Tafseer of The Stories · Al-Qasas · 28:31
And [he was told], "Throw down your staff." But when he saw it writhing as if it was a snake, he turned in flight and did not return. [Allah said], "O Moses, approach and fear not. Indeed, you are of the secure.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of Allah the Exalted: وَأَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهَا تَهْتَزُّ كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ وَلَّى مُدْبِرًا وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ يَا مُوسَى أَقْبِلْ وَلا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الآمِنِينَ (31) (And: "Cast down your staff." Then when he saw it moving as though it were a serpent, he turned away in flight and did not return. "O Mūsā, come forward and do not fear; you are among those who are secure.")
Allah the Exalted — praised be His remembrance — says: Mūsā was called: أَنْ يَا مُوسَى إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ * وَأَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ — and Mūsā cast it down, and it became a writhing serpent.
فَلَمَّا رَآهَا — Mūsā — تَهْتَزُّ — He says: it moved and writhed — كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ — the jānn is the singular of jinnān, a well-known species of serpents, and they are the large ones of them. The meaning of the phrase is: as though it were a jānn-serpent. وَلَّى مُدْبِرًا — He says: Mūsā turned away from it in flight.
As Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning وَلَّى مُدْبِرًا : he fled away from it. وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ — He says: he did not turn back on his heels.
We have already mentioned earlier the narration concerning this and what the exegetes have said about it — we did not wish to repeat it — but we mention here what we had not mentioned there.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ — he says: he did not turn back and did not look behind because of fright.
Mūsā related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ — he says: he did not wait.
As for His word: يَا مُوسَى أَقْبِلْ وَلا تَخَفْ — Allah the Exalted — praised be His remembrance — says: Mūsā was called: "O Mūsā, come forward toward Me and do not fear that from which you fled. إِنَّكَ مِنَ الآمِنِينَ — from any harm from it; it is only your staff."
