Table of Contents

(Revealed in Macca)

No. 20

135 verses in 8 sections

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

Surah Taha, which is one of the Meccan suras, contains 135 verses and its content, like other Meccan suras, is mostly about ‘Origin and End’.

This holy Surah is the first Surah of the Qur’an which has explained the Story of Moses (as) in details, and about 80 verses of it have been stated in this regard.

A part of the Surah is upon the greatness of the Qur’an and the attributes of Allah, while another part of it relates to the story of Adam and Eve and the temptations of Satan. And, finally, there have been stated some awakening advices in this holy Surah.

Imam Sadiq (as) says:

“He who continues reciting Surah ‘Ta Ha’ will be loved by Allah (s.w.t.) and, on the Day of Resurrection, his book of deeds will be given to his right hand…”1

Note

Section 1: Moses Commissioned with Apostleship

Surah Ta Ha - Verses 1-4

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ‌ طه (1) ما أَنْزَلْنا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقی‌ (2) إِلاَّ تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشی‌ (3) تَنْزِيلاً مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ وَ السَّماواتِ الْعُلی‌ (4)

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

1. “Ta Ha”

2. “We did not send down the Qur’an to you that you distress yourself.”

3. “But only as an admonition to him who fears (Allah).”

4. “It has been sent down from Him Who created the earth and the high heavens.”

At the beginning of this Surah, again we are confronted the abbreviated letters of the Qur’an, which excite the reader’s sense of curiosity.

It says:

“Ta Ha”

A tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) indicates that ‘Ta Ha’ is one of the names of holy Prophet (S), and it means: ‘O seeker of the truth and the leader unto it’.

‘Ta Ha’ consists of two mystic letters, so that ‘Ta’ refers to the sense of ‘seeker of Truth’ and ‘Ha’ indicates the meaning of ‘the leader unto it’. It is well known that the usage of mystic letters, and abbreviations has been very common since the old times, and they are abundantly used nowadays in particular.

The term “Ta Ha”, similar to ‘Yasin’, in the course of time, has gradually been applied as a proper name for the Prophet of Islam (S), so far that the family of the Prophet (S) is called ‘’Al-i-Ta-Ha’ (the family of Ta Ha). Also, in ‘Supplication of Nudbah’, Hadrat Mahdi (May Allah hasten his glad advent) has been rendered into ‘Yabna-Ta-Ha’.

From the time of the descent of the Qur’an and its Divine revelation on, the Prophet (S) used to worship very much. He specially accomplished his worshipping in a ‘standing state’. He stood so much so that his feet often were inflated. Then the verse was revealed, telling the Prophet (S) that he should not impose upon himself so much trouble.

The verse says:

“We did not send down the Qur’an to you that you distress yourself.”

It is true that worship is the best actions, but every thing must have a limit. The Prophet (S) must not bear the task so much that his feet inflate, and his power decreases too much for preaching and Holy Struggle.

In the next verse, the goal of the descent of the Qur’an is explained, as follows:

“But only as an admonition to him who fears (Allah).”

The expression /man yaxša/ (to him who fears Allah), denotes that a person does not accept the facts unless there is a kind of feeling of responsibility in him (that he fears).

Then the verse pays to introduce the Lord, the One Who has sent down the Qur’an, so that, by means of knowing Him, the greatness of the Qur’an would be made manifest more.

Concerning the Qur’an, it says:

“It has been sent down from Him Who created the earth and the high heavens.”

In fact, this explanation is an indication to both the beginning and the end of the descent of the Qur’an, whose end is the earth and its beginning is heavens.

However, the Arabic word /tanzil/ means ‘a gradual descent’. That is, the Qur’an was revealed during 23 years, in different occasions and for various incidents. This meaning does not contrast to the revelation of the Qur’an upon the holy heart of the Prophet (S) at once on the Night of Qadr.