Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Isra Verse 101

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Surely we gave Mūsā nine clear signs. So, ask the children of Isrā’īl, when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, “I am afraid, O Mūsā, you are under the spell of magic.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

We surely gave Moses nine clear signs.[[ The nine signs of Moses are: the staff, the hand (both mentioned in {20:17}-22), famine, shortage of crops, floods, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood (all mentioned in {7:130}-133). These signs came as proofs for Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Otherwise, Moses had some other signs such water gushing out of the rock after he hit it with his staff, and splitting the sea.]] ˹You, O  Prophet, can˺ ask the Children of Israel. When Moses came to them, Pharaoh said to him, “I really think that you, O  Moses, are bewitched.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

We gave Moses nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, “O Moses, I certainly think that you are bewitched.”

A. J. Arberry

And We gave Moses nine signs, clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel when he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, 'Moses, I think thou art bewitched.'

Abdul Haleem

In the past, We gave Moses nine clear signs- ask the Children of Israel. When Moses came to [the Egyptians], Pharaoh said to him, ‘Moses, I think you are bewitched.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And assuredly We vouchsafed unto Musa nine manifest signs - ask thou the Children of Israel--so when he came unto them, Fir'awn said unto him, verily imagine thee, O Musa! enchanted.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

To Moses We did give Nine Clear Signs; As the Children of Israel; when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him; "O Moses! I consider thee, indeed, to have been worked upon by sorcery!

Abul Ala Maududi

We granted Moses nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel about that: when these signs came forth, Pharaoh said to him: "Moses, I think that you are bewitched."

Ahmed Ali

We gave Moses nine clear signs; so ask the children of Israel. When (Moses) came to them the Pharaoh said: "I think, O Moses, you have been deluded."

Ahmed Raza Khan

And indeed We gave Moosa nine clear signs, therefore ask the Descendants of Israel when he came to them – in response Firaun said, “O Moosa – I think you are under a magic spell.”

Ali Quli Qarai

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 Ünal

We certainly granted to Moses nine clear signs (miracles). So ask the Children of Israel (what happened despite these miracles): when he came to them (and asked the Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel leave Egypt with him, and even after he showed to them these miracles), the Pharaoh said to him: "Certainly, O Moses, I certainly believe that you are one bewitched."

Amatul Rahman Omar

And most certainly, We gave Moses nine clear signs. So ask the Children of Israel (about it). When he (- Moses) came to them, Pharaoh said to him, `Moses! I think you to be under a spell and a victim of deception.´

English Literal

And We had given/brought to Moses nine evidences/signs evidences, so ask/question Israel`s sons and daughters, when (he) came to them, so Pharaoh said to him: "That I, I think/suspect you (E) you, Moses, (are) bewitched/enchanted."

Faridul Haque

And indeed We gave Moosa nine clear signs, therefore ask the Descendants of Israel when he came to them - in response Firaun said, "O Moosa - I think you are under a magic spell."

Hamid S. Aziz

And We did bring Moses nine manifest signs; but ask the children of Israel how he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, "Verily, I think, O Moses! You are bewitched."

Hilali & Khan

And indeed We gave to Musa (Moses) nine clear signs. Ask then the Children of Israel, when he came to them, then Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said to him: "O Musa (Moses)! I think you are indeed bewitched."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Say: If you control the treasures of the mercy of my Lord, then you would withold (them) for fear of spending. And man is ever niggardly.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And certainly We gave Musa nine clear signs; so ask the children of Israel. When he came to them, Firon said to him: Most surely I deem you, O Musa, to be a man deprived of reason.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And verily We gave unto Moses nine tokens, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty). Do but ask the Children of Israel how he came unto them, then Pharaoh said unto him: Lo! I deem thee one bewitched, O Moses.

Muhammad Sarwar

To Moses We gave nine illustrious miracles. Ask the Israelites; Moses came to them. The Pharaoh said to him,"Moses, I believe that you are bewitched".

Qaribullah & Darwish

To Moses We gave nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel about how he came to them. When Pharaoh said to him: 'Moses, I think you are bewitched.'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And indeed We gave Musa nine clear signs. Ask then the Children of Israel, when he came to them, then Fir`awn said to him: "O Musa! I think you are indeed bewitched."

