Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:28

The statement of the Almighty, "That they may understand my speech," is the response to the request and the intended objective of the supplication. By connecting it to the preceding clause, the granting of his request—peace be upon him—is realized.

It has been objected to this that the Almighty’s statement, "He is more eloquent than I," was spoken by him—peace be upon him—prior to the request for the "loosening," and that it serves as evidence for the non-elimination of the speech impediment. This is because it implies that Moses—peace be upon him—was eloquent, but that his brother’s eloquence was greater, and any remaining impediment contradicts the linguistic eloquence intended here, as evidenced by his saying, "a tongue." This contradiction is supported by what Ibn Hilal stated in his book Al-Sina'atayn: "Eloquence is the perfection of the instrument of expression. Therefore, it is not said that Allah the Almighty is 'eloquent,' even though it is said that His speech—the Almighty's—is eloquent. Consequently, one who lisps or stammers is not called eloquent, due to the deficiency in their instruments for producing letters."

Furthermore, it is argued that the Almighty's statement, "and he can hardly explain/speak clearly" (wa la yakadu yubinu), means he does not bring forth clarification or proof, and that the cursed one [Pharaoh] said this as a deception to turn faces away from him—peace be upon him. Had the intended meaning been the negation of speech and the ability to make talk understood due to a tied tongue, it would imply that the knot was never removed at all, a claim no one has made. Additionally, we do not accept the validity of that report.

Regarding the indefinite form of "a knot" (uqdatan), it may be interpreted as denoting its slightness in essence. Whoever allows for it to be grammatically connected to the verb "loosen" (ahlul)—as Al-Hufi maintained and Abu Hayyan regarded as probable—does so because when a loosened object is connected to something and joined with it, the loosening also relates to that thing, either by way of its removal from it or the commencement of its attainment from it.

Even if it were assumed to be connected to a hidden [prepositional] phrase acting as an adjective for "knot," we do not concede the necessity of estimating an omitted word (mudaf). The particle min (in min lisani) can be interpreted as partitive (tab'idiyya), and there is no obstacle to it meaning "in" (fi), nor is there a necessity to assume [a hidden meaning like] "a knot in my tongue." Indeed, it has been said that there is no objection to interpreting it as originating (ibtida'iyya) without any estimation. What corruption is there in saying "a knot originating from my tongue"?

In sum, the arguments used to prove the persistence of some knot in his tongue—peace be upon him—and its failure to be completely removed are incomplete. However, some have said that the literal appearances (al-zawahir) necessitate this, and such appearances suffice in matters of this nature. The heaviness in the tongue does not diminish the stature of a human. It has been mentioned that there was a hesitation in the tongue of the awaited Mahdi—may Allah be pleased with him—and sometimes speech would be difficult for him until he struck his left thigh with his right hand, and the accounts regarding his excellence have reached you.

Some have said: "The eloquence of the essence does not resist the syntax of words," and quoted the poet:

"The secret of eloquence lies hidden in the metal [the soul], Due to the properties of spirits, not of the tongues."

And the words of another:

"An eloquent tongue, articulate in its speech, Would that it were safe at the standing of the Gathering! What good is syntax if there is no piety? And what harm comes to the pious from a mute tongue?"

Indeed, what would impair the command of conveying the message—by way of a stutter that leads to not understanding the revelation and the listener's aversion to hearing it—is something from which the Prophets—peace be upon them—are far above. They are all eloquent of tongue; nothing of their speech escapes the listener, nor does anyone turn away from hearing it, even if they differ in the ranks of that eloquence.

It seems that he—peace be upon him—did not request the highest ranks of eloquence and fluency of the tongue, according to Al-Jubba'i and those who agreed with him, because he did not see much virtue in that. The utmost that has been said about it is that it is an adornment of the world's adornments and a beauty among its beauties. Much virtue lies in the eloquence of expression in the sense known to the experts of rhetoric (al-ma'ani wa al-bayan). Whatever has been reported to imply condemnation of that is not absolute, as has been clarified in the commentaries on the hadiths.

Finally, the common interpretation of "tongue" is the physical organ itself, while some have interpreted it as the faculty of speech residing in that organ. "Understanding" (fiqh) is knowledge of a thing and comprehension of it, as stated in the Qamus and elsewhere. Al-Raghib said: "It is the reaching of knowledge of the unseen through knowledge of the seen; thus, it is more specific than knowledge." The apparent meaning here is comprehension: "Loosen a knot from my tongue, [so that] they may understand my speech."