Taa-Haa

طه 1

{ طه } الله أعلم بمراده بذلك.

Tā hā: God knows best what He means by these [letters].

مَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِتَشْقَىٰٓ 2

{ مآ أنزلنا عليك القرءان } يا محمد { لتشقى } لتتعب بما فعلت بعد نزوله من طول قيامك بصلاة الليل، أي خفف عن نفسك.

We have not revealed the Qur’ān to you, O Muhammad (s), that you should be miserable, that you should toil because of what you used to do after it was revealed [to you], in the way of long vigils performing night prayers; in other words, so unburden your soul;

إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰ 3

{ إلا } لكن أنزلناه { تذكرة } به { لمن يخشى } يخاف الله.

but, We have revealed it, only to remind, therewith, him who fears, God;

تَنزِيلًا مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ ٱلْعُلَى 4

{ تنزيلا } بدلا من اللفظ بفعله الناصب له { ممن خلق الأرض والسموت العلى } جمع عليا، ككبرى وكبر.

a revelation (tanzīlan, a substitution, standing in place of the [conjugated] verb [derived] therefrom which renders it [tanzīlan] accusative) from Him Who created the earth and the high heavens (‘ulā, the plural of ‘ulyā, similar [in pattern] to kubrā, kubar, ‘large’);

ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱسْتَوَىٰ 5

هو { الرحمن على العرش } وهو في اللغة سرير الملك { استوى } استواء يليق به تعالى.

He is, the Compassionate One presided upon the Throne (al-‘arsh, in the [classical Arabic] language denotes a king’s seat) a presiding befitting of Him;

لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ ٱلثَّرَىٰ 6

{ له ما في السموت وما في الأرض وما بينهما } من المخلوقات { وما تحت الثرى } هو التراب الندي، والمراد الأرضون السبع، لأنها تحته.

to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and whatever is between them, of creatures, and whatever is beneath the soil (al-tharā, is moist earth) meaning [whatever is beneath] the seven earths, since these lie beneath it.

وَإِن تَجْهَرْ بِٱلْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَعْلَمُ ٱلسِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى 7

{ وإن تجهر بالقول } في ذكر أو دعاء، فالله غني عن الجهر به { فإنه يعلم السر وأخفى } منه. أي: ما حدثت به النفس، وما خطر ولم تحدث به فلا تجهد نفسك بالجهر.

And should you be loud in your speech, in remembrance [of God] or supplication, then God has no need for this to be [spoken] loud, then indeed He knows the secret and [that which is] yet more hidden, than that [secret], namely, that which the soul whispers [to itself] and that which occurs to the mind but which you do not speak of [to anyone], so do not strain yourself to be loud [in your speech].

ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ 8

{ الله لآ إله إلا هو له الأسمآء الحسنى } التسعة والتسعون الوارد بها الحديث، والحسنى مؤنث الأحسن.

God — there is no god save Him. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names, the ninety nine [Names], cited in the hadīth (al-husnā is the feminine form of al-ahsan, ‘the best’).

وَهَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰٓ 9

{ وهل } قد { أتك حديث موسى }.

Has the story of Moses — indeed, it has — come to you?

إِذْ رَءَا نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ ٱمْكُثُوٓا۟ إِنِّىٓ ءَانَسْتُ نَارًا لَّعَلِّىٓ ءَاتِيكُم مِّنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ هُدًى 10

{ إذ رءا نارا فقال لأهله } لامرأته { امكثوا } هنا، وذلك في مسيره من (مدين) طالبا مصر { إنى ءانست } أبصرت { نارا لعلى ءاتيكم منها بقبس } يشعله في رأس فتيلة أو عود { أو أجد على النار هدى } أي هاديا يدلني على الطريق وكان أخطأها لظلمة الليل، وقال «لعل» لعدم الجزم بوفاء الوعد.

When he caught sight of a fire and said to his family, namely, to his wife, ‘Wait, here! — this was when he was leaving Midian, heading for Egypt — Indeed I see a fire [in the distance]. Perhaps I [can] bring you a brand from it, [bring you] a burning wick or a torch, or find at the fire some guidance’, that is, someone to guide me by showing me the [proper] route — for he had lost it in the darkness of the night. He [Moses] said, ‘perhaps’ (la‘alla) because he could not be certain of fulfilling his promise.

فَلَمَّآ أَتَىٰهَا نُودِىَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ 11

{ فلما ءاتها } وهي شجرة عوسج { نودى يموسى }.

And when he reached it — it was a boxthorn — he was called [by name], ‘O Moses!

إِنِّىٓ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكَ فَٱخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِٱلْوَادِ ٱلْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى 12

{ إنى } بكسر الهمزة بتأويل نودي بقيل، وبفتحها بتقدير الباء { أنا } تأكيد لياء المتكلم { ربك فاخلع نعليك إنك بالواد المقدس } المطهر أو المبارك { طوى } بدل أو عطف بيان، بالتنوين وتركه مصروف باعتبار المكان، وغير مصروف للتأنيث باعتبار البقعة مع العلمية.

Indeed (read as innī, if one understands nūdiya, ‘he was called’, as meaning qīla, ‘it was said’; or read it as annī, because of an implied [prefixed] bā’) I am (anā, reiterates the [first person indicator] yā’ [of innī] used by the [direct] speaker) your Lord. So take off your sandals, for lo! you are in the holy, [meaning] either the pure, or the blessed, valley of Tuwā ([this is] either a substitution, or an explicative supplement; read [Tuwan] with nunation or [Tuwā] without: it is [considered] declinable on account of it being a location; but [alternatively considered] indeclinable, if taken as considered a feminine proper noun denoting a place name).