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سُورَةُ طه · 20:12
MeccanRevelation order ٤٥Juzʾ ١٦Page ٣١٢

إِنِّىٓ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكَ فَٱخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِٱلْوَادِ ٱلْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًۭى

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Saheeh International · EN

Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 12 of Sūrat Taa-Haa (Ta-Ha), the 45th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 16. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Meccan
Order revealed
45 of 114
Surah
Taa-Haa (20)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

Surely I am thy Lord. Take off thy shoes! Moses had reached the head of tawḤīd's drinking place when he heard the words, “Surely I am thy Lord.” He was commanded to step into the world of solitariness. He placed his feet on the two worlds and made his aspiration one for the Patron. Take off thy shoes! That is, empty your heart of talk of the two worlds and become disengaged for the Real with the attribute of solitariness. O Moses, be one for the One, first in the disengagement of the intention, and second in the breeze of intimacy. Disown the two worlds so that the breeze of intimacy may begin to blow from the desert of the Endless. The veil of division has been lifted, and the call of gentleness has reached the spirit.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

And when he came to it (the fire), he was called by name: "O Musa! (11)"Verily, I am your Lord! So take off your shoes; you are in the sacred valley, Tuwa. (12)"And I have chosen you. So listen to that which will be revealed (to you)(13)"Verily, I am Allah! There is no God but Me, so worship Me, and perform Salah for My remembrance. (14)"Verily, the Hour is coming – and I am almost hiding it – that every person may be rewarded for that which he strives. (15)"Therefore, let not the one who believes not therein, but follows his own lusts, divert you therefrom, lest you perish. (16) The First Revelation to Musa Allah, the Exalted, says, فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا (And when he came to it,) This is referring to the fire when he approached it. نُودِيَ يَا مُوسَىٰ (He was called by name: "O Musa!") In another Ayah it says, نُودِيَ مِن شَاطِئِ الْوَادِ الْأَيْمَنِ فِي الْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبَارَكَةِ مِ…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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