وَأَلْقِ عَصَاكَ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَءَاهَا تَهْتَزُّ كَأَنَّهَا جَآنٌّ وَلَّىٰ مُدْبِرًا وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ ۚ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ لَا تَخَفْ إِنِّى لَا يَخَافُ لَدَىَّ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ 10
Translations
And [he was told], "Throw down your staff." But when he saw it writhing as if it were a snake, he turned in flight and did not return. [Allāh said], "O Moses, fear not. Indeed, in My presence the messengers do not fear.
Transliteration
Wa alqi 'asaaka, falamma ra'aha tahtazzu ka'annaha jannun walla mudbirran walam yu'aqqib. Ya Musa la takhaf inni la yakhaafu ladayya al-mursalun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands Prophet Musa (Moses) to cast down his staff, which miraculously transforms into a serpent that moves with life-like motion, causing Musa to flee in fear. Allah then reassures him not to fear, establishing that the Messengers of Allah have a special status and protection from Him—this staff-to-serpent miracle was one of the nine signs given to Musa to convince Pharaoh. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah demonstrates both the power of Allah's miracles and the psychological strength required of His messengers to overcome natural fear through divine confidence.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Naml (The Ant), a Meccan surah that recounts various stories of prophets and their encounters with divine signs. The context here is the account of Musa's mission to Pharaoh, establishing the timeline of how Allah equipped Musa with miraculous signs before his confrontation with the Egyptian ruler.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari records that 'Abdullah ibn Abbas reported the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioning the nine signs given to Musa, which included the transformation of the staff. Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, there is mention of how the righteous from among the Messengers were tested with signs to strengthen their faith and conviction.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that natural human fear is understandable, but trust in Allah's promises and protection should ultimately overcome it; furthermore, those who are chosen for divine missions are granted special assistance and should not despair when facing overwhelming circumstances.
Related Ayahs
أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَنۢبَتْنَا بِهِۦ حَدَآئِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ مَّا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُنۢبِتُوا۟ شَجَرَهَآ ۗ أَءِلَـٰهٌ مَّعَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ يَعْدِلُونَ
[More precisely], is He [not best] who created the heavens and the earth and sent down for you rain from the sky, causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof? Is there a deity with Allāh? [No], but they are a people who ascribe equals [to Him].
قَالُوا۟ ٱطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَن مَّعَكَ ۚ قَالَ طَـٰٓئِرُكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تُفْتَنُونَ
They said, "We consider you a bad omen, you and those with you." He said, "Your omen [i.e., fate] is with Allāh. Rather, you are a people being tested."
هُدًى وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
As guidance and good tidings for the believers
قَالَتْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ أَفْتُونِى فِىٓ أَمْرِى مَا كُنتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمْرًا حَتَّىٰ تَشْهَدُونِ
She said, "O eminent ones, advise me in my affair. I would not decide a matter until you witness [for] me."