Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:95

(He said) This is a resumption of discourse that serves as an answer to what arose from the narrative of the previous excuses—the attribution of corruption to al-Samiri and the apology of Harun, peace be upon him. It is as if it were said: What did Musa, peace be upon him, do after hearing the two excuses narrated and after the root of the tribulation was established as al-Samiri? It was said: He said, rebuking him, since the matter was thus: "What is your affair, O Samiri?" (95), meaning: What is your state and the grave matter that originated from you? It is an inquiry into the motive that prompted that. This interpretation of al-khatb is the well-known one, and in al-Sihah, al-khatb is "the cause of an affair."

Some reliable authorities said: It is originally a verbal noun from the phrase khataba al-amr (he sought the affair). Thus, when it is said to someone doing something, "What is your khatb?" its meaning is: "What is your objective in it?" It became prevalent regarding affairs and grave matters because such matters are sought and desired. It was chosen to interpret it in the verse according to its root so that the speech would be more eloquent, as he, peace be upon him, did not ask him about what originated from him, nor about the cause of it, but rather about the cause of his seeking it. Al-Raghib made the root of this common usage al-khatb in the sense of al-takhatub (mutual speech or deliberation), meaning the exchange of words; it was applied to the term because much deliberation occurs regarding grave matters. In al-Asas, it is argued that al-khatb in the sense of "seeking" is metaphorical, for it states: "It is from the metaphorical: 'Such-and-such is yakhtub (seeking) such work,' meaning he desires it; and 'What is your khatb?' means 'What is your affair that you seek?'"

Ibn Atiyyah differentiated between al-khatb and al-sha'n (affair), stating that al-khatb implies harshness/rebuke and is used for disagreeable matters, unlike al-sha'n. Then he said: It is as if it were said, "What is your misfortune? What is your ill omen? What is this grave affair that has come from you?" (End quote).

This is not universal, for Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said to the angels, peace be upon them: "What is your affair, O messengers?" (15:57), and what was mentioned [by Ibn Atiyyah] does not apply there.

Some who derive it from al-khatb (speech/address) claimed that the meaning is: "What prompted you to address the Children of Israel in the way you addressed them and to do with them what you did?" This is of no merit. His, peace be upon him, addressing him with that was to manifest to the people the falsehood of his plot through his own confession, and to act toward him—and toward what he brought forth—in a way that would serve as a deterrent to the deluded and to the nations that would come after them.