Insert your hand into the opening of your garment; it will come out white, without disease. And draw in your arm close to you [as prevention] from fear, for those are two proofs from your Lord to Pharaoh and his establishment. Indeed, they have been a people defiantly disobedient."
{اسلك يدك في جيبك} (i.e., insert it into your garment, which is the opening of the jubba from where the head emerges).
{تخرج بيضاء من غير سوء} (i.e., without blemish).
{واضمم إليك جناحك من الرهب} (i.e., due to fear). Mujahid and Ibn Zayd said: Allah, Exalted be He, commanded him to bring his upper arm and forearm—which is the "wing"—close to his side so that his fear might be alleviated thereby; for it is the nature of a human being when he does that during a time of panic that his heart is strengthened.
Al-Thawri said: Moses (peace be upon him) feared that some harm had befallen him, so Allah, Exalted be He, commanded him to return his hand to his side so that it might return to its original state, so he would know that it was not a harm, but rather a sign from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Similar to this is what was said: The meaning is, if a matter terrifies you due to the brilliance of its radiance, then pull it to yourself and your fear will subside.
In Al-Kashshaf, there are two meanings: The first is that when Allah, the Exalted, turned the staff into a snake, Moses (peace be upon him) was terrified and agitated, so he warded it off with his hand, as one who fears a thing does. It was said to him: "Your warding it off with your hand brings disgrace before the enemies. So, when you cast it and it turns into a snake, insert your hand beneath your arm in place of your warding it off with it, then extract it white, so that two things are achieved: avoiding what is a disgrace for you, and manifesting another miracle." The "wing" refers to the arm, because the hands of a person are like the wings of a bird; and when he inserts his right hand under his left arm, he has drawn his wing to himself.
The second meaning is that drawing his wing to himself is meant to signify his endurance, self-control, and firmness when the staff turns into a snake, so that he does not become agitated or terrified. This is a metaphor derived from the action of a bird, for if it fears, it spreads its wings and relaxes them, otherwise its wings are drawn to itself and held tight. The meaning of min al-rahb (from fear) is due to fear; that is, if fear overcomes you upon seeing the snake, pull your wing to yourself. He made the fear that overcomes him the cause and reason for what he was commanded regarding pulling his wing to himself. The meaning of {wa-dumma ilayka janahaka} and the statement of the Almighty {asluk yadaka fi jaybika}, according to one of the two interpretations, is the same, but the expressions differ. The singular meaning was repeated due to the difference in objectives: the objective in one is the emergence of the hand as white, and in the second, the concealment of fear.
Drawing the wing, according to the second view, is a metonym for endurance and self-restraint, similar to the saying: "Tighten your waist-wrapper for death, for death shall meet you." It is taken from the action of a bird when it is secure after fear. Originally, it was a metaphor for the action of a bird in that state, then its usage in [the context of] endurance and self-restraint became frequent until it became an idiom for it and a metonym for it. According to this, it serves as a completion of the meaning of {innaka min al-aminin}. This is taken from the words of Abu Ali al-Farisi, for he said: This is a command from Him, the Almighty, to resolve upon what He willed from him, and an exhortation to be serious in it, so that what envelops him in some situations might not hinder him from what he was ordered to proceed with. The "drawing" is not the literal drawing that removes the space between two things, and this is further removed from objection than what Al-Zamakhshari mentioned.
Similar in being removed from objection is what Al-Biqa'i said: That by drawing his wing to himself, he intended his endurance and self-restraint upon the emergence of his hand as white, so that he would not be wary or agitated by fear. And by "one of the two interpretations," he intended the first aspect, because the meaning, according to it, is: "Insert your right hand under your left arm."
Some said: The meaning is to draw your extended hands toward you by inserting the right under the left arm and the left under the right, or by inserting them into the pocket. Its outward appearance suggests that the "wing" is meant to be the two wings. Al-Tabarsi explicitly stated this in something like what was mentioned, saying: It is common for the singular to come with the intended meaning of the dual, as in the saying: "Your hands are two hands, one of which is all generosity, and your left palm is a thrust that overwhelms." The meaning is "your hands are two hands," evidenced by his saying "one of them."
Also in Al-Kashshaf: Among the eccentric interpretations is that al-rahb means "the sleeve" in the dialect of Himyar, and that they say: "Give me what is in your rahb." I wish I knew the correctness of this in the language, and whether it was heard from the trustworthy authorities whose Arabic is satisfying! Then, I wish I knew its place in the verse, and how it applies to the details like the rest of the words of the Revelation, given that on the night of the discourse, Moses (peace be upon him) had nothing but a zarmanaqa (cloak) of wool, which has no sleeves!
