How the Children of Israel responded to the favor of Manna and Salwa
4-12-2011 | IslamWeb
Question:
what is manna and salwa (qualis).why it was sent to the children of israel.how the children of israel responded to it.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
We have already issued Fatwa 87966 clarifying the meaning of Al-Manna and As-Salwa, and that Allaah had sent it down as His bounty on the children of Israel in order to test them. Ash-Shinqeeti 
said in his Tafseer (interpretation of the Quran): "In the verse of Allaah (which means): {O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you.} [Quran 2:47]; Allaah did not mention to us which favor He had bestowed upon them, but Allaah clarified it in other verses, Allaah Says (what means): {And We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you Al-manna and quails.} [Quran 2:57]”
Indeed, Allaah tests His Servants with good and evil; Allaah Says (what means): {And We test you with evil and with good as trial.} [Quran 21:35]
As regards how the children of Israel responded to this bounty of Allaah, then they were ungrateful to Allaah for His bounty. Allaah Says (what means): {And [recall] when you said, “O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions.” [Moses] said, “Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked.” And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allaah [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allaah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.} [Quran 2:61]
Ibn Katheer, said in his Tafseer: “Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: ‘‘They were ungrateful (to Allaah) for that and they were impatient with it, and they mentioned the food they used to have, as they used to eat lentils, onions, vegetables and garlic.”
Allaah Knows best.