سُوْرَةُ طٰهٰ
Surah Taa-Haa (20) — Ayah 17
وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ ﴿17﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"And what is that in your right hand, O Mûsâ (Moses)?"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَا
wamā
And what
تِلْكَ
til'ka
(is) that
بِيَمِينِكَ
biyamīnika
in your right hand
يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
yāmūsā
O Musa
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 17){ وَ مَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِيْنِكَ يٰمُوْسٰى :} The purpose of Allah’s question here is not that Allah did not know what was in Musa’s hand, but rather the wisdom in it was that Musa (peace be upon him) would be certain that it was his staff, so that when it later turned into a snake, he would not doubt that perhaps he was holding something else. (And Allah knows best.) It is also possible that Allah asked about the staff in order to remove fear from Musa’s heart and to make him feel at ease, so that He could then give him the next command.