What he pointed out, that this does not correspond to the eloquence of the Revelation, is beyond doubt. For those who adopted it said: The meaning is "draw your hand to yourself, extracted from the sleeve," for his hand is the rahb, and as you see, the expression is briefer than it in terms of conveying [the meaning]. As for the claim of hearing it from the authorities, it was critiqued in Al-Bahr by the fact that it is reported from Al-Asma'i, who is a trustworthy, established authority. Al-Tayyibi said: Muhiy al-Sunnah said: Al-Asma'i said: I heard some Bedouin say, "Give me what is in your rahb," meaning what is in your sleeve. Some claimed that the usage of rahb for the sleeve is also the dialect of Banu Hanifah, and it is with them, as well as Himyar, with a fatha on the ra and the ha. My firm opinion is not to be definitive about the establishment of this dialect, and even if it were established, it should not be applied to what is in the Noble Revelation.
The apparent meaning is that {min al-rahb} is connected to {dumma}. Abu al-Baqa' said: It is connected to {wallah} (he turned). It was also said: To {mudabbiran} (fleeing). It was said: To a suppressed [verb], i.e., "you shall be calm from fear." It was said: To {dumma}. It is not hidden what is in its connection to other than {dumma}, even if the words of Ibn Jurayj—as reported from him by Ibn al-Mundhir—point to its connection to {wallah mudabbiran}, as he made the verse a matter of advancement and delay, and the meaning is: "He turned away fleeing from fear."
The Haramiyyun (Meccan and Medinan readers) read {min al-rahb} with a fatha on the ra and the ha. Most of the Seven read it with a damma on the ra and a sukoon on the ha. Qatadah, Al-Hasan, Isa, and Al-Jahdari read it with damma on both. All are dialects.
{fathanika} (i.e., the staff and the hand). The masculine is used to observe the predicate, which is His saying {burhanani}. It is said: The reference is to the changing of the staff into a snake after throwing it, and the emergence of the hand as white after inserting it into the pocket; so the matter of the masculine is apparent. The burhan (proof) is the clear argument. It is a fi'lan form derived from their saying abrah al-rajul (the man produced the proof) from barrah al-rajul (the man became white). It is said of a woman who is white: barha'u and barhartha. Some said: It is a fi'lan form from al-barh, meaning "to cut," so it is interpreted as the decisive argument. It is said: It is fi'lal because of their saying barhana. It is reported from the majority that barhana is a coined word they derived from the word burhan.
Abu Amr and Ibn Kathir read {fathanika} with a shaddah on the nun, which is a dialect for it. It is said: It is a compensation for the alif removed from dha when in the dual state, as the nun is for its alif, and it was assimilated. Al-Mubarrad said: It is a substitute for the lam of dhalika, as if they inserted it after the dual nun.
Ibn Mas'ud, Isa, Abu Nawfal, Ibn Hurmuz, and Shibl read {fathanika} with a ya after the kasrah on the nun, and it is the dialect of Hudhayl. It is said: Rather, the dialect of Tamim. Shibl reported it from Ibn Kathir, and from him also {fathanika} with a fatha on the nun before the ya, according to the dialect of those who put a fatha on the dual nun, like his saying: "It stood on two ahwadhayn (hooves) in the evening, and it was but a glimpse before it vanished."
From Ibn Mas'ud that he read with a shaddah on the nun, followed by a kasrah, then a ya. It is said it is the dialect of Hudhayl. Al-Mahdawi said: Rather, their dialect is to soften it.
The min in His saying {min rabbika} is connected to a suppressed word that is an adjective for {burhanani}, i.e., "existing from your Lord."
The ila in His saying {ila fir'awna wa mala'ihi} is also connected to a suppressed word, which, according to the apparent meaning of some, is an adjective after an adjective for it, i.e., "arriving to them." According to the apparent meaning of others, it is an adverbial state (hal) from it, i.e., "you are sent with them to them." In Al-Bahr, it is that it is connected to a suppressed word indicated by the meaning, estimating it as "Go to Pharaoh."
{innahum} (i.e., Pharaoh and his chiefs) were a people of sinners, i.e., exceeding the bounds of injustice and transgression, so they were deserving of Us sending you with these two dazzling miracles to them. The discourse regarding kanu (they were) is known from what preceded in its counterparts.
