)
وَضُرِبَتۡ
And were struck
عَلَيۡهِمُ
on them
ٱلذِّلَّةُ
the humiliation
وَٱلۡمَسۡكَنَةُ
and the misery
وَبَآءُو
and they drew on themselves
بِغَضَبٖ
wrath
مِّنَ
of
ٱللَّهِۚ
Allah
ذَٰلِكَ
That (was)
بِأَنَّهُمۡ
because they
كَانُواْ
used to
يَكۡفُرُونَ
disbelieve
بِـَٔايَٰتِ
in (the) Signs
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
وَيَقۡتُلُونَ
and kill
ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ
the Prophets
بِغَيۡرِ
without (any)
ٱلۡحَقِّۚ
[the] right
ذَٰلِكَ
That
بِمَا
(was) because
عَصَواْ
they disobeyed
وَّكَانُواْ
and they were
يَعۡتَدُونَ
transgressing
وَإِذۡ
And when
قُلۡتُمۡ
you said
يَٰمُوسَىٰ
O Musa
لَن
Never (will)
نَّصۡبِرَ
we endure
عَلَىٰ
[on]
طَعَامٖ
food
وَٰحِدٖ
(of) one (kind)
فَٱدۡعُ
so pray
لَنَا
for us
رَبَّكَ
(to) your Lord
يُخۡرِجۡ
to bring forth
لَنَا
for us
مِمَّا
out of what
تُنۢبِتُ
grows
ٱلۡأَرۡضُ
the earth
مِنۢ
of
بَقۡلِهَا
its herbs
وَقِثَّآئِهَا
[and] its cucumbers
وَفُومِهَا
[and] its garlic
وَعَدَسِهَا
[and] its lentils
وَبَصَلِهَاۖ
and its onions
قَالَ
He said
أَتَسۡتَبۡدِلُونَ
Would you exchange
ٱلَّذِي
that which
هُوَ
[it]
أَدۡنَىٰ
(is) inferior
بِٱلَّذِي
for that which
هُوَ
[it]
خَيۡرٌۚ
(is) better
ٱهۡبِطُواْ
Go down
مِصۡرٗا
(to) a city
فَإِنَّ
so indeed
لَكُم
for you
مَّا
(is) what
سَأَلۡتُمۡۗ
you have asked (for)
وَضُرِبَتۡ
And were struck
عَلَيۡهِمُ
on them
ٱلذِّلَّةُ
the humiliation
وَٱلۡمَسۡكَنَةُ
and the misery
وَبَآءُو
and they drew on themselves
بِغَضَبٖ
wrath
مِّنَ
of
ٱللَّهِۚ
Allah
ذَٰلِكَ
That (was)
بِأَنَّهُمۡ
because they
كَانُواْ
used to
يَكۡفُرُونَ
disbelieve
بِـَٔايَٰتِ
in (the) Signs
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
وَيَقۡتُلُونَ
and kill
ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ
the Prophets
بِغَيۡرِ
without (any)
ٱلۡحَقِّۚ
[the] right
ذَٰلِكَ
That
بِمَا
(was) because
عَصَواْ
they disobeyed
وَّكَانُواْ
and they were
يَعۡتَدُونَ
transgressing
Translation
And remember ye said: "O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, Its garlic, lentils, and onions." He said: "Will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to any town, and ye shall find what ye want!" They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah. This because they went on rejecting the Signs of Allah and slaying His Messengers without just cause. This because they rebelled and went on transgressing.
Tafsir
And when you said, 'Moses, we will not endure one sort of food, that is to say, manna and quails; pray to your Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us, something, of (min here is explicative) what the earth produces - green herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, onions', he, Moses, said, to them, 'Would you exchange what is better, more noble, that is, do you substitute this, with what is lowlier?' (the hamza of a-tastabdiloona is for rebuke); they thus refused to change their mind and he [Moses] supplicated to God, and He, exalted be He, said, 'Go down to a city, whichever city it may be; you shall have, there, what you demanded' of vegetable produce; And abasement, submissiveness, and wretchedness, that is, the signs of poverty on account of their submissiveness and debasement that always accompany them, even if they be rich, in the same way that a coin never changes its mint; were cast upon them, and they incurred, ended up with God's wrath; that, that is, that affliction and wrath, was because they used to disbelieve the signs of God and slay prophets, such as Zachariah and John, without right, that is, unjustly; that was because they disobeyed, and they were transgressors, overstepping the bounds in disobedience (here the repetition [dhaalik bi-maa 'aﷺ wa-kaanoo ya'tadoon] is for emphasis).
