طس تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْقُرْآنِ وَكِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ
Tā. Sīn. THESE ARE MESSAGES of the Qur'ān – a divine writ clear in itself and clearly showing the truth: (1)
هُدًى وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
a guidance and a glad tiding to the believers (2)
الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
who are constant in prayer and spend in charity: for it is they, they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come! (3)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ زَيَّنَّا لَهُمْ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَهُمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
As for those who will not believe in the life to come – behold, goodly have We made their own doings appear unto them, and so they stumble blindly to and fro. (4)
أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَهُمْ سُوءُ الْعَذَابِ وَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ هُمُ الْأَخْسَرُونَ
It is they whom the worst of suffering awaits: for it is they, they who in the life to come shall be the greatest losers! (5)
وَإِنَّكَ لَتُلَقَّى الْقُرْآنَ مِنْ لَدُنْ حَكِيمٍ عَلِيمٍ
But [as for thee, O believer,] verily, thou hast received this Qur'ān out of the grace of One who is wise. all-knowing. (6)
إِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِأَهْلِهِ إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا سَآتِيكُمْ مِنْهَا بِخَبَرٍ أَوْ آتِيكُمْ بِشِهَابٍ قَبَسٍ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَصْطَلُونَ
LO! [While lost in the desert,] Moses said to his family: "Behold, I perceive a fire [far away]; I may bring you from there some tiding [as to which way we are to pursue], or bring you [at least] a burning brand so that you might warm yourselves." (7)
فَلَمَّا جَاءَهَا نُودِيَ أَنْ بُورِكَ مَنْ فِي النَّارِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
But when he came close to it, a call was sounded: "Blessed are all who are within [reach of] this fire, and all who are near it! And limitless in His glory is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!" (8)
يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّهُ أَنَا اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
[And God spoke thus:] "O Moses! Verily, I alone am God, the Almighty, the Wise!" (9)
وَأَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهَا تَهْتَزُّ كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ وَلَّىٰ مُدْبِرًا وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَا تَخَفْ إِنِّي لَا يَخَافُ لَدَيَّ الْمُرْسَلُونَ
[And then He said:] "Now throw down thy staff!" But when he saw it move rapidly, as if it were a serpent, he drew back [in terror], and did not [dare to] return. [And God spoke to him again:] "O Moses! Fear not – for, behold, no fear need the message-bearers have in My Presence, (10)
إِلَّا مَنْ ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ بَدَّلَ حُسْنًا بَعْدَ سُوءٍ فَإِنِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
and neither need anyone who has done wrong and then has replaced the wrong with good: for, verily, I am much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace! (11)
وَأَدْخِلْ يَدَكَ فِي جَيْبِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَاءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوءٍ فِي تِسْعِ آيَاتٍ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ
"Now place thy hand into thy bosom: it will come forth [shining] white, without blemish! "[And thou shalt go] with nine [of My] messages unto Pharaoh and his people – for, verily, they are people depraved!" (12)
فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْهُمْ آيَاتُنَا مُبْصِرَةً قَالُوا هَٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ
But when Our light-giving messages came unto them, they said, "This is clearly [but] spellbinding deception!" (13)
وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنْفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
and in their wickedness and self-exaltation they rejected them, although their minds were convinced of their truth: and behold what happened in the end to those spreaders of corruption! (14)
- [And then He said:] "Now throw down thy staff!"8 But when he saw it move rapidly, as if it were a serpent, he drew back [in terror], and did not [dare to] return.9 [And God spoke to him again:] "O Moses! Fear not for, behold, no fear need the message-bearers have in My Presence,
- 8 Cf. 20:17-20.
- 9 For a tentative explanation of the symbolism underlying the miracle of the staff, see note 14 on 20:20-21.
- "Now do thou throw thy rod!"3246 But when he saw it moving (of its own accord)as if it had been a snake, he turned back in retreat, and retraced not his steps: "O Moses!" (it was said), "Fear not: truly, in My presence, those called as messengers have no fear,- 3247
- 3246 Moses was now transported into an entirely new world. What he had taken to be an ordinary fire was a dream of the spiritual world-rays from the angels of light. The desert in which he had been was the lower life stripped of its ornaments, leading to the divine light of Sinai. Through that Light he heard the Voice of the Source of Wisdom and Power. His own rod or staff was no longer the dead piece of wood that had hitherto supported him. It became instinct with life, a life that moved, and had the power of offence and defence in it, as all living Good must have in its fight with Evil. His own transformation is described in the next note.
- 3247 In this great, new, wonderful world, that was opening out to Moses, he had to get his vision adjusted to his new surroundings, as an ordinary man has to adjust his sight before he can see into any very strong light that is new to him. The staff which had become alive as a snake frightened him: yet it was to be his own instrument of work in his new mission. All fear was to be cast out of his mind, as befitted a man chosen by Allah.
-
"Now do thou throw thy rod!" But when he saw it moving (of its own accord)as if it had been a snake, he turned back in retreat, and retraced not his steps: "O Moses!" (it was said), "Fear not: truly, in My presence, those called as messengers have no fear,-
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
And throw down thy staff! But when he saw it writhing as it were a demon, he turned to flee headlong; (but it was said unto him): O Moses! Fear not! the emissaries fear not in My presence,
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And cast down your staff. So when he saw it in motion as if it were a serpent, he turned back retreating and did not return: O Musa! fear not; surely the messengers shall not fear in My presence;
— M. Habib Shakir -
"And throw down your stick!" But when he saw it moving as if it were a snake, he turned in flight, and did not look back. (It was said): "O Musa (Moses)! Fear not, verily! The Messengers fear not in front of Me.
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And cast thou down thy staff. Then when he saw it wriggling as though it were a serpent, he turned in flight and looked not back. O Musa! fear thou not; verily in My presence the sent ones fear not.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
Cast down your staff. ' And when he saw it writhing like a serpent, he turned about retreating, and did not turn back. 'Moses, do not fear, indeed theMessengers do not fear (when they are) with Me,
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
and cast thou thy staff'. Then, when he saw it moving, as if it was a serpent, he turned about retreating and would not turn back. `O Moses, fear not; the Envoys do not fear in My presence,
— Ayub Khan -
Throw down thy rod.' And when he saw it move as though it were a serpent, he turned back retreating and did not look back, whereupon We said, 'O Moses, fear not. Verily, I am the One in Whose presence the Messengers need have no fear;
— Sher Ali -
[And then He said:] "Now throw down thy staff!"
But when he saw it move rapidly, as if it were a serpent, he drew back [in terror], and did not [dare to] return.
[And God spoke to him again:] "O Moses! Fear not – for, behold, no fear need the message-bearers have in My Presence,
— Muhammad Asad -
Cast down thy staff. And when he saw it quivering like a serpent he turned about, retreating, and turned not back. Moses, fear not; surely the Envoys do not fear in My presence,
— Arthur Arberry -
Just cast down your staff." No sooner did Moses see the staff writhing like a snake{{12}} than he turned about and fled, without even looking behind. "O Moses fear not: the Messengers never feel afraid in My Presence,{{13}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi