Sura 20:
T.H. (Ta Ha)
Number of verses: 135
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
1. T. H. *
2. We did not reveal the Quran
to you, to cause you any hardship.
3. Only to remind the reverent.
4. A revelation from the
Creator of the earth and the high heavens.
5. The Most Gracious; He has
assumed all authority.
6. To Him belongs everything in
the heavens, and the earth, and everything between them, and
everything beneath the ground.
7. Whether you declare your convictions (or not) He knows the secret, and what is even more hidden.
8. GOD:
there is no other god besides Him. To Him belong the most
beautiful names.
9. Have you noted the history
of Moses?
10. When he saw a fire, he said to his family, “Stay here. I have seen a fire. Maybe I can bring you some of it, or find some guidance at the fire.”
11. When he
came to it, he was called, “O, Moses.
12. “I am your Lord;
remove your sandals. You are in the sacred valley, Tuwa.
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*20:1 The role of these Quranic
initials as components of the Quran's awesome mathematical
miracle is given in detail in Appendix 1.
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13. “I
have chosen you, so listen to what is being revealed.
14. “I am GOD;
there is no other god beside Me. You shall worship Me alone, and
observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) to remember Me.
End of the
World is Not Hidden*
15. “The Hour (end of the
world) is surely coming; I will keep it almost hidden, for each
soul must be paid for its works.
16. “Do not be diverted therefrom by those who do do not believe in it - those who pursue their own opinions - lest you fall.
17. “What
is this in your right hand, Moses?”
18. He said, “This is my
staff. I lean on it, herd my sheep with it, and I use it for
other purposes.”
19. He said, “Throw it
down, Moses.”
20. He threw it down, whereupon
it turned into a moving serpent.
21. He said, “Pick it up;
do not be afraid. We will return it to its original state.
22. “And hold your hand
under your wing; it will come out white without a blemish;
another proof.
23. “We thus show you some
of our great portents.
24. “Go to Pharaoh, for he
has transgressed.”
25. He said, “My Lord,
cool my temper.
26. “And make this matter
easy for me.
27. “And untie a knot from
my tongue.
28. “So they can
understand my speech.
29. “And appoint an
assistant for me from my family.
30. “My brother Aaron.
31. “Strengthen me with
him.
32. “Let him be my partner
in this matter.
33. “That we may glorify
You frequently.
34. “And commemorate You
frequently.
35. “You are Seer of
us.”
36. He said, “Your request
is granted, O Moses.
37. “We have blessed you
another time.
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*20:15 The end of the world is
given in the Quran, God's final message (15:87).
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38. “When we revealed to your mother what we revealed.
39. “Saying: ‘Throw him into the box, then throw him into the river. The river will throw him onto the shore, to be picked up by an enemy of Mine and an enemy of his.’ I showered you with love from Me, and I had you made before My watchful eye.
40. “Your sister walked to them and said, ‘I can tell you about a nursing mother who can take good care of him.’ We thus returned you to your mother, that she may be happy and stop worrying. And when you killed a person, we saved you from the grievous consequences; indeed we tested you thoroughly. You stayed years with the people of Midyan, and now O Moses you have come back in accordance with a precise plan.
41. “I
have made you just for Me.
42. “Go with your brother,
supported by My signs, and do not waver in remembering Me.
43. “Go to Pharaoh, for he
has transgressed.
44. “Speak to him nicely;
he may take heed, or become reverent.”
45. They said, “Our Lord,
we fear lest he may attack us, or transgress.”
46. He said, “Do not be
afraid, for I will be with you, listening and watching.
47. “Go to him and say, ‘We are two messengers from your Lord. Let the Children of Israel go. You must refrain from persecuting them. We bring a sign from your Lord, and peace is the lot of those who heed the guidance.
48. “ ‘We have been inspired that the retribution will inevitably afflict those who disbelieve and turn away.’”
49. He said,
“Who is your Lord, O Moses.”
50. He said, “Our Lord is
the One who granted everything its existence, and its
guidance.”
51. He said, “What about
the past generations?”
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52. He said, “The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a record. My Lord never errs, nor does He forget.”
53. He is the One who made the earth habitable for you, and paved in it roads for you. And He sends down from the sky water with which we produce many different kinds of plants.
54. Eat and
raise your livestock. These are sufficient proofs for those who
possess intelligence.*
55. From it we created you,
into it we return you, and from it we bring you out once more.
56. We showed him all our
proofs, but he disbelieved and refused.
57. He said, “Did you come
here to take us out of our land with your magic, O Moses?
58. “We will surely show you similar magic. Therefore, set an appointment that neither we, nor you will violate; in a neutral place.”
