Verses 9–48

Chapter 20: Ṭā Hā · Printed edition: Volume 27, pp. 175–208

This is the beginning of relating the story of Moses. Four stages are related in the chapter, namely:

First: Moses being chosen as a Messenger on Mount (Sinai) in the Valley of Ṭuwā.

Second: His being commanded to summon Pharaoh, followed by his invitation to monotheism to Pharaoh in association with his [Moses’] brother, to send the Israelites with him, to complete the proof and bring (to) him a miracle.

Third: His exodus with the Israelites from Egypt, Pharaoh’s pursuit [of them], his [the Pharaoh] being drowned and the Israelites’ escape.

Fourth: The Israelites’ worship of the calf and the outcome of their affair and that of the Samaritan and his calf. The verses which we have cited (above) address the first stage.

The manner in which the story connects to the preceding verses is a reminder of monotheism and the threat of punishment because the narrative begins with a monotheistic revelation and concludes with Moses’ words, Your God is only God, there is no god but He. This refers to Pharaoh perishing and the Samaritan being cast out. The previous verses began by [stating] that the Qur’an comprises the true call and is a reminder, to him who fears, and concluded with His Words, God—there is no god but He; His are the very best names.

Commentary

وَهَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ ٩

(20:9) And has the story of Moses come to you?

This question is a confirmation to commence relating the story (of Moses) as it will be seen.

إِذْ رَأَىٰ نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ امْكُثُوا إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا لَعَلِّي آتِيكُمْ مِنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى النَّارِ هُدًى ١٠

(20:10) When he saw fire, he said to his family: Stop, for surely I see a fire, haply I may bring to you therefrom a live coal or find a guidance at the fire.

Makth means tarrying. Inās means seeing or sensing something. It is derived from uns (familiarity) which is the opposite of nufūr (aversion). That is why, it is said that it means seeing something familiar, so sight of it is strong. Qabas means the flame lit at the top of a piece of wood or something similar. Hudā is a verbal noun in the sense of an active participle or the muḍāf ilayh (possessor) of an implied muḍāf (possessed)—namely a source of guidance. Either way, it is that through which guidance is achieved.

The context [provided by] the verse and what follows is evidence that he was on his way from Midian to Egypt; his family was with him. They were near to the Valley of Ṭuwā in Mount Sinai on a dark, winter’s night. They had lost their way when he [Moses] saw a fire. Thereafter he thought to walk towards it, and, if he found anyone there, to ask him the (right) way. Otherwise, he would take a firebrand to light a fire so they could stay warm.

There is in (the clause), he said to his family, Stop, a sense or indeed an indication that there was someone else besides his family. Similarly, the emphasis and use of the word inās (I see) in, Stop, for surely I see a fire, indicates that only he saw it—no one else from his family noticed it. This is also supported, firstly by, When he saw fire. Likewise, haply I may bring to you … indicates that there is implied phrase: “Stop, so that I can go to it. Haply I may bring you a firebrand from it or find a guide by the fire—to guide [direct] us”.

فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِيَ يَا مُوسَىٰ ١١ إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى ١٢

(20:11-12) So when he came to it, a voice was uttered: O Moses: Surely I am your Lord, therefore take off your shoes; surely you are in the sacred valley, Ṭuwa.

Ṭuwā is the name of a valley in Mount (Sinai). It is what God called, the sacred valley. This name and description is proof that the commandment to remove his shoes was out of respect for the valley so that it would not be trodden upon with shoes. Next, making the injunction to remove [his] shoes a logical consequence (tafrīʾ) along with, Sure I am your Lord, indicates that the sacredness of the valley was due to it being a realm of spiritual closeness and a place of divine presence and dialog with God (munājāt).

Thus, the verse can be interpreted—for example—as: “A voice was uttered: O, Moses, Lo, I am your Lord and you are in My Presence. The valley has become sacred thereby so observe the etiquette and remove your shoes”. Sacred places and times are treated as such in the same way for example the Holy Mosque (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām), all other venerated mosques and shrines in Islam and religious celebrations (ʿīds and blessed days). That place only became holy and honored because of its being linked to an auspicious event, rite or sacred act of worship, which occurred there and was made part of the Shariah there. Otherwise, no place and time is superior to any other.

When Moses heard His Words, O, Moses Surely I am your Lord he was certain in his mind that he was being spoken to by his Lord and that they were His Words. That was because it was revelation from Him . He has explicitly stated in (the Qur’an) that there is no intermediary—veil or Messenger—between Him and whomever He speaks to, if the speech is revelation as in: And it is not for any mortal that God should speak to them except through revelation or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His leave what He will ().

If no intermediary is supposed, the recipient of revelation will not conceive there to be anyone else speaking to him or imagine there to be [someone else] apart from God. He will not believe the words to be anyone else’s but His. If the speaker could be someone else or the words could be someone else’s, then it would not be a direct speech between the person and God, without any intermediary. This is the case with a Prophet or Messenger when he first receives revelation through Prophethood or message. He will not have any doubt or suspicion that it is God Who is revealing to him without needing to apply any theoretical reasoning (iʿmāl naẓar), seek proof or demonstration. If he needed any of that, it would be acquisition through mental faculty and not receipt of unseen knowledge without any intermediary.

Claim: Narrating the (same) story elsewhere, He says: And We called to him from the blessed side of the mountain, and We made him draw nigh, holding communion [with Us] ().

(Also), His Words elsewhere: … from the right side of the valley in the blessed spot of the bush ().

(These verses) confirm that there was a veil when he [Moses] was spoken to.

Reply: This is true. However, confirmation (that there was) a veil or Messenger when he was spoken to does not contradict his being spoken to through revelation because like all His other actions, revelation is not free of an intermediary. The matter only revolves around whether the person spoken to—who receives the words—is attentive [to it]. If he is attentive to the intermediary which carries the words or through which he is veiled from Him , the words are (still) a message (being) sent to him and a revelation, for example, through an Angel.

If he [the one spoken to] is attentive to Him , it is revelation from Him even if there is an intermediary to which He has not been attentive to. Proof of what has been said is in His words to Moses in the next verse, so listen to what is revealed—He calls it, revelation. The veil has been confirmed elsewhere in the Qur’an. In summary, (the clause), Surely I am your Lord, therefore take off your shoes … is an instruction to Moses that the situation is one of [divine] presence and a station one is spoken to. He [God] was alone with him and singled him out for His extra attention. That is why, Surely I am your Lord, is spoken and not: “I am God” or “I am the Lord of the Worlds”. That is also why, Surely I am God, does not constitute repetition because (it) clears the place of anyone else participating in the revelation whereas, Surely, I am God is part of the revelation. There is subtlety beyond measure in hiding the subject of nadiya (lit: it was called) as opposed to saying, “We called him”, or, “God called him”. There is an allusion to the fact that this sign was a surprise to Moses.

وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰ ١٣

(20:13) And I have chosen you, so listen to what is revealed:

The word ikhtiyār (choosing) is derived from al-khayr (good). The truth of it is that the doer (fāʿil) is—for example—hesitant in choosing between actions, one of which has to be given preponderance and performed. Thus, the best one is singled out. He then builds and acts on the basis that it is better than the others. Building and acting on that basis is choosing (ikhtiyār). Thus, choice is always for a purpose which is the doer’s aim in performing the action.

Thus, His choosing Moses was for a divine purpose, namely giving him Prophethood and the Message. Testimony to that are His Words made logically consequential to the choice: so listen to what is revealed. The divine will is to send a person who can bear the Prophethood and the message. In His Knowledge, Moses was the most qualified and suitable person for this purpose, so He chose him.

And I have chosen you (wa anā [I]khtartuka) as indicated by the context is like issuing a command to be Prophet and Messenger so it is inshāʾīyyah (imperative) and not khabariyya (indicative). If it had been indicative, it would have only said, “I have chosen you”. However, it is an imperative—selecting him as a Prophet with these very words. Then, once the choice is made, by His Will, the commandment to listen to the revelation comprising the Prophethood and Message is a rational consequence. Thus He says, so listen to what is revealed. Listening to what is revealed means being attentive to it.

إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي ١٤

(20:14) Surely I am God, there is no god but I, therefore serve Me and keep up prayer for My remembrance.

