"And Allah had taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We delegated from among them twelve leaders." Al-Hasan said: Whatever they guaranteed for them, they accepted and fulfilled.

Muhammad said: The "naqib" (leader) in the language is like the trustworthy one or the guarantor; it is said: "naqaba ar-rajulu 'ala al-qawm" (the man acted as a leader over the people). Mujahid said: So Moses sent them to the tyrants.

"And Allah said, 'I am with you'" on the condition: "'If you establish prayer and give zakah and believe in My messengers and support them'"—meaning: assist them—"'and loan Allah a goodly loan'"—meaning: charity and spending in the cause of truth—"'I will surely remove from you your misdeeds.'"

(Page 80) Muhammad said: "'Azr" in the language means: repelling. Thus, the interpretation of "and supported them" is: you assisted them by repelling their enemies from them. You also say: "'azzartu fulanan" (I admonished so-and-so) when you discipline him, and its meaning is: I did to him what would deter him from evil.

Mujahid said: When Moses sent a leader from every tribe to the tyrants, they found them to be such that two of them could fit into the sleeve of one of the tyrants, who would then cast them aside. All the leaders returned, forbidding their respective tribes from fighting them, except for Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb; for they commanded the tribes to fight the tyrants and strive against them, but they disobeyed them.

"'And whoever disbelieves after that from among you has certainly strayed from the straightness of the way'"—meaning: the right path.