Taha

And from his narration on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said upon the explanation of Allah's saying: (Ta. Ha. We have not revealed unto thee (Muhammad) this Qur'an that thou shouldst be distressed) We have not revealed the Qur'an to you that you should toil. This verse was revealed when the Prophet (pbuh) used to stand in prayer at night vigil until his feet swelled up, and so Allah alleviated this for him through this verse. He said: Taha, which in the dialect of Mecca means: O man, i.e. O Muhammad, We have not sent Gabriel with the Qur'an for you to toil.

(But as a reminder) an admonition (unto him who feareth) unto him who embraces Islam, and We have not revealed it to you in order that you tire yourself,

(A revelation) He says: the Qur'an consists of the words spoken (from Him Who created the earth and the high heavens) He raised them one above the other,

(The Beneficent One, Who is established on the Throne) it is also said that this means: He filled it; and it is also said that this is a mystery that cannot be explained.

(Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and whatsoever is between them) of created beings and marvels, (and whatsoever is beneath the sod) that which is beneath the seven earths. This is because the seven earths are above water, and water is above the whale, the whale is above the rock and the rock is above the two horns of the bull and the bull is above the dust, and the dust is moist soil and none knows what is beneath it except Allah.

(And if thou speakest aloud) and act openly, (then Lo! He knoweth the secret (thought)) and secret action (and (that which is yet) more hidden) than that which is a secret, whether it has ensued from you or has not yet ensued from you but will in the future. Allah knows all that.

(Allah! There is no God save Him) alone without any partner. (His are the most beautiful names) His are the most exalted attributes, so call upon Him through them.

(Hath there come unto thee) it had not come to you before, O Muhammad, but has now, (the story of Moses) the event of Moses?

(When he saw a fire) on his left side (and said unto his folk: Wait) stay here! (I see a fire afar off. Peradventure I may bring you a brand therefrom) a brand of fire from there, for that night was very cold, (or may find guidance at the Fire) to show me the way.

(And when he reached it) it was a green tree from which emanated a white fire, (he was called by name: O Moses!)

(Lo! I, even I, am thy Lord. So take off thy shoes) for his shoes were made of the skin of a dead ass, (for Lo! thou art in the holy valley of Tuwa) Tuwa is the name of the valley; it also said that Tuwa means: this valley has been crossed (tawathu) by prophets before you; it is also said that Tuwa is a well which was filled with stones (tuwiyyat bi'l-sakhr) in the valley where he found the tree.

(And I have chosen thee) to carry the message to Pharaoh, (so hearken unto that which is inspired) so act upon that which you have been commanded.

(Lo! I, even I, am Allah. There is no God save Me. serve Me) obey Me (and establish worship for My remembrance) when you forget to perform a prayer, perform it when you do remember.

(Lo! the Hour is surely coming) the Hour will surely take place. (But I will to keep it hidden) so how would I reveal it to any created being, (that every soul) whether it is righteous or sinner (may be rewarded for that which it striveth (to achieve)) whether it is good or evil.

(Therefore, let not him turn thee aside from it) so let him not bar you from believing in it he (who believeth not therein but followeth his own desire) through denial and worship of idols, (lest thou perish).

(And what is that in your right hand, O Moses?

He said: This is my staff whereon I lean) when I am tired, (and wherewith I beat down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses) different other uses.

(He said: Cast it down) from your hand, (O Moses!

So he cast it down) from his hand, (and Lo! it was a serpent, gliding) and when it lifted its head up, Moses run away from it.

(He said) Allah said to him: (Grasp it) O Moses (and fear not. We shall return it to its former state) a staff just as it was initially.

(And thrust thy hand within your armpit, it will come forth white) shining (without hurt) it is not touched by leprosy. ((That will be) another token) another sign in addition to the staff.

(That We may show thee (some) of Our greater portents) Our greater signs,

(Go thou unto Pharaoh! Lo! he hath transgressed (the bounds)) he became arrogant, overweening and a disbeliever.

((Moses) said: My Lord! Relieve my mind) soften my heart so that I do not fear him,

(And ease my task for me) make it easy for me to convey the message to Pharaoh;

(And loose a knot from my tongue) loosen my tongue,

(That they may understand my saying) that they may understand what I say to them.

(Appoint for me a henchman from my folk) appoint for me a helper from my own people,

(Aaron, my brother.

Confirm my strength with him) strengthen me by him.