This is the revelation he was commanded to pay attention to in the eleven verses which refer both to Prophethood and the Messengership. As for Prophethood, it [reference] is in this verse and the two verses following it. As for the Messengership, it [reference] begins with, And what is that in your right hand, O Moses! and ends with, Go to Pharaoh, surely he has exceeded all limits. He explicitly states that he is both a Messenger and a Prophet in: And mention Moses in the Book; surely he was one purified, and he was an Messenger, a Prophet ().

The three verses on Prophethood make reference to both pillars, namely the pillar of belief and the pillar of action. There are three fundamental beliefs: Unity of God (al-tawḥīd), Prophethood and resurrection. Tawḥīd and resurrection are referred to but Prophethood is not (referred to) because the Prophet himself is being spoken to. As for the pillar of action, elaborate as it is, it is summarized in one word, namely: faʿbudnī (therefore worship Me). Thus all the principles and branches of religion are complete in three verses: Surely I am God, there is no god but I—He who is called by the Name introduces Himself by saying: Surely I am God and not saying: “Surely God am I”, because when something is present, its attribute is known by itself, not vice versa. This is seen in what Yusuf’s brothers said when they recognized him: Are you indeed Yusuf? He said: I am Yusuf and this is my brother. Even though the Name God (Ism al-Jalālah) is a proper noun for the Transcendent Essence, it means the One called “God” because there is no way to the Holy Essence. It is as if what is said is: “I am He, Who is called God”. Thus it is as if the speaker is present and “witnessed”, while it is unclear who “God” is [and the latter is defined by the former]. Therefore, “I am that One”, is said on the basis that the Name God (Allah, Ism al-Jalālah) is, through predominant usage, a proper noun, but not devoid of an adjectival origin.

His Words, there is no god but I, therefore serve Me—a statement of monotheism (kalimat al-tawḥīd)—is worded consequentially to, Surely, I am God because it is literally consequential to it. For, if He is the One from Whom everything begins and by Whom everything subsists and to Whom everything returns, the subjugation of servitude should only be to Him because He is the true God to worship—there is no god but He.

That is why the commandment to serve, therefore serve Me is made consequential.

His Words, and keep up prayer for My remembrance—singling prayer out for mention—comes under the heading of referring to the particular after the general—out of regard for its status—because prayer is the most representative deed of subjugation of servitude. Remembrance of God is achieved through it, the way a spirit is realized through its channel.

Thus, li-dhikrī (My remembrance) is an example of annexing a verbal noun to its object. The lām [in li-dhikrī] is explanatory. It is the dependent object of aqim, meaning keep up. What it means is: “Pray to achieve My remembrance”. It is like saying: “Eat to satisfy your hunger” or “Drink to quench your thirst”. This is the first interpretation which springs to mind in the given context. There are many opinions on li-dhikrī. It is said that it is the dependent object of aqim, keep up, as stated above.

Alternatively, it is claimed that it is the dependent object of: i) al-ṣalāt (prayer) or ii) faʿbudnī (therefore serve Me)

Next, it is said that the lām [in li-dhikrī] is explanatory. Alternatively, it is claimed that it is to indicate time, meaning: “Keep up prayer when you remember Me”, or “when you remember it if you forget it or miss it”. Thus it is like the lām in: Keep up prayer from the declining of the sun ().

Claims regarding dhikr (remembrance):

(i) It means an oral mention which forms part of the prayer.

(ii) It is remembrance with the heart that accompanies [the prayer] and is achieved by it or is dependent on it, and appears through it like the occurrence of an effect, as a result of its cause in: Perform the prayer at the decline of the sun ().

(iii) It means the remembrance (dhikr) which happens before the prayer.

(iv) It means both inward (qalbī) and outward (qālibī).

Claims regarding the annexation (iḍāfah):

(i) It is an example of annexing the verbal noun to its object

(ii) It is an example of annexing the verbal noun to its subject; it means: “Pray so that I will remember you with commendation and reward”, or: “Pray so that I might mention it and My commandment to do so in Heavenly Scriptures”.

(iii) It restricts “keeping up [prayer]” to remembrance. This means: “Keep up prayer for the purpose of remembering Me and not for any other motive other than that—such as reward you seek or punishment you fear”. Others have rejected this restriction.

(iv) It restricts the thing annexed (muḍāf) to the thing to which it is annexed. It means: “Keep up prayer only to remember Me and not to show off or adulterate it with remembrance of anyone else”.

It is claimed that the wording does not indicate this even though it is true in itself.

(v) Dhikr means remembering to pray, that is keep up prayer when you remember it or in order to remember it. It is based on an implied word annexed (muḍāf) that is to keep in mind My prayer or on remembering prayer being a cause of evoking God. Thus the effect is uttered but it is the cause which is intended.

There are other explanations ranging from weak to strong. That which initially comes to mind is the one which was presented first.

إِنَّ السَّاعَةَ آتِيَةٌ أَكَادُ أُخْفِيهَا لِتُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا تَسْعَىٰ ١٥

(20:15) Surely the hour is coming—I am about to make it manifest—so that every soul may be rewarded as it strives.

This is the explanation for what He says in the previous verse, therefore serve Me. That does not contradict (the clause), therefore serve Me being consequential to the monotheistic declaration (kalimat al-tawḥīd) made before it because even though the duty to serve Him is consequential to His Unity, it would have no effect, if a day on which humans are rewarded for their deeds is not confirmed, whereby the good-doers are distinguished from the evildoers and the obedient ones from the disobedient ones. Legislation would be futile and commandment and prohibition in vain—without any effect. That is why it is an unavoidable decree. There is repeated denial of there being any doubt about it in His Words.

I am about to make it manifest (akādu ukhfīhā): It is apparent from the use of ikhfāʾ that it means, I almost hide it and conceal ‘it’, not giving any information about it so that it is much unexpected and more of a surprise, only coming as a shock. As He says: … it will not come on you but of a sudden … ().

Alternatively, it means: I will almost not give any information about it in order to distinguish the sincere ones from the others. Most people only serve Him in the hope of reward or out of fear of His punishment—reward for obedience or punishment for disobedience. The sincerest deed is that which is done for the sake of God not out of desire for Heaven or out of fear of hell. If He hid and concealed the day of reward, those who worship sincerely would be distinguished from the others.

It is claimed that akādu ukhfīhā means, “I almost hid it from myself”. This is an exaggerated expression of concealment. When someone wants to exaggerate about concealing something, he says: “I almost hid it from myself”, meaning, “how I could show it to anyone else?” This is attributed to (an) oral tradition.

His Words, so that every soul may be rewarded as it strives are the dependent object of coming (ātiyah) (of the hour). The meaning is clear.

فَلَا يَصُدَّنَّكَ عَنْهَا مَنْ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِهَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ فَتَرْدَىٰ ١٦

(20:16) Therefore let not him who believes not in it (bihā) and follows his low desires turn you away from it (ʿanhā) so that you should perish.

The word ṣadd means turning away. Radā means perishing. The two pronouns—ʿanhā (from it) and bihā (in it) refer to the Hour. Al-ṣadd ʿan al-sāʿah means turning away from remembering the Hour and its importance because it is the day on which every soul will be rewarded as it has strived. Similarly, not believing in it is disbelief in the same and its importance.

His Words, and follows his low desires are like an explanatory phrase joined with a conjunction to, who believes not in it, that is not believing in it is an example of following one’s low desires. Because on that basis it would be a suitable explanation, the words would mean that low desires are the reason for not believing in it. It could be understood from that—by implication—that believing in the Hour is the truth which saves one from perishing, contrary to low desires.

In summary, the verse means: If the Hour is coming, and punishment and reward are going to be meted out, you should not be diverted from believing in it and its importance by those who followed their low desires, started to disbelieve in it and eventually turned their backs on serving their Lord. You should not be deterred from it to the extent that you turn away and perish.

The reason for using the past tense in, wa [i]ttabaʿa hawāh, follows his low desires, even though the phrase joined to it with a conjunction is in the present tense, may be to allude to following low desires causing a lack of belief.

وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ ١٧

(20:17) And what is that (tilka) in your right hand, O Moses!

This begins the revelation of the Message with the revelation of the Prophethood having come to a conclusion in the previous three verses. The interrogative is [in order] to confirm. He was asked what was in his right hand—his staff—so that he would say what it was, mention its characteristics so that it would be made clear that it was inanimate—non-living—and that its transformation into a serpent would have its desired impact on his soul.

