Allah the Exalted says: "But those who did wrong changed the word to a different one from that which they were told, so We sent down upon those who did wrong a punishment [rijz] from the sky," meaning: a torment from the sky, "because they used to disobey." Yahya said: It has reached me that this torment was the plague, and seventy thousand of them died from it.
The meaning of 'hittah' is: Remit our sins for us.
Muhammad said: It is in the nominative case with the meaning: Our request is 'hittah' (remission).
Yahya said: A companion of mine informed me from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim ibn Sa'd ibn Malik, from Sa'd ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The plague is a remnant of a punishment [rijz] and torment with which those before you were punished. So if it occurs in a land where you are, do not depart from it, and if it occurs in a land and you are not in it, do not enter it."
قَالَ الله تَعَالَى (ل ١٠): ﴿فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلا غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رِجْزًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ﴾ يَعْنِي: عذَابا من السَّمَاء ﴿بِمَا كَانُوا يفسقون﴾ قَالَ يَحْيَى: وَبَلغنِي أَن ذَلِكَ الْعَذَاب الطَّاعُون، فَمَاتَ مِنْهُم سَبْعُونَ ألفا.
وَمعنى حطة: احْطُطْ عَنَّا خطايانا.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: وَارْتَفَعت بِمَعْنى: مَسْأَلَتنَا حطة.
يَحْيَى: وَأَخْبَرَنِي صَاحِبٌ لِي عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ: ((الطَّاعُونُ بَقِيَّةُ رِجْزٍ وَعَذَابٍ عُذِّبَ بِهِ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ؛ فَإِذَا وَقَعَ بِأَرْضٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِهَا، فَلا تَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا؛ وَإِنْ وَقَعَ بِأَرْضٍ وَلَسْتُمْ بِهَا، فَلا تَقْدَمُوا عَلَيْهَا)).