(And let him) O Lord (share my task) of conveying the message to Pharaoh,

(That we may glorify Thee much) that we may pray to You much.

(And much remember Thee) with our hearts and tongues.

(Lo! Thou art ever Seeing us) You have knowledge of us.

(He said) Allah said to him: (Thou art granted thy request) what you have asked for has been granted, (O Moses) and so Allah softened his heart, made things easy for him, loosened his tongue, and appointed his brother Aaron as his helper.

(And indeed, another time) other than this time, (already We have shown thee favour) We have favoured you at another time, i.e. other than this time,

(When We inspired in thy mother that which is inspired,

Saying: Throw him into the ark) put the baby in the ark, (and throw it into the river) and place the ark in the river, (then the river shall throw it on to the bank) of the river, (and there an enemy to Me) as concern Religion, i.e. Pharaoh (and an enemy to him) who intends to kill (shall take him) shall pick him up. (And I endued thee with love from Me) O Moses, such that whoever sees you loves you (that thou mightest be trained according to My will) whatever was done to you was under our very watch,

(When your sister went) when she entered Pharaoh's palace (and said: Shall I show you one who will nurse him) breastfeed him? (and We restored thee) We returned you to your mother (to your mother that her eyes might be refreshed) that she might be comforted (and might not sorrow) thinking that her son may have died upon throwing him in the river. (And thou didst kill a man) a Coptic man (and We delivered thee from great distress) from the distress caused to you by the people, (and tried thee with a heavy trial) We tried again and again. (And thou didst tarry years) ten years (among the folk of Midian. Then comest thou (hither) by (My) providence, O Moses) then you came to face My decree, in that I spoke with you and sent you with a message to Pharaoh,

(And I have attached thee to Myself) I have selected you for Myself by favouring you with the message.

(Go, thou and thy brother) Aaron, (with My tokens) the hand and the staff, (and be not faint in remembrance of Me) do not weaken, wane or slacken in conveying My message to Pharaoh.

(Go, both of you, unto Pharaoh. Lo! he hath transgressed (the bounds)) he has become arrogant, overweening and a disbeliever.

(And speak unto him a gentle word) a kind word: �there is no deity except Allah�; it is also said that this means: call him by his agnomen, (that peradventure he may heed) that perhaps he may take admonition (or fear) or surrender [to Allah].

(They said: Our Lord! Lo! we fear that he may be beforehand with us) we fear that he may be hasty with us (or that he may play the tyrant) and kill us.

(He said) Allah said to them: (Fear not) being beaten or killed. (Lo! I am with you twain) helping you, (Hearing) what you will be told (and Seeing) what he will do with you.

(So go ye unto him) to Pharaoh (and say: Lo! we are two messengers of thy Lord) to you. (So let the Children of Israel go with us) to their homeland, (and torment them not) do not toil them with work, nor kill their men and use their women as servants, because they are free. (We bring thee a token) a sign (from thy Lord) i.e. the sign of the hand, which is the first sign that he showed to Pharaoh (And peace will be for him who follows right guidance) monotheism.

(Lo! it hath been revealed unto us that the) continuous (doom will be for him who denieth) God's divine Oneness (and turneth away) from faith.

((Pharaoh) said: Who then is the Lord of you twain, O Moses?)

(He said: Our Lord is He Who gave unto everything its nature) its shape, He gave to humans human progeny, to camels, donkeys and sheep progenies of their own species, (then guided it aright) then He inspired them how to eat, drink and copulate.

(He said) Pharaoh said to Moses: (What then is the state of the generations of old?) What is the events of the people of old? How did they perish?

(He said) Moses said: (The knowledge thereof) the knowledge of their destruction (is with my Lord) written down (in a Record) i.e. the Guarded Tablet. (My Lord neither erreth) He does not make mistakes nor is He oblivious to their matter (nor forgetteth) their matter and leave them unpunished,

(Who hath appointed the earth as a bed and hath threaded roads) to use for going and coming (for you therein) in the earth (and hath sent down water) rain (from the sky and thereby) by means of the rain (We have brought forth diverse kinds of vegetation) of different colours,

((Saying): Eat ye) that which you eat (and feed your) grazing (cattle) from its vegetation. (Lo! Herein) in their difference and different colours (verily are portents) signs (for men of thought) for those endowed with intellect among people.