It is likely that the noun to which the demonstrative pronoun “that” refers to is the stick (ʿūdah) [feminine] or piece of wood (khashaba) [feminine]. Otherwise, the word “that” would have been masculine (dhālika) instead of feminine (tilka), making the noun to which the demonstrative pronoun refers to, al-shayʾ (the thing) [masculine] because of the pretence not to know it was a staff. [In such a case the masculine demonstrative pronoun has to be used]. If not, the question is wrong. An example [of using the masculine demonstrative pronoun] is: Then when he saw the sun rising, he said: Is this my Lord? Is this the greatest? (); Fa lammā raʾā al-shams [feminine] bāzighatan qāla hādhā [masculine demonstrative] rabbī. Hādhā [masculine demonstrative] akbar.

The feminine demonstrative pronoun (tilka) may be used to refer to al-ʿaṣā (staff) but not with the motive of ascertaining what it is called and its essence—which would render the question redundant—but rather with the intention of having him mention its qualities and characteristics. This is supported by the verbosity of what Moses says, citing the staff’s attributes and characteristics because when he heard the question about what was in his right hand that is his staff, no mind could have any doubt that what was required was to cite its attributes. He thereafter began saying what it was called (ismuhā), then its attributes and characteristics. This is a technique used when a question is asked about something obvious, ignorance of which is not expected. Somewhat similar to this are His words: The terrible calamity! What is the terrible calamity! And what will make you comprehend what the terrible calamity is? The day on which men shall be as scattered moths. (); The sure calamity! What is the sure calamity! And what would make you realize what the sure calamity is! ().

قَالَ هِيَ عَصَايَ أَتَوَكَّأُ عَلَيْهَا وَأَهُشُّ بِهَا عَلَىٰ غَنَمِي وَلِيَ فِيهَا مَآرِبُ أُخْرَىٰ ١٨

(20:18) He said: This is my staff: I recline on it and I beat the leaves with it to make them fall upon my sheep, and I have other uses for it.

[The word] al-ʿaṣā is well known. It is an unmarked feminine [noun]. Al-tawakkī and al-ittikāʾ ʿalā al-ʿaṣā both mean leaning on [the staff]. Hashsh means beating or hitting the leaves of a tree with a staff to make them fall upon sheep for them to eat. Maʾārib is the plural of maʾrabah, maʾrubah and maʾribah, meaning a need. His maʾārib being fīhā [lit. in it] means that his needs are dependent on it insofar as it is a means to achieve them. The meaning of the verse is clear.

It is said that his verbosity—prolonging the citation of the staff’s attributes and characteristics—was because in the context of communicating and confiding with the Beloved, it necessitated that, since speaking to the Beloved is pleasurable. That is why he first said that it was his staff to derive from that its general benefits. This is the point of saying that it is his staff.

In discussing the end of the previous verse above, another reason was given for this question and its answer. Speaking about it does not fall under the heading of verbosity—especially with regard to his summarizing all its uses by saying, and I have other uses for it.

A subsequent explanation was provided for the question and response noted in the discussion at the end of the previous verse. Speaking about it (in that manner) would not fall under the heading of verbosity—especially in regards to his summarizing all of its benefits by saying, and I have other uses for it.

قَالَ أَلْقِهَا يَا مُوسَىٰ ١٩ فَأَلْقَاهَا فَإِذَا هِيَ حَيَّةٌ تَسْعَىٰ ٢٠ قَالَ خُذْهَا وَلَا تَخَفْ ۖ سَنُعِيدُهَا سِيرَتَهَا الْأُولَىٰ ٢١

(20:19-21) He said: Cast it down, O Moses! So he cast it down; and lo! it was a serpent running. He said: Take hold of it and fear not; We will restore it to its former state.

A ṣirah is a state. Etymologically, it is a construction for a type (nawʾ) of ṣayr (course) the same way that jalsah is a type (nawʾ) of julūs (sitting).

He commanded Moses to cast down his staff from his right hand—He said: Cast it down, O Moses! When he did so, it became a serpent moving swiftly and actively. That was something unexpected from an inanimate object—So he cast it down; and lo! it was a serpent running. He refers to its moving elsewhere: … he saw it in motion as if it were a serpent. He also speaks of the serpent in another place (): So he threw his rod, then lo! it was a clear serpent (thuʿbān). A thuʿbān is a mighty serpent. Take hold of it and fear not; We will restore it to its former state ()(), indicates that he feared of the moving serpent he saw. He tells the story elsewhere: So when he saw it in motion as if it were a serpent, he turned back retreating, and did not return. O Moses! come forward and fear not ().

Khawf (fear) means beginning the preparatory steps of avoiding evil, not khashyah which means the heart being agitated and upset which is a vice incompatible with the virtue of courage—unlike khawf. Khawf is permissible for the Prophets but not khashyah—as God says: Those who deliver the messages of God and fear Him (wa yakhshawnahu), and do not fear (wa la yakhshawna) anyone but God ().

وَاضْمُمْ يَدَكَ إِلَىٰ جَنَاحِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَاءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوءٍ آيَةً أُخْرَىٰ ٢٢

(20:22) And press (damma) your hand to your side, it shall come out white without evil: another sign:

The root damma means to join. Janah means a bird’s wing, the hand, upper arm or armpit. The intended meaning may be the latter to refer back to what He says elsewhere: Enter your hand into the opening of your bosom (, ).

Sūʾ means any badness or unpleasantness. It is claimed that it is an allusion in the verse to leprosy. It means: Tuck your hand under your armpit, that is, enter it into the opening of your bosom. It shall come forth white without leprosy or any other evil state. The words, another sign are a circumstantial phrase describing the state of the subject of the verb takhruj, it shall come out. There is an allusion in it to the fact that the staff’s becoming a serpent was the first sign and the white hand is another sign. He says about this: … so these two shall be two arguments from your Lord to Pharaoh and his chiefs ().

لِنُرِيَكَ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا الْكُبْرَى ٢٣

(20:23) That We may show you (li nurīyaka) of Our greater signs.

The lām is explanatory. The sentence is connected to an implied [phrase] as if to say: “We made what happened with your hand to show you some of Our greater signs”.

اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ ٢٤

(20:24) Go to Pharaoh, surely he has exceeded all limits.

This is regarding the Messengership. The previous verses—And what is that in your right hand, O Moses! … were a prelude to it.

قَالَ رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي ٢٥ وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي ٢٦ وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِسَانِي ٢٧ يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي ٢٨ وَاجْعَلْ لِي وَزِيرًا مِنْ أَهْلِي ٢٩ هَارُونَ أَخِي ٣٠ اشْدُدْ بِهِ أَزْرِي ٣١ وَأَشْرِكْهُ فِي أَمْرِي ٣٢ كَيْ نُسَبِّحَكَ كَثِيرًا ٣٣ وَنَذْكُرَكَ كَثِيرًا ٣٤ إِنَّكَ كُنْتَ بِنَا بَصِيرًا ٣٥

(20:25-35) He said: O my Lord! Expand my breast for me, And make my affair easy to me, And loose the knot from my tongue, (That) they may understand my word; And give to me a helper from my family: Aaron, my brother, Strengthen my back by him, And associate him (with me) in my affair, So that we should glorify You much, And remember You oft. Surely, Thou art seeing us.

These eleven verses are a record of what Moses asked his Lord for when it was decreed upon him to become a Messenger. Ostensibly, they are linked to the matter of his mission because he was very much in need of them in communicating the Message to Pharaoh and his chiefs, saving the Israelites and regulating their affairs, but not in the matter of Prophethood.

This is supported by the fact that he did not make these requests after his appointment as a Prophet (nabī) in the three verses above [14-16], but he started with these requests when he was appointed as a Messenger (rasūl) and was told: Go to Pharaoh, surely he has exceeded all limits which is the objective of the Message. True, the first four verses [25-28] are not entirely free of a link to the Prophetic mission which constitutes receiving religious doctrines and practical laws from the divine domain.

O my Lord! Expand my breast for me: The word sharḥ means expanding. The sentence is an example of an imaginative metaphor. The metaphor, by way of metonymy—as if the heart nestled within the human breast—is a vessel which stores whatever comes to it by way of observation and perception. Subsequently, the secret is stored within it, but if it is a tremendous affair and becomes difficult for a person, or is above his capability, then his breast will become straitened. Essentially, it is not wide enough for him and he will need it to be expanded until it is.

