Taha

Commentary

طه (Ta-Ha) Many Commentators have assigned different meanings to this word. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ thinks it means یا رجُل (0 man! ) while according to Ibn ` Umar ؓ it means یا حبیبی (0 my Dear! ). It is also suggested that طه and یٰسین are the names of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . However the most obvious explanation is the one given by Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ and the majority of scholars, namely that like many other isolated letters appearing at the beginning of several chapters of the Qur’ an (such as الٓمٓ), this word is also among the مُتَشابِھَات mysteries whose meaning is known only to Allah Ta’ ala.

مَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْ‌آنَ لِتَشْقَىٰ (We did not reveal the Qur'an to you to [ make you ] face hardship - 20:2) The word لِتَشْقَىٰ is derived from شقاء which means pain and distress. In the early days of Islam when the Qur'an was first revealed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Companions ؓ used to spend whole nights in prayers and in reciting the Qur'an, as a result of which his feet used to get swollen due to standing for long hours in the prayers. Whereas during day time he would worry himself on how to bring light to the infidels in order that they should accept the teachings of the Qur’ an. This verse seeks to lessen the burden of long hours of prayers by informing the Holy Prophet ﷺ that the Qur’ an was not revealed to inflict toil and hardship on him and that it was not expected of him to stay awake the whole night reciting the Qur'an. Thereafter, the Holy Prophet ﷺ adopted a routine by which he rested in the early hours of the night and would get up later to offer the salah of tahajjud.

This verse also suggests that the duty of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is merely to convey the Message of Allah Ta` ala to the unbelievers, and thereafter he need not concern himself as to who accepted the Message and who did not.

إِلَّا تَذْكِرَ‌ةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰ (Rather to remind him who has the fear - 20:3). Ibn Kathir has narrated that in the early days following the revelation of the Qur'an while the believers spent whole nights in prayers, the infidels mocked and taunted them that the revelation of the Qur'an brought nothing to them but hardship, allowing them no rest and peace. In this verse, Allah Ta’ ala says that these wretched and miserable people cannot sense that the Qur'an and the knowledge communicated through it can bring only blessings and felicity. This fact is not appreciated by them because they are ignorant and misguided. In a Hadith which has been related by Sayyidna Mu` awiyah ؓ " the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "When Allah intends to reward a person, He gives him the correct perception of religion". (Sahihain)

Here Imam Ibn Kathir has recorded another authentic Hadith which has been related by Tabarani from Tha'labah Ibn Al-Hakam and which will be good news for the learned people:

قال رسول اللہ ﷺ : یقول اللہ تعالیٰ للعلماء یوم القیامۃ اذا قعد علی کرسیّہ لقضاء عبادہٖ : انّی لم اجعل علمی و حکمتی فیکم الّا و اناارید ان اغفر لکم علی ما کان منکم ولا ابالی (ابن کثیر ص 141 ج 3)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "On the Day of Judgment when Allah will ascend His Kursiyy (Chair) to pronounce judgment on the actions of His servants He will tell the learned people that He had placed His knowledge and wisdom in their hearts for the sole reason that He wished to forgive them in spite of their failings, and that these matters were of no concern to Him."

It is evident that in this Hadith the reference to learned people applies to those only who possess the fear of Allah Ta` ala which is a sure sign of Qur’ anic knowledge.

عَلَى الْعَرْ‌شِ اسْتَوَىٰ (Positioned Himself on the Throne - 20:5): About these words the truth is what the majority of the early scholars have held that the exact nature of 'Istiwa" (positioning) is not known to anybody. It is included in 'Mutashabihat' (the verses meaning of which is unknown). A Muslim has to believe that Istiwa’ ‘Ala-Al-` Arsh' (positioning on the Throne) is true, the nature of which must be in accordance with the high attributes of Allah, but nobody can comprehend it in this world.

وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَ‌ىٰ (And whatever is beneath the soil - 20:6). (ثرٰی) (soil) means wet earth which comes out after digging upto a certain depth. Human knowledge does not go beyond) and what is beneath it is known only to Allah. Some years back scientists and researchers, using the latest and the most sophisticated instruments, spent considerable time and effort to pierce across the centre of the earth. According to newspaper reports they were able to penetrate upto a depth of six miles only after which they came across a rock casing and all their efforts to bore further down failed. Scientists were able to collect data only upto six miles, while the diameter of the earth covers thousands of miles. One has to admit, therefore, that the knowledge of what is below the soil is a special attribute of Allah.