(Thereof) from the earth (We created you) He says We created you from Adam and Adam is from dust, and the dust is from the earth, (and thereunto) to the earth (we return you) He says: We bury you (and thence) from the earth (We bring you forth) He says: from the grave We shall bring you forth (a second time) after death, i.e. for the Resurrection.

(And We verily did show him) i.e. Pharaoh (all Our tokens) the hand, the staff, the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, blood, drought and lack of harvest, (but he denied them) i.e. the signs and said that they are not from Allah (and refused) to surrender to Allah, rejecting thus all the signs.

(He said) to Moses: (Hast thou come to drive us out from our land) Egypt (by thy magic, O Moses?

But we surely can produce magic the like thereof) like the magic you produced; (so appoint a tryst) appoint a time of encounter (between us and you, which neither we nor thou shall fail to keep, at a place convenient (to us both)) other than this place; it is also said that this means: a place that is fair to both of us.

((Moses) said: Your tryst) the appointed time (shall be the day of the feast) the day of the market, it is also said this means the day of celebration; and it is also said this means the new year's day, (and let the people assemble) from all the townships (when the sun hath risen high) at the time of mid-morning.

(Then Pharaoh went) to his folk (and gathered his strength) he gathered his advisers and magicians who were 72 in number (and came (to the appointed tryst)) to the appointed time of the gathering.

(Moses said unto them) to the magicians: (Woe unto you!) may Allah tighten this worldly life for you (Invent not a lie against Allah, lest He extirpate you) lest He destroys you (by some punishment) from Him. (He who lieth) about Allah (faileth miserably) loses miserably.

(Then they debated one with another what they must do) they consulted with one another and decided that if Moses defeats them, they will believe in him, (and they kept their counsel secret) from Pharaoh.

Then (They said) openly: (Lo! these are two wizards) i.e. Moses and Aaron are two wizards (who would drive you out from your country) Egypt (by their magic, and destroy your best traditions) your religion and your best men;

(So arrange your plan) your scheming, magic and knowledge, (and come in battle line) all together. (Whoso is uppermost) victorious (this day will be indeed successful).

(They said) the magicians said to Moses: (O Moses! Either throw first) either you throw your staff to the ground first, (or let us be the first to throw?)

(He said) Moses said to them: (Nay, do ye throw) you first! And so they threw 72 staffs and 72 ropes. (Then Lo! their cords and their staves, by their magic, appeared to him) to Moses (as though they ran) they moved about.

(And Moses conceived a fear in his mind) Moses concealed his fear of them. He was afraid that they would kill all those who believed in him, if he failed to defeat them.

(We said) to Moses: (Fear not! Lo! thou art the higher) you will be victorious over them.

(Throw) to the ground (that which is in thy right hand) O Moses! (It will eat up) it will swallow (that which they have made) that which they have thrown of staffs and ropes. (Lo! that which they have made) that which they have thrown to the ground is (but a wizard's artifice, and a wizard shall not be successful) he shall not be safe nor escape Allah's chastisement or succeed (to whatever point (of skill) he may attain) wherever he is.

(Then the wizards were (all) flung down prostrate) their prostration was so quick that one had the impression they were thrown to the ground, (crying) i.e. the magicians: (We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.

(Pharaoh) said) to them: (Ye put faith in him before I give you leave) you believed in him before I commanded you to do so. (Lo! he is) i.e. Moses (your chief) the most erudite of you (who taught you magic. Now surely I shall cut off your hands and your feet alternately) the right hand with the left leg, (and I shall crucify you on the trunks of palm-trees, and ye shall know for certain which of us hath sterner and more lasting punishment) me or the Lord of Moses and Aaron.

(They said) the magicians said to Pharaoh: (We choose thee not) we will not choose worshipping and obeying you (above the clear proofs) of commands, prohibitions, the Scripture, the Messenger and all the signs (that have come unto us, and above Him Who created us) we will choose to worship He who created us. (So decree what thou wilt decree) so proceed to do whatever you wish and sentence us with whatever sentence you wish. (Thou wilt end for us only the life of the world) you will sentence us only in this worldly life but you do not have any power over us in the Hereafter.

(Lo! we believe in our Lord, that He may forgive us our sins) our idolatry (and the magic unto which thou didst force us) the magic which you coerced us to learn. (Allah is better and more lasting) that which is with Allah of reward and favour is better and more lasting that the wealth you give us.

(Lo! whoso cometh) on the Day of Judgement (guilty) an idolater (unto his Lord, verily for him is hell. There he will neither die) such that he finds rest (nor live) a beneficial life.

