Tafsir of An-Nazi'at 79:20

Surah An-Nazi'at (79): Verse 20

فَأَرَاهُ الْآيَةَ الْكُبْرَى (So he showed him the Greatest Sign.)

The First Issue: The Fa' (ف) in فَأَرَاهُ (So he showed him) is connected to an implied, understood preceding statement. That is, [Moses went] so he showed him the Sign. This is similar to His saying: {So We said, "Strike the rock with your staff," and it burst forth} (Al-Baqarah: 60), meaning [he struck] so it burst forth.

The Second Issue: They differed regarding the identity of the Greatest Sign, holding three opinions:

1. The First Opinion: Muqatil and Al-Kalbi said it is the hand. This is based on His saying concerning Moses in Surah Taha: {And put your hand into your side; it will come out white without disease} (Taha: 22), and the subsequent verse: {That We may show you some of Our greatest signs} (Taha: 23).

2. The Second Opinion: 'Ata said it is the staff. This is because the hand only involved a change of color to another hue. This characteristic was already present in the staff, as when it turned into a serpent, its original color must have changed. Therefore, everything present in the hand miracle was also present in the staff miracle. Furthermore, the staff miracle involved additional, greater aspects:
   • The infusion of life into a lifeless object (the staff).
   • The increase in its parts and body size.
   • The manifestation of great power and intense strength.
   • Its swallowing of many things as if they vanished.
   • The subsequent removal of that life and power from it.
   • The disappearance of those parts that had gained magnitude.
   • The vanishing of the color and form by which it became a living serpent. Each one of these aspects was a self-sufficient miracle. Thus, we know that the Greatest Sign is the staff.

3. The Third Opinion: Mujahid's view on this matter is that the Greatest Sign refers to the combination of both the hand and the staff. This is because the preceding verses indicated that the first miracle Moses displayed to Pharaoh was the staff, followed by the hand. Therefore, the Greatest Sign must refer to both of them combined.

فكذب وعصى (So he denied and disobeyed.)

One of the points mentioned [after the display of the Sign] is His saying: {So he denied and disobeyed}.