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سُورَةُ طه · 20:20
MeccanRevelation order ٤٥Juzʾ ١٦Page ٣١٣

فَأَلْقَىٰهَا فَإِذَا هِىَ حَيَّةٌۭ تَسْعَىٰ

٢٠
Saheeh International · EN

So he threw it down, and thereupon it was a snake, moving swiftly.

IntroductionRevelationTafsirTransmissionDebate
Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 20 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)

No specific occasion of revelation (Asbāb al-Nuzūl) is recorded for this āyah in al-Wāḥidī's collection. Many verses were revealed without a single triggering event.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

"And what is that in your right hand, O Musa? (17)He said: "This is my stick, whereon I lean, and wherewith I beat down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses. (18)(Allah) said: "Cast it down, O Musa! (19)He cast it down, and behold! It was a snake, moving quickly (20)Allah said: "Grasp it and fear not; We shall return it to its former state. (21) The Stick of Musa turned into a Snake This was a proof from Allah for Musa and a great miracle. This was something that broke through the boundaries of what is considered normal, thus, it was a brilliant evidence that none but Allah could do. It was also a proof that no one could come with the likes of this (from mankind) except a Prophet who was sent (by Allah). Concerning Allah's statement, وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ (And what is that in your right hand, O Musa?) Some of the scholars of Tafsir have said, "He (Allah…
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.

The wall

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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