Ta-Ha

"Q20" redirects here. For the bus services, see Q20 (New York City bus) and Q20X (New York City bus).
For other uses, see Taha (disambiguation).
Surah 20 of the Quran
طه‎
Ṭā Hā
see: mysterious letters
ClassificationMeccan
PositionJuzʼ 16
Hizb no.32
No. of verses135
No. of Rukus8
No. of Sajdahsnone
No. of words1534
No. of letters5399
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Illuminated Manuscript Koran, Illuminated heading for chapter 20 (Sūrat Tā Hā) with marginal medallion, Walters Art Museum Ms.

Ṭā Hā[1] (/ˈtɑːˈhɑː/; Arabic: طه) is the 20th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 135 verses (āyāt). It is named "Ṭā Hā" because the chapter starts with the Arabic ḥurūf muqaṭṭaʿāt (disjoined letters): طه (Ṭāhā) which is widely mistaken to be one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[2] But is just one of the many unlinked letters at the beginning of many surahs of the holy Quran

Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is traditionally believed to be a Meccan surah, from the second Meccan period (615-619),[3][4] which means it is believed to have been revealed in Mecca, rather than later in Medina.

Among the subjects treated in this chapter are God's call of Moses (Quran 20:10), the Exodus of the Israelites and the crossing of the Red Sea (20:77), the worship of the Golden Calf (20:88) and the Fall of Man (20:120). The main theme of the chapter is about the existence of God. It addresses this theme through stories about Moses and Adam.[5] Sura 20 displays several thematic and stylistic patterns described by Angelika Neuwirth in Jane McAuliffe's book "The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an".[6] These include the eschatological prophecies of the Quran, signs of God's existence, and debate. Additionally, sura 20 employs what has been termed the "ring structure" to reinforce its central theme.

This is the chapter that convinced Umar to convert to Islam.[7]

The oldest surviving manuscript containing chapter Ṭā Hā is a Quranic manuscript[8] in the Mingana Collection identified as having been written on the Birmingham Quran manuscript, dated 0-25 AH.

  1. ^ Ibn Kathir. "Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Surah TaHa". Quran 4 U. Tafsir. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Tafseer As-Sa'di by Shaykh Abdur Rahman al-Sa'di (10 Volume Set) English".
  3. ^ Ernst, Carl W. How to Read the Qurʼan: A New Guide, with Select Translations. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2011. Print.
  4. ^ The Message of the Quran, M. Asad, 1982, Introduction Surah Ta-Ha. As is the case with the preceding surah, its position in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation is not difficult to establish. Despite the vague assertions of some of the later authorities that it was revealed during the last phase (or even in the last year) of the Prophet's sojourn in Mecca, we know for certain that it was fully known to his Companions as early as the sixth year of his mission (that is, at least seven years before he left Mecca for Medina): for it was this very surah which at that period accidentally fell into the hands of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab - who until then had been a bitter opponent of the Prophet - and caused his conversion to Islam (Ibn Sad 111/1, 191 ff.)
  5. ^ Haleem, Abdel. The Qur'an. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
  6. ^ McAuliffe, Jane Dammen. The Cambridge Companion to the Qurʼān. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2006. Print.
  7. ^ as-Suyuti, The History of Khalifahs Who Took The Right Way (London, 1995), p. 107-108; T.P. Hughes, 1999, Dictionary of Islam, New Delhi: Rupa & Co.
  8. ^ Sean Coughlan, "'Oldest' Koran fragments found in Birmingham University", BBC News, 22 July 2015