And We divided them into twelve tribes, as separate communities. And we revealed to Musa when his people asked him for water, "Strike the rock with your staff." Then twelve springs gushed forth from it. Each tribe came to know their drinking place. And We shaded them with the shadow of the clouds. And we sent down to them the 'Mann' and the 'Salwa' (1) (saying), "Eat of the good things we have provided you." And they did us no harm, rather they have been harming their own selves.
(1) Manna which is "Man-hu' in Hebrew has been described in Exodus (14:14) in these words, "a small round thing, as small as a hoar frost on the ground". According to ` Abdullah Yusuf All, it usually rotted if left over till next day; it melted in the hot sun. The amount necessary for each man was about an omer, a Hebrew measure of capacity equal to 2-1/2 quarts. This is the Hebrew account probably distorted by traditional exaggeration. The actual Manna found to this day in the region of Sinai is gummy saccharine found on a species of Tamarisk. As to 'Salwa' it is a quail, large flights of them are driven by winds in the Eastern Mediterranean in certain seasons of the year, as was witnessed during the Great War 1914-1918 by many Indian officers who campaigned between Egypt and Palestine. (The Holy Qur'an by Yusuf All vol. 1 ) -- Translator.