The Quran is a sacred text within Islam believed to be Allah’s or God’s direct word. Surah Taha is one of the Quran’s well-known surahs or chapters. This Surah consists of 135 verses and is named for its first verse, which references Prophet Musa and his dialogue with Allah. It was revealed in Makkah. Surah Taha is one of the most powerful and important chapters of the Quran. This surah (chapter) is full of valuable lessons and insights that can help us to become better Muslims. In this post, we will explore some of the key insights of Surah Taha.
The theme of Surah Taha
Surah Taha’s primary theme is patience and resilience despite adversity. It begins by calling attention to Prophet Musa’s struggles and then proceeds to advise believers on how to overcome their difficulties by trusting Allah’s power.
Overall, the main takeaway from Surah Taha is that no matter what obstacles arise—spiritual or physical—one should always trust in Allah’s power because He controls all things.
Analysis of Quranic translation of SUrah taha (AYAH 1-28) according to ibn al khatir and Marif ul QUran
The Qur’an is a Revelation and a Reminder from Allah
AYAH 1 of Surah TAHA
Ayaha 2 of Surah Taha
This stanza looks to diminish the weight of extended periods of petitions to God by illuminating the Sacred Prophet ﷺ that the Qur’ an was not uncovered to cause work and difficulty for him and that he does not need to remain alert the entire evening presenting the Qur’an. After that, the Holy Prophet established a routine in which he fell asleep early and rose later to perform the salah of tahajjud.
This verse also suggests that the Holy Prophet’s sole responsibility is to convey the Message of Allah Ta’ala to nonbelievers and that he need not worry about who accepted or rejected the message.
AYAH 3-4 of Surah Taha
). According to Ibn Kathir, the infidels mocked and taunted the believers in the early days following the revelation of the Qur’an, claiming that the revelation of the Qur’an brought nothing but hardship and denied them peace and rest. In this verse, Allah Ta’ala says that these poor and miserable people don’t understand that the Qur’an and its knowledge can only bring happiness and blessings. They are foolish and ignorant, so they don’t appreciate this fact.
AYAH 5
عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىٰ(Positioned Himself on the Throne – 20:5)
Most early scholars held that the precise nature of ‘Istiwa’ (positioning) is unknown. This is the truth about these words. It is contained in “Mutashabihat,” whose meaning is unknown. A Muslim must believe that Istiwa’Ala-Al-Arsh (sitting on the throne) is true. Its nature must align with Allah’s high attributes, but no one can comprehend it.
AYAH 6
وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَىٰ (And whatever is beneath the soil – 20:6).
(ثرٰی) (soil) refers to the wet earth that emerges from digging to a certain depth. Allah is the only one who knows what lies beneath (human knowledge does not extend beyond). A few years back, researchers and scientists, utilizing the most recent and complex instruments, invested impressive energy and worked to pierce across the focal point of the earth. According to newspaper accounts, they could only penetrate to a depth of six miles, after which they encountered a rock casing, and all of their attempts to bore further down were unsuccessful. While the earth’s diameter covers thousands of miles, scientists could only collect data up to six miles away. Therefore, it is necessary to acknowledge that Allah possesses a unique ability to know what lies beneath the soil.
AYAH 7- 8 of Surah Taha
يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى (Knows the secret and what is even more hidden – 20:7)
(Sirr: Secret) refers to something that a man conceals in his heart and that no one else knows about اخفٰی ( means more hidden) refers to a thought that has not yet formed in his mind but will do so in the future. Allah is completely mindful of what thoughts a man covers in his heart at a specific second and what considerations he will engage in from now on. At the same time, the individual concerned with himself doesn’t have the foggiest idea of what contemplations will strike his mind in the coming days.
A Discussion of the Message of Musa
AYAH 9-10
إِنِّى ءَانَسْتُ نَاراً لَّعَلِّى آتِيكُمْ مِّنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ
أَوْ جَذْوَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ
لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَصْطَلُونَ
أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى النَّارِ هُدًى
أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى النَّارِ هُدًى
The First Revelation to Musa
AYAH 11-16 of Surah Taha
إِنِّى أَنَاْ رَبُّكَ
فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ
طُوًى
إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى
(When his Lord called him in the sacred valley of Tuwa.) 79:16 Allah’s statement,
وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ
إِنْى اصْطَفَيْتُكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ بِرِسَـلَـتِي وَبِكَلَـمِي
فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَى
إِنَّنِى أَنَا اللَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلا أَنَاْ
فَاعْبُدْنِى
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَوةَ لِذِكْرِى
إِنَّ السَّاعَةَ ءَاتِيَةٌ
(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
لِتُجْزَى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا تَسْعَى
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ – وَمَن يَعْـمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ
إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
فَتَرْدَى
وَمَا يُغْنِى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى
Musa’s stick transformed into a snake.
AYAH 17 of Surah Taha
AYAH 18 – 19 of Surah Taha
قَالَ هِيَ عَصَايَ (He said, “ It is my staff” – 20:18
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