Moses perceived the Messengership, which his Lord had decreed for him, to be overwhelming. He knew the might and power of the tyrannical Coptic nation (native Egyptian population/people in Roman Egypt), the head of which was the despotic Pharaoh, who challenged God’s divinity and proclaimed: “I am your lord, the most high”. He was aware of the state of the Israelites—weak and enslaved among Pharaoh’s family (tribe), ignorant and intellectually inferior.

It was as though he could foresee the trials and tribulations that would result from this mission and witness the consequences of communicating this Message—atrocities and calamities. He was a man with little tolerance, quick to ire for the sake of God, who denounced oppression and had a distaste for injustice—as evidenced by the story of his killing the Egyptian and his drawing water from the Midian watering hole. He—the sole weapon for anyone who wanted to invite and propagate—had a knot in his tongue, which may have prevented him from elucidating what he wanted to make clear.

Therefore, he asked his Lord to resolve these issues by first asking for his breast to be expanded in order [to withstand] the weight of his Lord’s Message, which he was to bear and to help him face the disasters and difficulties on his propagative journey. Accordingly, he said, O my Lord! Expand my breast for me. After which, he said, And make my affair easy for me, that is the responsibility of the Message, He had charged him with. He did not ask Him to lighten the mission and relinquish to a certain extent, what He had commanded him with, so that he could persuade (the people) to accept something lesser, thereby making his delivery of the Message easier in itself, when it should have been considered as weighty.

He only asked God to simplify and lighten it for him notwithstanding its difficulty and great significance. The proof can be derived from the words, wa yassir lī, (and make … easy to me). The reason why this attests to it, is because lī (to me)—along with the given context—distinctly renders a meaning as follows: “Make my affair easy for me—the one whom You have placed in this position and ladened with the mission that You have charged me with”. Obviously, this entreaty means to make the affair effortless in relation to him and not to make it inherently easy.

Something similar can be said about, Expand … for me, because it means: “Expand my breast for me whom You have entrusted with the Message before which are difficulties and adversities so that it [my breast] is not straitened if they [difficulties and adversities] swarm and descend on me. If, “Lord, expand my breast and make my affair easy”, had been said, this subtle point would have been missed.

And loosen the knot from my tongue is another request he makes—referring to a knot [hitch] in his tongue. The indefiniteness of ʿuqdah is to indicate a specific character. It has an implied attribute which appears from His Words, (That) they may understand my word, that is, a knot which prevents my words from being comprehended.

And give to me a helper from my family, Aaron, my brother is yet another request he makes—the fourth and final one. Wazīr is of the faʿīl form [derived] from wizr which means a heavy weight. A wazīr is so-called because he bears the weight of the king’s load. [Alternatively,] it is claimed that it is [derived] from wazar meaning a mountain which one takes refuge in. Thus, [A wazīr] is so-called because the king takes refuge in him with regard to his views and rulings.

In summary, he is asking his Lord to give him a helper from his family. He makes it clear that it is Aaron (Hārūn), his brother. The only reason he requests his support is because the mission is multi-faceted and extensive and Moses cannot execute it alone. On the contrary, he needs an associate to partake in it with him, execute some of the mission, relieve him through his partner’s accomplishments and essentially be a support to Moses in regards to what Moses is carrying out. This is what His Words, Strengthen my back by him, And associate him (with me) in my affair mean—they are like an explanation for making him a helper.

And associate him (with me) in my affair, is a request for him to be made an associate in an affair exclusive to him that is communicating what had initially reached him from his Lord, which was exclusive to him and was not shared by anyone else. He was not entitled to appoint anyone else as a deputy. As for conveying the religion or some aspects of it after its having arrived through the intermediary of a Prophet, it is not exclusive to a Prophet. On the contrary, it is the responsibility (waẓīfah) of everyone who believes in it and who knows something about the religion. One who is aware has a duty to inform one who is ignorant. Those who are present have to advise those who are absent. It would be illogical to request that his brother assist him in an affair, which was not exclusive to him, but rather was common to him, his brother and everyone who believed in it—having to guide, teach, explain and communicate. Therefore, it is apparent that his being involved in his mission means that he would convey a portion of what was revealed to Moses and everything else conferred upon him by his Lord, for example having to be obeyed and authoritative in his word.

As for his being assisted in Prophethood, especially in the sense of receiving revelation from God , Moses did not fear doing that alone such that he should ask for an associate. He only feared being on his own in communicating and regulating affairs to save the Israelites and anything pertaining to that. This is related from Moses himself: And my brother, Aaron (Hārūn), he is more eloquent of tongue than I, therefore send him with me as a helper, verifying me ().

Furthermore, authentic narrations from both sects state that the Prophet uttered this very same supplication (duʿāʾ) for ʿAlī even though he was not a Prophet.

So that we should glorify You much, and remember You oft: Given the context, this is apparently the purpose of making Aaron his helper: so that they may both glorify God and they may both remember Him. Otherwise, to glorify and remember God together has nothing to with the contents of the previous requests, namely; expanding his breast, making his affair easy and loosening the knot from his tongue. On that basis, glorifying (tasbīḥ) and remembering (dhikr) means their freeing God (from having partners) together and mentioning Him openly among the people, as opposed to when they were alone or secretly in their hearts, which would have had nothing to do with making him an associate. On the contrary, it means for them to praise and remember Him together, among the people, in their gathering places and councils and at any of their assemblies where they were both attending. This would increase their invitation to believe in God and renounce any partners.

This connects the end of his supplication with its beginning. It is as if he is saying: Verily, the circumstance is very serious. The tyrant, his chiefs and the nation’s might and authority have deluded them. Polytheism and idolatry are rooted within their veins and hearts, resulting in forgetting the remembrance of God completely. The Israelites’ eyes have become filled with the vision of Pharaoh’s strength and the might of his chiefs, while their hearts marvel at the influence of Pharaoh’s family. Their souls have become saturated with fear of their authority and therefore have forgotten God and only think about the tyrant. Therefore, this affair is the Messengership and (in order) to proceed and succeed, the propagation desperately requires that you declare [God] to be Unique by repeatedly denying Him having any partners and your habitual mention of His being the Lord and God, among them so that they might reflect and believe. On my own, I am not strong enough for this affair, so make Aaron my helper, support me with him and make him an associate in my mission, so that we should glorify You much and remember You often, haply the striving may be beneficial and prosperous.

With this explanation, it has become clear:

(1) How this purpose, that is, So that we should glorify You … is linked to what precedes it.

(2) The reason why katszhīran appears twice but does not in the least constitute repetition is because both glorification and remembrance per se have to be abundant. If kay nusabbiḥaka wa nadhkuraka (“so that we should glorify you and remember you”) had been said, it would have meant their cumulative abundance which is not what is intended.

(3) The reason why tasbīḥ is placed before dhikr is because tasbīḥ means freeing Him of having a partner by refuting the divinity of all gods apart from God, disproving their being worthy of lordship so that the invitation to believe in God alone can take place—which is what dhikr means in this context. Thus tasbīḥ is like stopping the impediment advancing on the cause’s (muqtaḍā’s) effect. Other explanations have been given for these particulars and are referred to in extensive books. There is no point in referencing them or in citing them here.

Surely, Thou art seeing us: It appears to be the reason or like the proof of (the clause), So that we should glorify You much … meaning: “Surely You witness me and my brother since our creation and introduced Yourself to us and are aware that we worship You with glorification and remembrance, earnestly striving at that. So, if You make him a helper for me, support me through him and associate him in my affair, the mission of propagation would be accomplished and we would glorify You much and remember You oft”. On this basis, the pronoun “us” refers to him and his brother. [Alternatively] binā could mean his family, meaning: “Surely You witness us, the People of the Household and we are people who glorify and remember [You], so if You make my brother Aaron—who is from my family—a helper for me, we will glorify You much and remember You oft”. This explanation is better than the previous one because it also provides a full explanation of the point in mentioning his “family” in the previous clause, And give to me a helper from my family: Aaron, my brother. This is something the reader should ponder upon.

قَالَ قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤْلَكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ ٣٦

(20:36) He said: You are indeed granted your petition, O Moses.

It is an answer to all his supplications. It is imperative—like the aforementioned, And I have chosen you, so listen to what is revealed.