"Faith and doing Righteous Deeds equals Salvation in all Times
Allah says;
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ امَنُواۡ وَالَّذِينَ هَادُواۡ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِيِينَ مَنۡ امَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الاخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحاً فَلَهُمۡ أَجۡرُهُمۡ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ وَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ
Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians (Sabi'in), whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
After Allah described the condition - and punishment - of those who defy His commands, fall into His prohibitions and transgress set limits by committing prohibited acts, He stated that the earlier nations who were righteous and obedient received the rewards for their good deeds. This shall be the case, until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, whoever follows the unlettered Messenger and Prophet shall acquire eternal happiness and shall neither fear from what will happen in the future nor become sad for what has been lost in the past.
Similarly, Allah said,
أَلا إِنَّ أَوۡلِيَأءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ
No doubt! Verily, the Awliya of Allah, no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve. (10:62)
The angels will proclaim to the dying believers, as mentioned,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواۡ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقَـمُواۡ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡمَلَـيِكَةُ أَلاَّ تَخَافُواۡ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُواۡ وَأَبۡشِرُواۡ بِالۡجَنَّةِ الَّتِى كُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ
Verily, those who say:""Our Lord is Allah (alone),"" and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying):""Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!"" (41:30)
The Meaning of Mu'min, or Believer
Ali bin Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas, about,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ امَنُواۡ وَالَّذِينَ هَادُواۡ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِيِينَ مَنۡ امَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الاخِرِ
(Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day) that Allah revealed the following Ayah afterwards,
وَمَن يَبۡتَغِ غَيۡرَ الاِسۡلَـمِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقۡبَلَ مِنۡهُ وَهُوَ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ مِنَ الۡخَـسِرِينَ
And whoever seeks religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. (3:85).
This statement by Ibn Abbas indicates that Allah does not accept any deed or work from anyone, unless it conforms to the Law of Muhammad that is, after Allah sent Muhammad. Before that, every person who followed the guidance of his own Prophet was on the correct path, following the correct guidance and was saved.
Why the Jews were called `Yahud
The Jews are the followers of Prophet Musa, who used to refer to the Tawrah for judgment. Yahud is a word that means,
`repenting', just as Musa said,
إِنَّا هُدۡنَـا إِلَيۡكَ
(We have Hudna (we repent, go back and return) unto You), (7:156).
Why the Christians were called Nasara
Allah said;
مَنۡ أَنصَارِى إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ الۡحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحۡنُ أَنۡصَارُ اللَّهِ
""Who will be my helpers in Allah's cause"" Al-Hawariyyun said:""We are the helpers of Allah."" (61:14)
It was said that;
they were called `Nasara', because they inhabited a land called An-Nasirah (Nazareth), as Qatadah, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Abbas were reported to have said, Allah knows best.
Nasara is certainly plural for Nasran.
When Allah sent Muhammad as the Last and Final Prophet and Messenger to all of the Children of Adam, mankind was required to believe in him, obey him and refrain from what he prohibited them; those who do this are true believers. The Ummah of Muhammad was called `Mu'minin' (believers), because of the depth of their faith and certainty, and because they believe in all of the previous Prophets and matters of the Unseen.
The Sabi'un or Sabians
There is a difference of opinion over the identity of the Sabians.
Sufyan Ath-Thawri said that Layth bin Abu Sulaym said that Mujahid said that,
""The Sabians are between the Majus, the Jews and the Christians. They do not have a specific religion.""
Similar is reported from Ibn Abi Najih.
Similar statements were attributed to Ata and Sa`id bin Jubayr.
They (others) say that;
the Sabians are a sect among the People of the Book who used to read the Zabur (Psalms), others say that they are a people who worshipped the angels or the stars.
It appears that the closest opinion to the truth, and Allah knows best, is Mujahid's statement and those who agree with him like Wahb bin Munabbih, that;
the Sabians are neither Jews nor Christians nor Majus nor polytheists. Rather, they did not have a specific religion that they followed and enforced, because they remained living according to their Fitrah (instinctual nature). This is why the idolators used to call whoever embraced Islam a `Sabi', meaning, that he abandoned all religions that existed on the earth.
Some scholars stated that;
the Sabians are those who never received a message by any Prophet.
And Allah knows best."
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