In The Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace:
20.Ta ha (O Man) Mecca 45
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
مَا
أَنزَلْنَا
عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ
لِتَشْقَى ﴿٢﴾
20: 2. We have not sent down the Qur'án to thee to be (an occasion) for thy distress,
C2535. Allah's revelation may cause some human trouble for two reasons:
- it checks man's selfishness and narrowness of view, and
- it annoys the wicked and causes them to jeer and persecute.
These are mere incidental things, due to man's own shortcomings. As far as the trouble is concerned, the revelation is meant to give a warning, so that persecutors may be reclaimed, (and of course for men of faith it is comfort and consolation, though that point does not arise in this context).
إِلَّا
تَذْكِرَةً
لِّمَن يَخْشَى ﴿٣﴾
20: 3. But only as an admonition to those who fear (Allah) --
تَنزِيلًا
مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ
الْأَرْضَ
وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ
الْعُلَى ﴿٤﴾
20: 4. A revelation from Him Who created the earth and the heavens on high.
الرَّحْمَنُ
عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
اسْتَوَى ﴿٥﴾
20: 5. (Allah) Most Gracious is firmly established on the throne (of authority).
If things seem to be wrong in our imperfect vision on this earth, we must remember Allah, Who encompasses all Creation and sits on the throne of Grace and Mercy, is in command, and our Faith tells us that all must be right.
Allah's authority is not like an authority on earth, which may be questioned, or which may not last. His authority is "firmly established".
لَهُ
مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا
وَمَا تَحْتَ
الثَّرَى ﴿٦﴾
20: 6. To Him belongs what is in the heavens and on earth, and all between them, and all beneath the soil.
C2537. An exhaustive definition of everything we can conceive of;
- what is in the heavens,
- on the earth,
- or between,
- or within the bowels of the earth.
وَإِن
تَجْهَرْ بِالْقَوْلِ
فَإِنَّهُ
يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ
وَأَخْفَى ﴿٧﴾
20: 7. If thou pronounce the word aloud, (it is no matter): for verily He knoweth what is secret and what is yet more hidden.
C2538. There are two or three implications.
- Whatever you profess, or say aloud, gives no information to Allah: He knows not only what is secret and perhaps unknown to others, but what people take special care to conceal.
- It does you no good to make insincere professions: your hidden motives are known to Him, Who alone matters.
- If you read the Word of Allah, or if you pray to Allah, it is not necessary to raise your voice: in either case, Allah will judge you by your inner thoughts which are like an open book to Him.
Other versions:
O MAN! 1 (20:2) We did not bestow the Qur'an on thee from on high to make thee unhappy, 2
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(20:3) but only as an exhortation to all who stand in awe [of God]:
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(20:4) [Mary, Mecca 45]
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(20:5)
the Most Gracious, established on the throne of His almightiness?
20:6 [mary. Mecca 45]
Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, as well as all that is between them and all that is beneath the sod.
(20:7) And if thou say anything aloud, [He hears it - ] since, behold, He knows [even] the secret [thoughts of man] as well as all that is yet more hidden [within him]. 4
[[ Asad’s notes 20:1-7]]
1 According to some commentators, the letters t and h (pronounced ta ha) which introduce this surah belong to the group of al-muqatta'at - the "single [or "disjointed"] letters" - which are prefixed to a number of the Qur'anic surahs (see Appendix II). However, in the opinion of some of the Prophet's Companions (e.g., Abd Allah ibn Abbas) and a number of outstanding personalities of the next generation (like Said ibn Jubayr, Mujahid, Qatadah, Al-Hasan al-Basri, 'Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Kalbi, etc.), ta ha is not just a combination of two single letters but a meaningful expression
of its own, signifying "O man" (synonymous with ya rajul) in both the Nabataean and Syriac branches of the Arabic language (Tabari, Razi, Ibn Kathir), as well as in the - purely Arabian - dialect of the Yemenite tribe of 'Akk, as is evident from certain fragments of their pre-Islamic poetry (quoted by Tabari and Zamakhshari). Tabari, in particular, gives his unqualified support to the rendering of ta ha as
"O man". 2 I.e., the ethical discipline imposed upon man by the teachings of the Qur'an is not meant to
narrow down his feel of life, but, on the contrary, to enhance it by deepening his consciousness of right and wrong.
3 For my rendering of the metaphorical term al-'arsh as "the throne of His almightiness", see note
43 on 7:54.
4 I.e., He knows not only maris unspoken, conscious thoughts but also all that goes on within his
subconscious self.
20:8
God - there is no deity save Him; His [alone] are the attributes of perfection! 5