وَلَقَدْ مَنَنَّا عَلَيْكَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَىٰ ٣٧

(20:37) And certainly We bestowed on you a favor at another time.

He is reminding him of another favor bestowed upon him before choosing him for the Prophethood and the Message and granting his petition. He bestowed it upon him when he was born—one of the soothsayers had told Pharaoh that there would be born among the Israelites a child at whose hands his kingdom would come to an end. Pharaoh then ordered that every newborn among them was to be killed. They killed newborn sons up until Moses was born. God revealed to his mother not to fear, to suckle him, and, if she feared for him due to Pharaoh’s agents and spies, to put him in the chest and cast it into the Nile, for the open sea to carry him to the shore next to Pharaoh’s palace so that he would adopt him as a son—him being childless—and would not kill him. Then, God will return him [to his mother].

She did as was revealed to her so when the chest was carried by the Nile’s current, she sent one of her daughters—Moses’ sister—to survey his surroundings. So she walked around Pharaoh’s palace until she found a group seeking—by Pharaoh’s command—a nursemaid to breastfeed Moses. The sister of Moses then directed them to her mother so they sought her as a nursemaid. She took her son and her eye was cooled by him. God kept His promise and He favored Moses greatly.

And certainly We bestowed on you a favor at another time—a favor that He did for him at the beginning of his life. There is a change from the first person singular to the majestic plural because the context indicates grandeur. He is informing [him] of His full power by way of foiling Pharaoh, the tyrant’s effort and thwarting his plot to suppress God’s Light, by turning his plot against him and raising [bringing up] his enemy on his own lap. As for the occasion when Moses is addressed in the second person and spoken to—Surely I [first person singular] am your [second person] Lord—the first person singular is more appropriate.

إِذْ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمِّكَ مَا يُوحَىٰ ٣٨ أَنِ اقْذِفِيهِ فِي التَّابُوتِ فَاقْذِفِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ فَلْيُلْقِهِ الْيَمُّ بِالسَّاحِلِ يَأْخُذْهُ عَدُوٌّ لِي وَعَدُوٌّ لَهُ ۚ وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِنِّي وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَىٰ عَيْنِي ٣٩

(20:38-39) When We revealed to your mother what was revealed. Saying: Put him into a chest, then cast it down into the river (Yamm), then the river shall throw him on the shore; there shall take him up one who is an enemy to Me and enemy to him, and I cast down upon you love from Me, and that you might be brought up before My eyes.

“When We revealed” means a form of inspiration which is cast into the heart when [the person] is either asleep or awake. Waḥy (revelation) in His Words is not restricted to Prophetic revelation, as He says: And your Lord revealed to the bee ().

As for Prophetic revelation, women do not become Prophets and they do not receive that via revelation as He says: And We have not sent before you but men from (among) the people of the towns, to whom We sent revelations ().

Saying: (‘an’) Put him into a chest … is the content of what was revealed to Moses’ mother. The particle an (lit. “that”) is explanatory. [Alternatively] it is said that it is maṣdarīyyah, which is linked to “We revealed”. The implied meaning is uḥī bi an iqdhifīh … (I revealed: Put him …). It is claimed that the particle an is maṣdarīyyah, meaning that it turns the verb that follows it into an infinitive which would be the object of ma yūḥā (what was revealed). A tābūt is a chest or similar such [object]. Qadhf means putting or casting. Apparently the first qadhf in the verse means the former [that is to put] whereas the second qadhf means the latter [that is to cast]. It is possible that they could both mean the latter, metaphorically—putting the child in the chest and casting it in the river is casting and throwing him away without caring about what happens to him.

Yamm means a great river. It is said [that it means] a great sweet water river. Sāḥil means riverbank and its bank on the land. Ṣunʾ and ṣanīʾah both mean doing good. Then the river shall throw him is an imperative used to allude to its actually happening. It means: We commanded the river—by way of a generative decree (amr takwīnī)—to do so; it is an unavoidable decree. Thus, there shall take him up one who is an enemy to Me, is the consequence of this decree in this conditional sentence.

The two verses mean: “When We revealed to your mother what was revealed, and inspired her by what was inspired—to put him or cast him in the tābūt (chest)—So cast him in the yamm,—the great river, that is, the Nile—it was decreed by Us that the great river would cast him to the edge of the shore. He would be taken up by Pharaoh, an enemy of Mine and his—because he used to be an enemy to God by claiming divinity, and to Moses, who was a child, by killing newborns. This is what We revealed to your mother”.

And I cast down upon you love from Me, and that you might be brought up before My eyes: It is apparent from the context that this section, up to, and she would not grieve is a second section which follows the previous one, thereby concluding it. The combined result is an explanation of the favor referred to in, And certainly We bestowed on you a favor at another time. The first section tells the story of the revelation to his mother to put him in the chest, then in the great river so that he would ultimately reach Pharaoh, an enemy of God and Moses, so he could be taken by him. The second section tells the story of casting love down upon him so that Pharaoh would be distracted from killing him and be kind to him until the affair concluded with his being returned to his mother and his settling on her lap to cool her eye, so she would not grieve. God had promised her that as mentioned in Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ (The Narratives): So We gave him back to his mother that her eye might be refreshed, and that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the promise of God is true ().

This means that the phrase, and I cast down upon you … has to be linked by the conjunction to, We revealed to your mother. Casting love down from Him means his being such that everyone who sees him, [falls in] love with him—as if divine love has settled on him, making the gaze of any onlooker unable to fall upon him without love attaching to his heart and drawing him to Moses. There is imagery (istiʿārah takhyiliyyah) in these words. Using maḥabbah (love) in the indefinite, there is an allusion to its magnificence and the inquisitiveness of its affair. The lām in wa li tuṣnaʿa ʿalā ʿaynī (and that you might be brought up before My eyes) is purposeful. The phrase is joined with a conjunction to implied words, namely: “And I cast down upon you love from Me for matters x and y so that kindness would be done to you (ʿalā ʿaynī) that is seen by Me [to be done to you]. Surely, I am with you, observing your state and not heedless of you because of the extra attention I pay to you and the compassion which [I show] you”. It may be claimed that li tuṣnaʾa ʿalā ʿaynī means kindness to him by returning him to his mother and putting his upbringing in her lap. Whatever the case may be, this discourse is one of complete care and compassion appropriate to the context of the first person singular. That is why He switched to it from the majestic plural.

إِذْ تَمْشِي أُخْتُكَ فَتَقُولُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَنْ يَكْفُلُهُ ۖ فَرَجَعْنَاكَ إِلَىٰ أُمِّكَ كَيْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ ۚ وَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا فَنَجَّيْنَاكَ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَفَتَنَّاكَ فُتُونًا ۚ فَلَبِثْتَ سِنِينَ فِي أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ ثُمَّ جِئْتَ عَلَىٰ قَدَرٍ يَا مُوسَىٰ ٤٠

(20:40) When your sister went and said: Shall I direct you to one who will take charge of him? So We brought you back to your mother, that her eye might be cooled and she should not grieve and you killed a man, then We delivered you from the grief, and We tried you with (a severe) trying. Then you stayed for years among the people of Midian; then you came hither as ordained, O Moses.

The space/time qualifier (ẓarf), as indicated by the context is linked to wa li tuṣnaʾa (and that you might be brought up). It means: “And I cast love down upon you from Me [so that] everyone who sees you will [fall in] love [with] you because of x and y and I will see and watch them being kind to you when your sister proceeds to ascertain news of you and your state. She will then find Pharaoh’s workers seeking a nursemaid to breast feed you and she will tell them—the future tense used to tell the story of the past situation—suggesting to them: Shall I direct you to one who will take charge of him that is upbringing and breast-feeding. Thus, We returned you to your mother that she might be happy and not sad”. The use of the majestic plural in, So We brought you back is a return to the previous thread of the majestic plural. It is not a grammatical shift for rhetorical effect (iltifāt).

The words, and you killed a man, then We delivered you from the grief is an allusion to another favor or [other] favors following the previous two favors. This is the story of his slaying the Egyptian, the council’s decision to execute him, his flight from Egypt, herding Jethro’s [Shuʾayb’s] flocks, his marrying Prophet Jethro’s daughter and staying with him and among the people of Midian for ten years, as a hired hand. The story is referred to in detail in Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ (The Narratives).

