إِذْ نَادَىٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ بِٱلْوَادِ ٱلْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى 16
Translations
When his Lord called to him in the sacred valley of Ṭuwā,
Transliteration
Idh nada-hu rabbuhu bil-wadi al-muqaddas tuwa
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the moment when Allah called upon Musa (Moses) in the sacred valley of Tuwa, establishing the divine encounter that would transform him into a messenger. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this was the initial call of Musa to prophethood, a pivotal moment when Allah addressed him directly. The 'sacred valley' (al-wadi al-muqaddas) denotes the sanctity of the place where divine revelation occurs, and 'Tuwa' is identified by most scholars as the valley near Mount Sinai where Musa received his mission.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Nazi'at's narrative recounting the story of Musa and Pharaoh, serving as a thematic foundation for the surah's discussion of divine power and human resistance to truth. The context is the broader Meccan emphasis on the certainty of the Day of Judgment and Allah's absolute authority, illustrated through historical examples of past prophets and their nations.
Related Hadiths
The story of Musa at Tuwa is referenced in Sahih Bukhari (Hadith 3191) where the Prophet Muhammad describes Musa's encounter with the fire and Allah's call to him. Additionally, the Quran in Surah Ta-Ha (20:9-14) provides detailed elaboration of this same incident, which is cited extensively in hadith collections discussing the qualities of Musa as a messenger.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that Allah's guidance and divine purpose can reach anyone in any place when He wills it, and it illustrates the profound responsibility and honor of being chosen as a messenger of God. For contemporary believers, it encourages receptiveness to Allah's signs and the recognition that transformative spiritual moments often occur unexpectedly when one is attentive to the divine.