59. He said,
“Your appointed time shall be the day of festivities. Let us
all meet in the forenoon.”
60. Pharaoh summoned his
forces, then came.
61. Moses said to them, “Woe to you. Do you fabricate lies to fight GOD and thus incur His retribution? Such fabricators will surely fail.”
62. They
disputed among themselves, as they conferred privately.
63. They said, “These two
are no more than magicians who wish to take you out of your land
with their magic, and to destroy your ideal way of life.
64. “Let
us agree upon one scheme and face them as a united front. The
winner today will have the upper hand.”
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*20:54 Those who possess
intelligence appreciate the fact that we are astronauts who were
launched into space on this `Spaceship Earth.' God has provided
us with renewable sources of food, water, pets, wildlife, and
livestock, as we embark on this temporary space odyssey. Compare
God's provisions to ‘Spaceship Earth’ with the
provisions we give to our astronauts (Appendix 7).
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65. They said,
“O Moses, either you throw, or we will be the first to
throw.”
66. He said, “You
throw.” Whereupon, their ropes and sticks appeared to him,
because of their magic, as if they were moving.
67. Moses
harbored some fear.
68. We said, “Have no
fear. You will prevail.
69. “Throw what you hold in your right hand, and it will swallow what they fabricated. What they fabricated is no more than the scheming of a magician. The magician's work will not succeed.”
The Experts
Recognize The Truth
70. The magicians fell
prostrate, saying, “We believe in the Lord of Aaron and
Moses.”
71. He said, “Did you believe in him without my permission? He must be your chief; the one who taught you magic. I will surely sever your hands and feet on alternate sides. I will crucify you on the palm trunks. You will find out which of us can inflict the worst retribution, and who outlasts whom.”
72. They said, “We will not prefer you over the clear proofs that came to us, and over the One who created us. Therefore, issue whatever judgment you wish to issue. You can only rule in this lowly life.
73. “We have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our sins, and the magic that you forced us to perform. GOD is far better and Ever-lasting.”
74. Anyone who
comes to his Lord guilty will incur Hell, wherein he never dies,
nor stays alive.
75. As for those who come to
Him as believers who had led a righteous life, they attain the
high ranks.
76. The gardens
of Eden, beneath which rivers flow, will be their abode forever.
Such is the reward for those who purify themselves.
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77. We inspired Moses: “Lead My servants out, and strike for them a dry road across the sea. You shall not fear that you may get caught, nor shall you worry.”
78. Pharaoh pursued them with his troops, but the sea overwhelmed them, as it was destined to overwhelm them.
79. Thus, Pharaoh misled his people; he did not guide them.
80. O Children of Israel, we delivered you from your enemy, summoned you to the right side of Mount Sinai, and we sent down to you manna and quails.
81. Eat from the good things we provided for you, and do not transgress, lest you incur My wrath. Whoever incurs My wrath has fallen.
82. I am surely Forgiving for those who repent, believe, lead a righteous life, and steadfastly remain guided.
The Children of
Israel Rebel
83. “Why did you rush away
from your people, O Moses?”
84. He said, “They are
close behind me. I have rushed to You my Lord, that You may be
pleased.”
85. He said, “We have put
your people to the test after you left, but the Samarian misled
them.”
86. Moses returned to his people, angry and disappointed, saying, “O my people, did your Lord not promise you a good promise? Could you not wait? Did you want to incur wrath from your Lord? Is this why you broke your agreement with me?”
87. They said,
“We did not break our agreement with you on purpose. But we
were loaded down with jewelry, and decided to throw our loads in.
This is what the Samarian suggested.”
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88. He produced for them a sculpted calf, complete with a calf's sound.* They said, “This is your god, and the god of Moses.” Thus, he forgot.
89. Could they not see that it neither responded to them, nor possessed any power to harm them, or benefit them?
90. And Aaron had told them, “O my people, this is a test for you. Your only Lord is the Most Gracious, so follow me, and obey my commands.”
91. They said,
“We will continue to worship it, until Moses comes
back.”
92. (Moses) said, “O
Aaron, what is it that prevented you, when you saw them go
astray,
93. “from following my
orders? Have you rebelled against me?”
94. He said, “O son of my mother; do not pull me by my beard and my head. I was afraid that you might say, ‘You have divided the Children of Israel, and disobeyed my orders.’”
95. He said, “What is the matter with you, O Samarian?”
96. He said, “I saw what they could not see. I grabbed a fistful (of dust) from the place where the messenger stood, and used it (to mix into the golden calf). This is what my mind inspired me to do.” *
97. He said, “Then go, and, throughout your life, do not even come close. You have an appointed time (for your final judgment) that you can never evade. Look at your god that you worshiped; we will burn it and throw it into the sea, to stay down there forever.”