And you killed a man means his killing the Egyptian in Egypt. The words, then We delivered you from the grief mean what he feared—the council of Pharaoh’s family executing him. God then made him exit for the land of Midian. Thereafter, when [Prophet] Jethro summoned him and he came to him and narrated the story, he said: “Fear not, you have escaped the wrongdoing people”.

And We tried you with (a severe) trying means We tested and tried you with a test and trial.

Al-Rāghib says in Mufradāt al-Qurʾān: Fatn originally meant putting gold in the fire to distinguish good [gold] from bad. It was used for putting a person in the fire. He says: [It is] the day on which they shall be tried [yuftanūn] at the fire (); Taste your persecution [fitnatakum] that is your punishment. Sometimes, they refer to that from which punishment derives as fitnah and so they substitute one for the other, like (): Surely into trial have they already tumbled down and sometimes for testing like (): and We tried you with [a severe] trying [fatannāka Futūnan] ().

Fitnah has been made like balāʾ insofar as they are both used for the hardship and ease which a person is pushed towards. More often than not, they are used to mean hardship. [However] He did say with regard to both: … and We try you by evil and good by way of probation ().

Then you stayed for years among the people of Midian—follows on consequentially from the trial (fitnah).

Then you came hither (ʿalā qadar) as ordained, O Moses: It would not be surprising if, given the context, that qadar could be inferred to mean miqdār [lit., measure] that is, the knowledge and deeds he had achieved as a result of the trials which had befallen him in his escape from sorrow by leaving Egypt and staying among the people of Midian.

Thus, the sum total of what He says, and you killed a man, then We delivered you … O Moses, is one thing, namely, that he was tested with one trial after another until he came to qadar that is the actuality of perfection which he had acquired.

The objection to deeming fitan to be favor could be answered by saying that fitan here means purifying (takhlīs) similar to purifying gold with fire. It could also be answered by saying that it is favor on account of the reward consequential to it.

Both explanations are based on there being a full stop, Then you stayed … [in terms of recitation of the verse]. That is why one of the exegetes says that fitnah means the hardship which Moses endured after leaving Egypt until he settled in Midian because of the letter fāʾ (lit. “then” or “so”) denoting consequentiality in: Then you stayed for years among the people of Midian which indicates that the staying came after the fitnah in terms of time. The problem with this explanation is that the letter fāʾ only indicates one event being consequent to another, which is not always because of temporal order. One of them says that qadar means taqdīr (decree), meaning: Then you came to the land of Egypt according to what We ordained. He then objected to explaining qadar as miqdār (measure) by saying that it is qadr which has this meaning and not qadar. The problem with this explanation is that qadr and qadar, as it has been explicitly stated, like naʾl (sandal) and naʾal (sandal) both mean the same thing—as mentioned above. Qadar in the sense of measure fits the context better or else is the one to choose. Some other explanations, of less importance and of no avail, have been given for his coming to measure (majīʿihi ʿalā miqdar).

The description of God’s favor upon Moses ends with calling his name, which is further exaltation of him.

وَاصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسِي ٤١

(20:41) And I have chosen you (iṣṭanaʿtuka) for Myself.

Iṣṭināʿ (the root of iṣṭanaʿtuka) is in the form iftiʿāl and it means iḥsān (favor, grace, beneficence), as mentioned by lexicologists. Ṣanaʿahu means he did a favor for him. Iṣṭanaʿahu means his favor was realized about him and he proved it for him. It has been narrated from al-Qaffāl: It is said that one did iṣṭināʿ to so-and-so when he does good to him to the point that the person is ascribed to him, whereby it is said that so-and-so is his ṣanīʿ or kharīj [that is, his dependent].

Based on this meaning, God’s iṣṭināʿ (choice) of Moses would effectively reduce to making him purely for Himself. This way the meaning of “for Myself” would be clearest. If the first meaning were to be adopted [that is, mere favor and beneficence, without the aspect of ascription and attachment] then it would have to implicitly convey the idea of purification (ikhlāṣ). Either way, the meaning is: “I chose you purely for Myself in terms of the bounties that you have. They are all My favor and from Me, without anyone else having a part in you. Thus you are purely Mine”. This is matched by His Words (discussed above): And mention Moses in the Book; surely he was chosen, and he was a Messenger, a Prophet ().

Some exegetes have said: iṣṭināʿ means ikhtiār (choosing), and choosing him for Himself means making him an authority between Him and His creatures, such that his Words are His Words and his call is His call. Others have said that “for Myself” means for My revelation and Message. Others have suggested that “for Myself” means “for My love”. However, all of these interpretations involve added conditions and qualifications in excess of what is in the verse.

The above also shows that His purification of him is among His favors upon him, rather the greatest bounty. It could also be that it is an explanatory addition for, Then you came hither as ordained, O Moses.

Al-Fakhr al-Rāzī has said in his Tafsīr that God’s iṣṭināʿ of Moses is part of His list of favors upon him. He has been objected [by Ālūsī] on the account that this iṣṭināʿ has been disconnected from the list by the call “O Moses” (). Hence, it is better to interpret it as a preparatory remark for dispatching him toward Pharaoh with his brother’s association.

The answer is that having the call in the middle is not necessarily as he has interpreted it. It could be that this call is an additional honor and grace. It could be a way of bringing him closer to a station of intimacy, to be followed by a switch of address from the first person plural to the first person singular where He says: And I have chosen you for Myself

اذْهَبْ أَنْتَ وَأَخُوكَ بِآيَاتِي وَلَا تَنِيَا فِي ذِكْرِي ٤٢ .

(20:42) Go you and your brother with My signs and be not remiss in remembering Me.

It is a restatement of the previous commandment issued to Moses alone—Go to Pharaoh, surely he has exceeded all limits—saying the same but changing the address to include his brother to grant his petition for Aaron to be made an associate in his affair. Both of them are addressed this second time.

Their being commanded to take His signs [more than three]—even though only two signs had been shown by that time—is a beautiful promise to support them with others and that they will be brought to them when necessary. No attention should be paid on the claim that it means the two signs and that the plural sometimes refers to two, or, that the two signs can be broken down into many signs.

The words, and be not remiss in remembering Me is a prohibition on being heedless (wany). It fits the previous context best for dhikr to mean invitation to believe in Him alone and not dhikr of Him in the sense of turning towards Him through one’s heart or tongue as has been claimed.

اذْهَبَا إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ ٤٣ فَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَيِّنًا لَعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَىٰ٤٤

(20:43-44) Go both to Pharaoh, surely he has become inordinate; then speak to him a gentle word haply he may mind or fear.

He includes both of them in the commandment again, therefore He addresses Moses and Aaron together. The same applies to the interdiction which precedes it—and be not remiss. There was a prelude to that in adding Aaron to Moses—Go you and your brother. It would not be surprising if it is a direct speech quotation of another dialogue and address which took place between Him and His two Messengers [together] or separately after that stage. This is supported by the context [provided by]: Both said: O our Lord! Surely we fear that he may hasten to do evil to us…

Then speak to him a gentle word forbids speaking harshly or sternly to him. It is one of the most compelling aspects of the etiquette of propagation.

The words, haply he may mind or fear is a hope that he will reflect or fear; He is “standing in the position of dialogue” not as He Who knows everything that will come to pass. “Minding” means yielding to the reminder so it is acceptance of, abiding by and believing in what the proof dictates of the person, who is doing the reminding. Fear is one of the precursors to acceptance and belief so ultimately it means: haply he may believe or come close to doing so and accede to some of your requests.

Claim: One of those who believes in the acceptance of Pharaoh’s becoming a believer when he was drowning endeavors to rely on this verse as evidence on the basis of laʿalla (haply) meaning inevitably when God [says it]; this is attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās and the early exegetes. Therefore, the verse indicates the inevitability of one of the two—minding or fearing—which is what salvation revolves around.

Reply: It is impossible; when God says, ʿasā or laʿalla, it has the same meaning as when anyone else says them, that is, hope (tarajjī). The only difference is that the meaning of hoping (tarajjī) is not applicable to God; He is Holy and Transcendent of being ignorant of anything. When these expressions of hope appear in His speech, it means that if someone were to stand in that position and learn about what is being said, he would understand the prospect of certain events. But when these expressions of hope appear in someone else’s speech, they sometimes indicate the speaker’s hope, not necessarily a hope implied and suggested by the speech.

