The Children of Israel
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE[17:101]
AND, INDEED, We gave unto Moses nine clear messages.

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* v.101 : Some of the commentators assume that this is an allusion to the miracles performed by Moses, while others (relying on a Tradition quoted in the compilations of Nasā’ī, Ibn Hanbal, Bayhaqī, Ibn Mājah and Tabarānī) see in it a reference to nine specific commandments or ethical principles, the foremost of them being a stress on God’s oneness and uniqueness. In my opinion, however, the number “nine” may be no more than a metonym for “several,” just as the numbers “seven” and “seventy” are often used in classical Arabic to denote “several” or “many.”
* I.e., of the present time. The whole phrase has this meaning: “Ask them about what the Qur’ān tells us in this respect, and they will be bound to confirm it on the basis of their own scriptures.” This “confirmation” apparently relates to what is said in verse 104, explaining why the story of Moses and Pharaoh has been mentioned in the present context. (The story as such appears in greater detail in 7:103-137 and 20:49-79.) * Cf. 7:105 – “let the children of Israel go with me!”
* Or: “that thou art bewitched.” However, my rendering is based on Tabarī’s interpretation of the passive participle mashūr, which I consider preferable in view of the subsequent reference to the miraculous signs granted by God to Moses.