(I am almost hiding it.) “This means no one knows its appointed time except Me (Allah).” Allah also said,
ثَقُلَتْ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ لاَ تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلاَّ بَغْتَةً
This indicates that the universe’s inhabitants are heavily influenced by its knowledge. Regarding Allah’s declaration,
لِتُجْزَى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا تَسْعَى
(that every person may be rewarded for that which he strives.)
“I will set it up, and it will happen eventually. Every person who does something will undoubtedly be rewarded based on what he did.
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ – وَمَن يَعْـمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ
(So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom shall see it.) 99:7-8
إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
(You are only being required for what you used to do.) 52:16 Allah said,
فَتَرْدَى
(lest you perish.)
This indicates that you will be ruined and destroyed.
وَمَا يُغْنِى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى
(And what will his wealth avail him when he goes down (in destruction)) 92:11
Musa’s stick transformed into a snake.
AYAH 17 of Surah Taha
وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ
The question: “What is in your right hand, 0 Musa”? – 20:17
Marks the start of the exceptional blessing which Allah Ta’ ala displayed towards Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) to scatter the trepidation made by the uncommon sights that he had seen and the Heavenly Word that he had heard. Allah Ta’ala addressed him in a friendly manner and inquired about his holding. In addition, the question had a subtly concealed objective: to inform him that the object he was holding in his hand was merely a wooden staff. And when he was sure once more that it was a wooden staff, the miracle of turning it into a serpent was shown, putting an end to any doubt in his mind that he might have picked up a serpent rather than a staff in the pitch black of the night.
AYAH 18 – 19 of Surah Taha
قَالَ هِيَ عَصَايَ (He said, “ It is my staff” – 20:18
The straightforward inquiry that was posed to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام), that is, “What is in your hand?” called for a response that was just as brief, as “It is a staff.” Be that as it may, he chipped in extra data which was outside the extent of the inquiry put to him. First, he claimed ownership of the staff; second, it was useful to him for various purposes, including the fact that he frequently sat on it and beat down tree leaves for his goats; third, he used it for a lot of other things.
This lengthy and in-depth response is the perfect blend of profound reverence, extreme love, and adoration. When a person finds the person he or she adores to be kind and attentive, it is a natural human instinct to want to talk more to get the most out of the relationship.
On the other hand, the rules of extreme respect say that the conversation shouldn’t go on for too long and should stay within reasonable limits. As a result, he concluded his response with a brief statement, وَلِيَ فِيهَا مَآرِبُ أُخْرَىٰ ” means And for me, it has many other uses,” but he did not provide any specifics regarding those “other uses.” Mazhari and Ruh)
Qurtubi deduced in his Tafsir that it is permissible to include matters not specifically covered in the question when answering it.
Rule
The prophets were known to carry a staff, as this verse demonstrates. The practice of carrying a staff in one’s hand, which the Holy Prophet also did, has numerous benefits, both religious and non-religious.
AYAH 20-21 of Surah Taha
فَإِذَا هِيَ حَيَّةٌ تَسْعَىٰ (And suddenly it was a snake running – 20:20
In accordance with Allah Ta’ala’s command, Sayyidna Musa threw down his staff, which turned into a serpent. The Qur’an refers to this serpent as [كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ] (28:31), meaning a slim, small snake. In another verse, it is called [فَإِذَا هِيَ ثُعْبَانٌ] (26:32), referring to a long, thick snake. The term “حَيَّةٌ” is used more generally for snakes of all sizes. This indicates that the serpent, starting thin and small, grew larger over time. Alternatively, the large snake may have been called جَانٌّ due to its rapid movement, as thick snakes typically move slowly. The phrase “as if” suggests this comparison.
Musa’s Hand went white without any illness
AYAH 22-23 of Surah Taha
وَاضْمُمْ يَدَكَ إِلَىٰ جَنَاحِكَ (And put your hand under your arm – 20:22).
The word “جَنَاحِ ” refers to a bird’s wing or animal’s forelimb. Here, Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) was told to press his hand under his armpit so that when he pulled it out, it would shine as brightly as the sun, which would be the second miracle that was granted to him. Sayyidna Ibn Abbas (Mazhari) interprets the words in this manner.