You Have But
One God
98. Your only god is GOD;
the One beside whom there is no other god. His knowledge
encompasses all things.
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*20:88 & 96 The Samarian went
to the spot where God spoke to Moses, and grabbed a fistful of
dust upon which God's voice had echoed. This dust, when mixed
with the molten gold, caused the golden statue to acquire the
sound of a calf.
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99. We thus narrate to you some news from the past generations. We have revealed to you a message from us.
100. Those who
disregard it will bear a load (of sins) on the Day of
Resurrection.
101. Eternally they abide
therein; what a miserable load on the Day of Resurrection!
102. That is the day when the
horn is blown, and we summon the guilty on that day blue.
103. Whispering among themselves, they will say, “You have stayed (in the first life) no more than ten days!”
104. We are fully aware of their utterances. The most accurate among them will say, “You stayed no more than a day.”
On the Day of
Resurrection
105. They ask you about the
mountains. Say, “My Lord will wipe them out.
106. “He will leave them
like a barren, flat land.
107. “Not even the
slightest hill will you see therein, nor a dip.”
108. On that day, everyone will follow the caller, without the slightest deviation. All sounds will be hushed before the Most Gracious; you will hear nothing but whispers.
109. On that Day, intercession will be useless, except for those permitted by the Most Gracious, and whose utterances conform to His will.
110. He knows
their past and their future, while none encompasses His
knowledge.
111. All faces will submit to
the Living, the Eternal, and those who are burdened by their
transgressions will fail.
112. As for those who worked righteousness, while believing, they will have no fear of injustice or adversity.
113. We thus
revealed it, an Arabic Quran, and we cited in it all kinds of
prophecies, that they may be saved, or it may cause them to take
heed.
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114. Most Exalted is GOD, the only true King. Do not rush into uttering the Quran before it is revealed to you, and say, “My Lord, increase my knowledge.”
Humans Fail to
Make a Firm Stand*
115. We tested Adam in the
past, but he forgot, and we found him indecisive.
116. Recall that we said to the
angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam.” They fell
prostrate, except Satan; he refused.
117. We then said, “O Adam, this is an enemy of you and your wife. Do not let him evict you from Paradise, lest you become miserable.
118. “You
are guaranteed never to hunger therein, nor go unsheltered.
119. “Nor will you thirst
therein, nor suffer from any heat.”
120. But the devil whispered to
him, saying, “O Adam, let me show you the tree of eternity
and unending kingship.”
121. They ate from it, whereupon their bodies became visible to them, and they tried to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Adam thus disobeyed his Lord, and fell.
122. Subsequently, his Lord chose him, redeemed him, and guided him.
123. He said, “Go down therefrom, all of you. You are enemies of one another. When guidance comes to you from Me, anyone who follows My guidance will not go astray, nor suffer any misery.
For the
Disbelievers: Miserable Life Unavoidable
124. “As for the one who
disregards My message, he will have a miserable life, and we
resurrect him, on the Day of Resurrection, blind.”
125. He will
say, “My Lord, why did you summon me blind, when I used to
be a seer?"
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*20:115 When Satan challenged
God's absolute authority (38:69), you and I did not make a firm
stand against Satan. God is giving us a chance, on this earth, to
redeem ourselves by denouncing Satan and upholding God's absolute
authority (Appendix 7).
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126. He will say, “Because you forgot our revelations when they came to you, you are now forgotten.”
127. We thus requite those who transgress and refuse to believe in the revelations of their Lord. The retribution in the Hereafter is far worse and everlasting.
128. Does it ever occur to them how many previous generations we have annihilated? They are now walking in the homes of those before them. These are signs for those who possess intelligence.
129. If it were not for your Lord's predetermined plan, they would have been judged immediately.
130. Therefore, be patient in the face of their utterances, and praise and glorify your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. And during the night glorify Him, as well as at both sides of the day, that you may be happy.
131. And do not covet what we bestowed upon any other people. Such are temporary ornaments of this life, whereby we put them to the test. What your Lord provides for you is far better, and everlasting.
The Parents'
Responsibility
132. You shall enjoin your
family to observe the contact prayers (Salat), and steadfastly
persevere in doing so. We do not ask you for any provisions; we
are the ones who provide for you. The ultimate triumph belongs to
the righteous.
Why Messengers?
133. They said, “If he
could only show us a miracle from his Lord!” Did they not
receive sufficient miracles with the previous messages?
134. Had we annihilated them before this, they would have said, “Our Lord, had You sent a messenger to us, we would have followed Your revelations, and would have avoided this shame and humiliation.”
135. Say, “All of us are waiting, so wait; you will surely find out who are on the correct path, and who are truly guided."
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