Imam al-Razi says in his exegesis that he does not know the secret behind His sending him [Moses] to Pharaoh, knowing that he would not believe in God. There is no other recourse in this and similar places other than to accept and not object.

This [what Imam al-Razi says] is astonishing; if the secret behind His sending him means the reason why it is correct to order something, knowing that it is impossible for it actually to happen, the impossibility or necessity of something happening is only the state of the action with regard to its complete cause, that is, the agent and all the factors external to it with regard to its existence. A commandment is not linked to the deed with regard to its state in relation to all the parts of its complete cause. On the contrary, it is linked to it in terms of its state in relation to the agent, who is one of the parts of its complete cause. The action’s relationship or lack thereof to it is contingent because it is an incomplete cause which does not necessitate the existence of the action or lack of it. Thus sending and propagation and similarly the commandment is correct with regards to Pharaoh because responding and following the order is a choice and is possible for him, even though with regards to him, in conjunction with all the other preventative factors it is impossible. This is the answer [given] by those who believe in free choice. As for the determinists (al-mujabbīrah)—of whom he is one—the error applies to all instances where duties are imposed because of the pervasiveness of the decree (jabr). They have responded to it—they claim—by saying that the imposition of duty is illusory, upon which completion of the proof and eliminating excuse depends.

If the secret behind sending [Moses] knowing that [Pharaoh] would not believe is the benefit in so doing—so as to prevent it from being in vain—true invitation, just as it has its effect on people by perfecting them in regards to prosperity, so too it has its effect on others by completing their misery. He says: And We reveal of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and it adds only to the perdition of the unjust ().

If there were no complete wretchedness, there would be no test, the case would not be complete and excuses would not be eradicated. If the proof on one side is not complete and invalid it will clearly be of no avail on the other side.

قَالَا رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا نَخَافُ أَنْ يَفْرُطَ عَلَيْنَا أَوْ أَنْ يَطْغَىٰ ٤٥

(20:45) Both said: O our Lord! Surely we fear that he may hasten to do evil to us (yafruṭa ʿalaynā) or that he may become inordinate (an yaṭghā).

The word farṭ means preceding. What it means in the context of being made the equivalent of ṭughyān is hastening to punish and not delaying until the conclusion of the invitation and the manifestation of the miraculous sign. Yaṭghā means transgressing the bound in his tyranny, confronting the invitation by making the Israelites’ punishment more severe and being more audacious to the All Holy than he had ever been before the invitation. There is no harm in attributing fear to them as discussed above in the explanation of, Take hold of it and fear not. There is difficulty (in understanding) the verse because He says elsewhere to Moses in response to his petition to make his brother an associate in his affair: We will strengthen your arm with your brother, and We will give you both an authority, so that they shall not reach you indicating that they were given assurance at an earlier stage—We will strengthen your arm with your brother— () it would be illogical for them to show fear after that.

The answer is that their fear before that was for themselves as evidenced by what Moses said there: And they have a crime against me, therefore I fear that they may slay me ().

That which is in this verse is their fear for the propagative mission (daʿwah)—as mentioned above. Furthermore, it is possible that the verse refers to two distinct fears that are bundled together: Moses’ fear before, when he escaped and Aaron’s fear after he was informed about his Messengership. As we mentioned above, it is possible that, Go both to Pharaoh up to the end of the verses is a narration of what they said though not necessarily all in one place.

قَالَ لَا تَخَافَا ۖ إِنَّنِي مَعَكُمَا أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَىٰ ٤٦

(20:46) He said: Fear not, surely I am with you both: I do hear and see.

That is, do not fear his inordinateness and tyranny. Verily I am present with you [two]. I hear what is said and I see what is (being) done. So go [both] forth and I will not forsake you. Thus it is an assurance of the promise to help. Hence, Fear not is assurance and surely I am with you both, I do hear and see is the reason for the assurance—being present, seeing and hearing. It is proof that the sentence is a metonymy for guarding and helping. Otherwise, being present per se and knowing applies to everything and [every] circumstance.

Some exegetes seek to rely on the verse as evidence that hearing and seeing are two additional attributes to knowledge on the basis of, surely I am with you both which is indicative of knowledge. If, I do hear and see were also indicative of it, it would mean repetition which is not the norm. This is [an example] of the weakest reasoning because:

(i) As the reader knows, surely I am with you both means being present and witnessing which is different to knowledge.

(ii) There are irrefutable proofs that the Essential Attributes like being Everliving, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Hearing and All-Seeing are all alike and collectively, equivalent to the Essence. Any inference which is based on the apparent meaning of the words—while being contradictory to definite proofs has no foundation

(iii) The matter pertains to fundamental beliefs, which cannot be established except by definite proof. Thus, linguistic principles like, that by default there is no repetition in speech cannot complete the argument here.

فَأْتِيَاهُ فَقُولَا إِنَّا رَسُولَا رَبِّكَ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَا تُعَذِّبْهُمْ ۖ قَدْ جِئْنَاكَ بِآيَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَىٰ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَىٰ ٤٧

(20:47) So go you both to him and say: Surely we are two messengers of your Lord; therefore send the children of Israel with us and do not torment them! Indeed we have brought to you a sign from your Lord, and peace is on him who follows the guidance.

This renews the commandment for them to go to Pharaoh after their being assured and promised protection and help and explains all duties of their Messengership—to invite Pharaoh to believe and to desist from torturing the Israelites, and, to send them [the Israelites] with the two of them. Every time the situation changes in the dialogue, the commandment is repeated as appropriate, namely:

(i) To Moses: Go to Pharaoh, surely he has exceeded all limits.

(ii) When he uttered, his petitions—they were answered with: Go you and your brother; Go both to Pharaoh, surely he has become inordinate followed by what He says when they refer to their fear and are answered with reassurance: So go you both to him and say… It details what they have to tell him.

The words, So go you both to him and say: Surely we are two Messengers of your Lord communicates that they are two Messengers of God. The subsequent words—and peace is on him who follows the guidance … are his call to the remaining articles of faith.

Therefore send the children of Israel with us and do not torment them is a secondary duty directed towards Pharaoh.

Indeed we have brought to you a sign from your Lord: Reliance on proof confirms their message. The word āyah in the indefinite keeps silent on the number and is an allusion to the grandeur of its affair, the greatness of its status and the clarity of its meaning.

The words, and peace is on him who follows the guidance is like a valedictory greeting by which the end of the message is indicated and explains the gist of what the religious invitation comprises, namely that peace and happiness are spread over whomever follows the guidance. He will not be confronted with any unpleasantness in the course of his life which he will dislike, either in this world or the Hereafter.

إِنَّا قَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْنَا أَنَّ الْعَذَابَ عَلَىٰ مَنْ كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ٤٨

(20:48) Surely it has been revealed to us that the chastisement will surely come upon him who rejects and turns back.

It explains the previous [verse] that is, we only send peace on those who are guided because God revealed to us that chastisement—which is the opposite of peace—will come upon whoever rejects God’s signs or the true invitation, which is guidance, and (whoever) turns back (tawallā). There is in the thread of the two verses [47-48] an obvious disdain for Pharaoh’s affair and for the worldly embellishments—arrogance and conceit—with which he had adorned himself. The verse says faʾtiyāhu (So go you both to him), from ityān, instead of idhhabā ilayhi (go you both to him), from dhihāb. The difference is that the former shows a greater proximity, such that one makes contact with another. Going to Pharaoh who was the king of Egypt and the Egyptians’ god was not that easy or simple. Fa qūlā (and say) is said as opposed to fa qūlā lahu (and say to him) as if he is of no significance. Surely we are two Messengers of your Lord and a sign from your Lord are said, rapping his hearing twice by saying that he has a Lord—[Pharaoh’s] being the one who used to call out: I am your lord, the most high ().

And peace is on him who follows the guidance is said instead of addressing him in the second person. Similarly to it is, that the chastisement will surely come upon him who rejects and turns back without using the second person. All this is the most appropriate with regard to the complete knowledge, power and unchallengeable might alluded to by the tone of His words, Fear not, surely I am with you both: I do hear and see. In spite of that there is not an iota of harshness or any departure from a gentle word they are initially instructed [to utter] in anything they are commanded to say to him: Surely we are two Messengers of your Lord … (47-48). This is the word of truth that had to strike Pharaoh’s hearing without any flattery, diffidence or intimidation due to the appearance of his false authority and vainglory.