Allah ordered Musa to go to Fir`awn to deliver the Message Allah said
AYAH 24 of Surah Taha
اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ (Go to the Pharaoh – 20:24).
Allah Ta’ala instructed Sayyidna Musa after He had adequately equipped Musa (علیہ السلام) with two significant miracles to travel to Egypt and convince the Pharaoh of the true faith because he had gone above and beyond in his tyranny and misdeeds
The Supplication of Musa علیہ السلام
AYAH 25 of Surah Taha
It would be impossible for Sayyidna Musa ( علیہ السلام) to endure and persevere in the face of the trials and tribulations inherent in carrying out his mission without Allah Ta’ ala’s help. When Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام ) received the high honour of speaking with Allah Ta’ ala and was given the mission of prophethood, he turned to Allah Ta’ ala and asked for His help in carrying out his duties.
Therefore, he asked Allah Ta’ala to provide him with five favours.
The first prayer was اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي ! (Put my heart at peace for me – 20:25).
Meaning to strengthen his heart’s capacity to accept all the knowledge and insight of prophethood while also being able to endure the criticism of those who will stand in his way with equanimity.
AYAH 26 of Surah Taha
يَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي (make my task easy for me – 20:26
His second prayer was “Make my task easy for me” (Isaiah 20:26). He realized, after being made a prophet, that what makes things easy or hard is not human talent or other obvious factors. Truly, things become simple or troublesome as Allah Ta’ ala wills. The following words are used in the hadith to encourage the believers to seek the assistance of Allah Ta’ala in their circumstances:
اللَّھُمَّ الطُف بِنَافی تَیسِیرِ کُلِّ عَسِیرِ فَاِنَّ تَیسِیرَ کُلِّ عَسِیرِ عَلَیکَ یَسِیرُ
0 Allah! Be kind to us and make it easy for us to complete difficult tasks because you make everything easy.
AYAH 27-28 of Surah Taha
The third prayer وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي (And remove the knot from my tongue, that they may understand my speech – 20:27, 28)
The story behind the word “tie”
The story behind this “tie” is that as a baby Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) lived with his mom, who used to nurse him and was paid for her administration by the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh and his wife, Asiya, adopted him when he was weaned and separated him from his mother. Sayyidna Musa slapped the Pharaoh in the face one day after grabbing hold of his beard. According to another version, he struck the Pharaoh on the head while playing with a stick. In a fury, the Pharaoh decided to execute him. His wife Asia tried to console him. “0 King! “, What is it about this that you take so seriously? After all, he is just a young child with no idea what’s happening. If you test him, you’ll find that he can’t distinguish between good and bad things.
The Pharaoh then directed the delivery of two trays. The first contained jewelry, while the second contained live coal. Since children typically avoid jewelry that isn’t as bright, it was anticipated that the child would reach for the burning coal due to its brightness. This would have persuaded the Pharaoh that Sayyidna Musa’s actions were merely those of an innocent child. However, Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) was not an ordinary child. From when he was born, Allah Ta’ala had chosen him to be a prophet with unusual instincts. He extended his hand to reach for the jewelry rather than the coal, but Jibra’il (علیہ السلام) turned away and placed it in the coal-filled tray. He put a piece of burning coal in his mouth after picking it up, burning his tongue.
Thus, the Pharaoh was completely satisfied that Sayyidna Musa’s (علیہ السلام) behavior was not the result of mischief but rather a child’s inability to differentiate between good and bad for himself.
Conclusion:
Surah Taha contains many valuable lessons about faith, prayer, repentance, patience, and more that are essential for every Muslim’s journey towards becoming closer to Allah SWT (Glorified & Exalted Be He). By understanding these key insights contained within this surah (chapter), we can gain greater knowledge about ourselves as well as our relationship with God Almighty (Glorified & Exalted Be He). May Allah grant all those who read this blog post insight into His holy words so that they may grow closer to Him every day! Ameen