Wahiduddin Khan

We did indeed give Moses nine manifest signs; you can enquire from the Children of Israel. When he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, "Moses, I can see that you are bewitched."

Talal Itani

We gave Moses nine clear signs—ask the Children of Israel. When he went to them, Pharaoh said to him, “I think that you, Moses, are bewitched.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And verily We gave Moses nine manifest signs, clear [signs], namely, [those of] the hand, the staff, the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, the blood and the obliteration [of their possessions, cf. Q. 10;88], the years [of dearth] and scarcity of fruits [cf. Q. 7;130]. Ask, O Muhammad (s), the Children of Israel, about this (a [rhetorical] question meant as an affirmation for the idolaters of your sincerity; or [it means that] We said to him [Muhammad, s], `Ask'; a variant reading has the past tense [fa-s'ala, `and he asked']), when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him, `O Moses, I truly think that you are bewitched', duped, your mind deceived.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Nine Signs of Musa

Allah tells;

وَلَقَدْ اتَيْنَا مُوسَى تِسْعَ ايَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ فَاسْأَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَايِيلَ إِذْ جَاءهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُ فِرْعَونُ

And indeed We gave Musa nine clear signs. Ask then the Children of Israel, when he came to them, then Fir`awn said to him;

Allah tells us that He sent Musa with nine clear signs, which provided definitive proof that his Prophethood was real and that what he was conveying from the One Who had sent him to Fir`awn was true. These clear signs were;

his staff,

his hand,

the years of famine,

the sea,

the flood,

the locusts,

the lice,

the frogs and

the blood.

This was the view of Ibn Abbas.

Muhammad bin Ka`b said,

"They were;

his hand and

his staff,

the five signs mentioned in Suarah Al-A`raf, and

destruction of wealth and the rock."

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ash-Sha`bi and Qatadah said;

"They are;

his hand,

his staff,

the years of famine,

the failure of the crops,

the flood,

the locusts,

the lice,

the frogs and

the blood."

فَاسْتَكْبَرُواْ وَكَانُواْ قَوْماً مُّجْرِمِينَ

Yet they remained arrogant, and they were of those people who were criminals, (7;133)

meaning, despite all these signs and their witnessing of them, they disbelieved them and belied them wrongfully and arrogantly, although they were themselves were convinced of them, so they did not have any effect on them.

By the same token, (Allah tells His Messenger here), `if We were to respond to what these people are asking you for, who have said that they will not believe in you until you cause springs to gush forth throughout the land for them, they would not respond or believe except if Allah willed.'

As Fir`awn said to Musa, even though he had witnessed the signs which he brought,

إِنِّي لَاَظُنُّكَ يَا مُوسَى مَسْحُورًا



"O Musa! I think you are indeed bewitched."

It was said that this meant he thought he was a sorcerer, but Allah knows best. These nine signs which were mentioned by the Imams (scholars) quoted above are what is referred to here, and in the Ayah;

وَأَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَلَمَّا رَءَاهَا تَهْتَزُّ كَأَنَّهَا جَأنٌّ وَلَّى مُدْبِراً وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ يمُوسَى لَا تَخَفْ

"And throw down your stick!" But when he saw it moving as if it were a snake, he turned in flight, and did not look back.

(It was said;) "O Musa ! Fear not." until His saying,

فِى تِسْعِ ءَايَـتٍ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَوْماً فَـسِقِينَ

among the nine signs (you will take) to Fir`awn and his people. Verily, they are a people who are rebellious. (27;10-12)

These Ayat include mention of the stick and the hand, and the rest of the nine signs are mentioned in detail in Surah Al-A`raf.

Musa was also given many other signs, such as striking the rock with his staff and water flowing from it, their being shaded with clouds, manna and quails, and other signs which were bestowed upon the Children of Israel after they had left the land of Egypt. But here Allah mentions the nine signs which were witnessed by his people in Egypt. These became evidence against them, because they stubbornly rejected them out of disbelief.

So Musa said to Fir`awn