Taha · Makki · ayah 23 of 135

Taha 20:23

لِنُرِيَكَ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا ٱلْكُبْرَى

“That We may show you [some] of Our greater signs.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Before Pharaoh saw anything, Musa was shown first, privately, some of his Lord's greatest signs, so that he would carry the message with certainty.

A reflection

Shown to you first

Before a new aircraft is shown at an airshow, its test pilot sees what it can do in an empty sky. Only when she has felt its power herself is she asked to fly it in front of the crowds.

The ayah gives the reason for the staff and the hand: li-nuriyaka, so that We may show you. Not 'show Pharaoh', not yet. You. The greatest signs were displayed first on a dark mountainside to an audience of one.

One early teacher said that when Musa drew out his hand shining like a lamp, he knew he had met his Lord. That certainty was the point. A man about to stand before the most powerful king on earth needed to have seen, with his own eyes, what his Lord could do.

This ayah shrinks a particular kind of pride: the pride that says 'show me first, and then I will decide'. Musa did not demand signs. They were given to him, unasked, for his strengthening. And they are called Our signs. Not Musa's tricks, not his achievements. Every wonder in this story belongs to Allah alone.

Someone may ask whether describing His signs as 'the greatest' is a kind of boasting. But look at whom the greatness serves. Allah gains nothing by being seen. Musa gains the courage to walk into Pharaoh's court. The greatness is displayed for the frightened man's sake.

If you are facing something hard, ask Allah to show you His signs before you go. Look for them in the Quran you read, the help already given, the doors already opened. Then walk in, as Musa did, having seen.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.