Examining Narrations

1. al-Bāqir said about the (words of God), I may bring to you therefrom a live coal: (It means), I may bring you a live coal from the fire for you to warm up from the cold or find guidance at the fire. He (Moses) had lost the way. He (Moses) is saying: Or I will find, over the fire, a way.
2. Al-Ṣādiq was asked about His words, Mighty and Sublime is He: therefore take off your shoes; surely you are in the sacred valley, Ṭuwā. He replied: “They [the shoes] were made of the skin of a dead donkey”. (Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh)

Author’s comment: It is also cited through an expedient (mursal) or ambiguous (muḍmar) narrations. This purport is also narrated in al-Durr al-manthūr from ʿAlī. Some oral traditions also say the same. The context of the verse gives the impression that taking off his shoes was out of respect for the [sacred] place.

3. Majmaʿ [al-bayān] says about: keep up prayer for My remembrance: It is said on the authority of most exegetes: It means keep up prayer whenever you remember that you have to pray, whether it is time to do so or not. This is narrated on the authority of al-Bāqir.

The above is supported by what Anas narrates on the authority of the Prophet : Whoever forgets a prayer should pray it when he remembers it. He will have to do no penance (kaffārah) apart from that. Muslim narrates it in [his] Saḥīḥ.

Author’s comment: The hadith is narrated via other transmissions both with and without chains of narration on the authority of the Prophet through Ahl al-Sunnah and on the authority of the two Ṣādiqs through the Shiah.

4. It is narrated on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās about Akādu ukhfīha, I almost hide it from Myself: It is so in Ubayy’s recitation. That is also narrated on the authority of al-Ṣādiq. (Majmaʾ al-bayān)
5. It is narrated on the authority of Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays: I saw God’s Messenger in front of [Mount] Thabīr [in Mecca], saying: May Thabīr shine, may Thabīr shine. O, God, I ask you by what my brother Moses asked you to expand my breast for me, to make my affair easy, to loosen a knot from my tongue [that] they might understand my word. Give to me a helper from my family, my brother ʿAlī. Strengthen my back by him and associate him [with me] in my affair, so that we should glorify You much, and remember You oft. Surely, You are seeing us. (Al-Durr al-manthūr)

Author’s comment: Something similar is narrated on the authority of al-Bāqir and in Majmaʿ [al-bayān] on the authority of the Prophet .

6. Rūḥ al-maʿānī says after citing the aforementioned hadith verbatim: Obviously here the affair should be construed as the affair of guidance and propagation. It cannot be construed as Prophethood and it is not correct to rely on it as evidence of ʿAlī’s becoming the immediate successor to him after his death. The same [is true] with regard to what is authentically narrated—his telling him when he appointed him as deputy over the people of his household [when he went away to] the Battle of Tabūk: “Are you not content to be to me as Aaron was to Moses except that there is no Prophet after me”?

Author’s comment: As for relying on this hadith or hadith al-manzilah (the tradition of status) [that is this last hadith] as evidence for his becoming immediate successor, discussion of that is beyond the scope of this book. We shall only discuss what he means in his prayer for ʿAlī: “And associate him (with me) in my affair”, matching Moses’ prayer cited in the Mighty Book because it is connected to what he understood from the wording of the verse. The hadith is authentic and is supported by hadith al-manzilah which is reported by so many sources as to be considered widely-transmitted (mutawātir). What he means by the affair in: “And associate him [with me] in my affair” is definitely not Prophethood because of the explicit wording of hadith al-manzilah which excludes Prophethood. It is widely-transmitted proof that what Moses meant by the affair in, And associate him (with me) in my affair is not Prophethood. Otherwise, the Prophet’s words would have been rendered without any useful meaning. Affair definitely does not mean any guidance and invitation to the truth as he [al-Alusī] says, because that is a duty carried out by the entire nation (ummah), others are associated with him and the Book and Sunnah prove it like: Say: This is my way: I call to God, I and those who follow me being certain (), and his words narrated by both Sunnis and Shias: “Those present should convey (the message) to those (who are) absent”.

If the affair were shared by everybody, it would be pointless to ask for ʿAlī to be associated with him in [his affair].

Furthermore, the annexation (iḍāfah) in, amrī (my affair), indicates exclusivity so it does not apply to something shared by everybody. Something similar can be said about Moses’ words cited in the verse. True, initial propagation that is, the first communication of the revelation is an obligation exclusive to the Prophet so he is not entitled to seek the appointment of another man to propagate the revelation itself. Thus making him an associate in it means making him an associate in his mission. There is evidence of that in what Moses says, And my brother, Aaron, he is more eloquent of tongue than I, therefore send him with me as a helper, verifying me, because verifying him does not mean he is saying, “believe my brother”. On the contrary, he [Aaron] is clarifying that which is vague in his [Moses’] statements, providing details and elucidating the points which may be unclear, in addition to conveying some of the revelation on his behalf, which had to be transmitted.

This type of communication and the properties of Prophethood which go with it like the duty to obey [him] are part of what is exclusive to the Prophet. Making him an associate in it means making him an associate in his affair. This is what is meant by “affair” in his prayer. It—with the addition of Prophethood—is what is also meant in Moses’ prayer.

A reference was made to the aforementioned discussion in (Ar. vol. 9 of) our book in the exegesis of the beginning of Sūrah al Barāʾah [The Immunity] regarding the hadith about the Prophet sending ʿAlī to Mecca with the primary verses from Barāʾah, after discharging Abu Bakr from doing so, on the basis of revelation sent to him—for it could only be communicated by him or someone like him (or assigned by him).

7. al-Bāqir said: When his [Moses’] mother was pregnant with him, her pregnancy only showed when she gave birth to him. Pharaoh had assigned Egyptian women to the Israelite women to keep watch (over them). That was when it reached him that the Israelites were saying: There will be born among us someone called Moses son of Amram at whose hands will be the doom of Pharaoh and his companions. Pharaoh said thereat: I will kill their male newborns so that what they desire will not come to pass. He separated the men from the women and imprisoned the men in prisons. When Moses’ mother gave birth to Moses, she looked at him and grieved for him. She was sorrowful, wept and said: He will be killed straight away. Thereafter, God made the (Egyptian) woman who was assigned to her incline towards him and so she said to Moses’ mother: “What’s wrong? Your color has turned white” She replied: “I fear that my son will be slaughtered”. She then said: “Fear not”. No one saw Moses except that he loved him, as God says, and I cast down upon you love from Me. Thus, the Egyptian woman assigned to her fell in love with him.
8. Mūsā ibn Jaʾfar was asked: Tell me about God’s Words, Mighty and Sublime is He, Go both to Pharaoh, surely he has become inordinate; then speak to him a gentle word haply he may mind or fear. He replied: As for, then speak to him a gentle word it means address him by his teknonym (kunyah) and say to him: O, Abu Muṣʿab. Pharaoh’s teknonym was Abu Muṣʿab—al-Walīd ibn Muṣʿab. As for His Words, haply he may mind or fear He only said [them] so as to be a greater motivation for Moses to go even though God, Mighty and Sublime is He, knew that Pharaoh would only mind and fear when he experienced the punishment. Do you not hear God, Mighty and Sublime when He says:

() … until when drowning overtook him, he said: I believe that there is no god but He in Whom the children of Israel believe and I am of those who submit? Then, God did not accept his belief and said:

() What! now! and indeed you disobeyed before and you were of the mischief-makers.

Author’s comment: The beginning of the hadith is narrated in al-Durr al-manthūr on the authority of ʿAlī. Explaining al-qawl al-layyin (a gentle word) as calling him by his teknonym (kunyah) is like citing an example because it is axiomatic that it is not restricted to that.

9. The end of the hadith is also narrated in al-Kāfī on the authority of ʿAlī. Therein is support for what was stated above, namely, that laʿalla is used in the verse to express hope (li al-tarajjī).

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1. In Biblical terms, an Apostolic mission. (Ed.) ↩︎

2. Tafsīr, Al-Qummī within Abu al-Jārūd’s narration ↩︎

3. Tafsīr, Al-Qummī on the authority of al-Ḥasan ibn Maḥbūb on the authority of al-ʿAlāʾ ibn Razīn on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Muslim ↩︎

4. ʿIlal [al-Sharāʾi] via a chain of narration on the authority of Ibn Abi ʿUmayr ↩︎