Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:68

Surah Ta-Ha 20:68

ﱡ ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ ﱥ ﱦ

Allah said, "Fear not. Indeed, it is you who are superior.

Tafsir

Ruh al-Ma'ani

Verse range: 20:68

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68

(We said, "Do not fear"): That is, do not continue in your fear of what you have imagined, and repel from yourself what has afflicted you; for the prohibition here is literal. It has also been said: It is a turning away from that state, intended to encourage and strengthen the heart.

(Indeed, it is you who are the superior): This is a justification for what the prohibition necessitates in terms of desisting from fear, and a confirmation of his victory in the most eloquent and emphatic manner. This is expressed by the explanatory resumption, the particle of verification (inna), the repetition of the pronoun, the definite nature of the predicate, the term "superiority" (al-‘uluww)—which signifies manifest dominance—and the superlative form, as stated by more than one scholar.

However, the view I incline toward is that the aforementioned form is merely for intensity (emphasis), for to consider it as implying partnership (in superiority) with an additional degree would necessitate that the magicians also possessed a manifest superiority and dominance, whereas this is not the case. Asserting such superiority for them in relation to the common people, as some have said, is of no consequence, for there is no real contest of dominance between him and them.