Surah Taha

Surah Taha is a Meccan surah that was revealed to the Prophet seven years before Hijrah. Surah Taha is part of one of the greatest conversions in Islamic history. Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) was one of the greatest enemies of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Umar had plotted to kill the beloved Messenger (Peace be upon him) and was on his way to execute his plan. He was intercepted before reaching the Prophet and informed of the conversion of his own sister. Umar immediately redirected himself toward his sister's home, where he found her and her husband reading Qur'an. After an intense confrontation between Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) and his sister, he opened up to listening to what they were reading. It was this very surah that touched the heart of the man who was known for his hatred of Islam and the prophet, as well as his inability to control his temper. Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) embraced Islam and became one of the greatest supporters, teachers, leaders of Islam and a dear and beloved friend to the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

Surah Taha opens with an explanation of what the Qur'an is not; it is not intended to cause distress. Rather, it is intended to bring comfort to the believers and serve as a warning for those who question the words of Allah. It is not meant to limit a person's feel for this life but to encourage contemplation and understanding of right and wrong. The surah then moves into a long story of Musa (May Allah be pleased with him). It explains the life and mission of Prophet Musa. Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) was born into a time in which the Pharaoh's hatred for the Israelites was so intense that he ordered each male child be killed. Musa's mother hid her son in order to preserve his young life. In verse 38 Allah explains his inspiration to Musa's mother to place her son in a chest and release into the river as a means for protecting him from harm by the Pharaoh. The chest sailed down the river until it passed in front of the palace. The Pharaoh's people picked him up and Musa (May Allah be pleased with him), was then adopted by the wife of Pharaoh. In the same verse, Allah swt indicates that Musa would be recieved by an enemy of Allah, yet she believes in Him and does what He asks. Allah swt grants her the greatest comfort, "But I cast love over you from Me". He swt recognizes the difficult task He is placing upon the mother of Musa, but what would be greater comfort than knowing that with that tasks comes a the promise of Allah's love? The sister of Musa followed his chest down the river. Upon reaching the palace she suggested to them a women who would be able to nurse the adopted boy, Musa's own mother. And so Allah reunited young Musa with his mother in Pharaoh's palace. This should be a lesson to us that in each test, though we may not see it, Allah has a plan and that He never abandons His servants. Allah swt reiterates this point in verse 46 when Prophet Musa feels anxious and Allah reminds him that he is not alone.

In verses 9- 36, Allah tells the story of establishing Musa as a prophet and assigning him his mission. Immediately after Allah declares Himself as the Lord of the world, Allah swt tells Musa to establish prayer and to be mindful of the Day of Judgment. He swt shows the importance of salah in Islam; He declares His Lordship and follows it with the command to pray. We say that we have established Allah as our Lord within our hearts; then how have so many of us forgotten to establish the very next command? Why is it that Ramadan is the only time that we give our prayers the focus and attention they deserve? In the initial conversation between Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) and Allah, Musa carries his walking stick. Allah commands him to throw the stick; it then turned into a live snake. When he retrieves the snake it returns to its original state as a stick. Not only is Allah swt showing Musa the power that he is being granted as a Prophet of Allah, but he is also preparing him for the challenge he will face when he returns to the Pharaoh's palace. Immediately, Allah swt assigns Prophet Musa to go to Pharaoh and tell him of his wrong doings and invite him to change his ways. Prophet Musa realizes the difficulty of such a mission and requests the assistance of his brother Haroon, which he is granted.

Verses 60-70 explains that when Prophet Musa tells Pharaoh of Allah swt and his call to worship none other than Him, the Pharaoh accuses him of being a magician and challenges him to show his magic against the Pharaoh's magicians. When they are gathered together the magicians throw their ropes and cause the illusion that the ropes are moving. Prophet Musa then throws his cane, which becomes a snake and devours the two ropes. The magicians, knowing well the deception of their tricks, abandon their life of comfort with Pharaoh and immediately prostrated to Allah saying, "We believe in the Lord of Haroon and Musa." We should contemplate the readiness of the magicians to turn to Allah; they witnessed the miracle and they believed. Muslims today have stories upon stories of the miracles of Allah, as well as everyday examples of Allah's greatness. How is it that we are not ready to prostrate as they did even though their lives were threatened? When we know more about Allah than they did, how are we lazy to get to prayer, sometimes abandoning Fajr or Isha when we are tired, or Dhuhr of Asr when it does not fit into our schedules? These socerers remind us that the time to submit to Allah, is always now as non of us knows if tomorrow will come.

In verse 77, Prophet Musa is given the inspiration to flee with his followers from Pharaoh. Allah tells him that he will split the Red Sea in order to save his people. It is in this event that Pharaoh, though he was a king with so much power and wealth, was removed from the existence in an instance. Once safe from Pharaoh Musa retreated to the mountain for fourty days and forty nights. During this time, Allah informed Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) of the situation of his people who he had left under the guidance of the elders and his brother, Haroon. Prophet Musa returned to his people disheartened and found that in his absence they had constructed a calf to worship.

The surah than continues to talk about the last day and the two destinations that will accommodate all of humanity. This ties back to the beginning of the surah in which we are informed that the Qur'an was not sent to distress the people. We understand from the descriptions that the Qur'an serves as a warning and a guide in order that we can engage in deeds that will bring us closer to the destination we all seek, Paradise.