Surah Taha contains Allah’s Greatest Name, by which He answers when called upon, as the Prophet ﷺ said (good chain): “Al-Hayy al-Qayyum”, in the verse “And faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting”. It is one of the Mi’in given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Psalms, was revealed and learnt early, and its recitation led Umar to Islam.
The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah’s Greatest Name, by which He answers when called upon, is in three surahs: Al-Baqarah, Ali ’Imran and Taha, meaning “Al-Hayy al-Qayyum”; in Taha it is the verse “And faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting”.
Good (hasan)Al-Firyabi (Fada’il al-Qur’an, 47), Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim Authentic (sahih)Ibn Majah (3856) and Al-Firyabi (48)
It is one of the Mi’in given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Psalms, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “I was given in place of the Torah the seven long ones, and in place of the Psalms the Mi’in…”
It is among the surahs revealed early, and among what the companions learnt and memorised from the very beginning.
Al-Qurtubi reports that it was revealed before Umar’s conversion, and that he found his sister and brother-in-law reciting it with Khabbab; the recitation of its opening was the cause of his conversion, by which Allah strengthened the Muslims and separated truth from falsehood.
Arabic text, translation, reference and authenticity grade of each hadith.
اسم الله الأعظم الذي إذا دعي به أجاب في ثلاث سور: في البقرة، وآل عمران، وطه، يعني الحي القيوم
The Greatest Name of Allah, by which He answers when He is called upon, is in three surahs: Al-Baqarah, Ali ’Imran and Taha – meaning “Al-Hayy al-Qayyum” (the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting).
إن اسم الله الأعظم في ثلاث سور من القرآن الكريم: في سورة البقرة، وآل عمران، وطه، قال الشيخ: التمستها فوجدت في البقرة آية الكرسي ﴿اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ﴾ وفاتحة آل عمران ﴿الم (1) اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ﴾، وفي طه: ﴿وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ﴾
The Greatest Name of Allah is in three surahs of the Qur’an: Al-Baqarah, Ali ’Imran and Taha. The shaykh said: “I looked for it and found it in Al-Baqarah, in the Verse of the Throne: ‘Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting’; at the opening of Ali ’Imran: ‘Alif-Lam-Mim. Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting’; and in Taha: ‘And faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting’.”
أعطيت مكان التوراة السبع الطوال، ومكان الزبور المئين…
“I was given in place of the Torah the seven long ones, and in place of the Psalms the Mi’in…”
وإني أعطيت سورة البقرة من الذكر الأولى، وأعطيت طه، والطواسين، والحواميم، من ألواح موسى، وأعطيت فاتحة الكتاب، وخواتيم سورة البقرة من تحت العرش، وأعطيت المفصل نافلة
“I was given Surah Al-Baqarah from the first Reminder; I was given Taha, the Tawasin and the Hawamim from the Tablets of Moses; I was given the Opening of the Book and the closing verses of Al-Baqarah from beneath the Throne; and I was given the Mufassal as an extra grace.”
Main purpose: Happiness lies in following the Qur’an’s guidance and carrying its message; misery lies in opposing it.
Taha is the 20th surah in the order of the Qur’an and Meccan by consensus; it has one hundred and thirty-five verses and was revealed after Maryam. Al-Alusi reports that it is also called “Al-Kalim” (the one to whom Allah spoke). According to Al-Qurtubi, it was revealed before Umar’s conversion: told that his sister and brother-in-law had embraced Islam, he went to them and found them with Khabbab, an emigrant, reciting Taha.
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