(But whoso cometh unto Him) on the Day of Judgement (a believer) sincere in his faith, (having done good works) secretly between himself and his Lord, (for such are the high stations) in the Gardens;

Then He explained, saying: (Gardens of Eden) this is the Abode of the All-Merciful which He created with His own Hand and power in the middle of the Gardens of Paradise (underneath which) beneath its trees and habitations (rivers) rivers of wine, water, honey and milk (flow, wherein they will abide for ever) living in Paradise, neither to die nor leave it. (That) that Garden and eternity (is the reward of him who groweth) is the reward of he who believes in Allah's divine Oneness and then does good works.

(And verily We inspired Moses, saying: Take away) lead (My slaves by night) at the beginning of the night (and strike for them) show them (a dry path in the sea, fearing not to be overtaken) by Pharaoh, (neither being afraid (of the sea)) neither being afraid of drowning.

(Then Pharaoh followed with his hosts and there covered them that which did cover them of the sea) they drowned in the sea.

(And Pharaoh led his folk astray) Pharaoh destroyed his people in the sea, (he did not guide them) he did not save them; it is also said that this means: he misguided them regarding Allah's religion and did not guide them to the Truth.

(O Children of Israel!) O Children of Jacob (We delivered you from your enemy) from Pharaoh, (and We made a covenant with you on the holy mountain's side) the right side of Moses by giving him the Scripture, (and sent down on you the manna and the quails) in the wilderness,

((Saying): Eat of the good things) of the lawful things (wherewith We have provided you) of manna and quails, (and transgress not in respect thereof) do not disbelieve in Him; it is also said that this means: do not save for the next day (lest My wrath) and torment (come upon you; and he on whom My wrath cometh) and he on whom my wrath and torment is decreed, (he is lost indeed) he is destroyed.

(And lo! verily I am Forgiving towards him who repenteth) from idolatry (and believeth) in Allah (and doeth good) with sincerity, (and afterward walketh aright) then truly sees the reward of his works; it is also said that this means: he is guided to the community of the orthodox faithful (ahl al-sunnah wa'l-jama'ah) and dies in that state.

When Moses was about to go with the seventy chosen men to the tryst, he hastened and went ahead of them; (And (it was said)) Allah said to him: (What hath made thee hasten from thy folk, O Moses?

He said: They are close upon my track) they are following in my track. And (I hastened unto Thee that Thou mightest be well pleased) so that Your good pleasure with me is increased.

(He said) O Moses! (Lo! We have tried thy folk) with the worship of the calf (in thine absence) after you set off for the mountain, (and al-Samiri hath misled them) al-Samiri commanded them to do so.

(Then Moses went back) when Moses went back (unto his folk) with the 70 men and heard the sound of the sedition, he became (angry and sad. He said: O my people! Hath not your Lord promised you a fair promise) a true promise? (Did the time appointed then appear too long for you) did I exceed the appointed time, (or did ye wish that wrath from your Lord should come upon you) should become prescribed upon you, (that ye broke tryst with me) that you went against my promise?

(They said) O Moses: (We broke not tryst with thee) we did not go against your promise (of our own will) intentionally knowing that we were doing so, (but we were laden with burdens) loads (of ornaments of the folk) of the ornament of the people of Pharaoh, and the evil omen of that burden led us to worship the calf, (then cast them) then we cast the ornament ((in the Fire), for thus al-Samiri proposed) just as al-Samiri did.

(Then he produced for them) from the gold they threw in the Fire, al-Samiri made for them (a calf, of saffron hue) a small form without a spirit, (which gave forth a lowing sound. And they cried) what is this? And al-Samiri said: (This is your God and the God of Moses, but he hath forgotten) al-Samiri abandoned Allah's worship and command; it is also said that this means: Moses left the way and took a wrong turn.

Allah then said: (See they not) i.e. al-Samiri and his host, (then, that it) the calf (returneth no saying unto them) does not answer them (and possesseth for them) and has no power (neither hurt) either to drive away harm from them (nor use) or bring benefit to them?

(And Aaron indeed had told them beforehand) before the return of Moses (pbuh) to them: (O my people! Ye are but being seduced therewith) you have been tried with the lowing sound and the worship of the calf, (for lo! your Lord is the Beneficent, so follow me) regarding His religion (and obey my order) obey my saying and advice.