What does Quran 20:12 mean?

Quran 20:12 (Surah Taa-Haa, Ayah 12) translates to: "Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa."

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 20:12 from?

This ayah is from Surah Taa-Haa (Taa-Haa), the 20th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 16.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 20:12?

Yes — there are 5 hadiths related to this ayah from Sunan Abu Dawud, Sahih Muslim, Jami` at-Tirmidhi.

What tafsir is available for Quran 20:12?

Commentary on this ayah is available from Ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abbas, Al-Jalalayn — classical scholars of Quranic exegesis.

Ayah 11

فَلَمَّآ أَتَىٰهَا نُودِىَ يَٰمُوسَىٰٓ...

20:12Taa-Haa

Q: What topics does Quran 20:12 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Prophet Moses, Divine Command, Prophethood, Divine Revelation, Divine Names and Attributes.

Ayah 13

وَأَنَا ٱخْتَرْتُكَ فَٱسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰٓ...

إِنِّىٓ أَنَا۠ رَبُّكَ فَٱخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِٱلْوَادِ ٱلْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًۭى

Inneee Ana Rabbuka fakhla' na'laika innaka bilwaadil muqaddasi Tuwaa

Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.

Themes in this ayah

Explore in Habl →

Lessons from past peoples65

Scores run 0–100: how strongly this ayah speaks to a theme. 70+ is central, 50+ is clear, under 50 is weak.

7 other themes with weak connections

Labeled by AI and people · How this works

Follow this theme through Taa-HaaFollow this theme

Lessons from past peoples

20:12Ayah 1135

43 ayahs in Taa-Haa are strongly about lessons from past peoples.

← Previous on Lessons from past peoples20:10When he saw a fire and said to his family, "Stay here; indeed, I have perceived a fire; perhaps I can bring you a torch or find at the fire some guidance."Next on Lessons from past peoples →20:20So he threw it down, and thereupon it was a snake, moving swiftly.

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 20:12→

Indeed read as innī if one understands nūdiya ‘he was called’ as meaning qīla ‘it was said’; or read it as annī because of an implied prefixed bā’ I am anā reiterates the first person indicator yā’ of innī used by the direct speaker your Lord. So take off your sandals for lo! you are in the holy meaning either the pure or the blessed valley of Tuwā this is either a substitution or an explicative supplement; read Tuwan with nunation or Tuwā without it is considered declinable on account of it being a location; but alternatively considered indeclinable if taken as considered a feminine proper noun denoting a place name.

While the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was leading his Companions in prayer, he took off his sandals and laid them on his left side; so when the people saw this, they removed their sandals. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished his prayer, he asked: What made you remove your sandals? The replied: We saw you remove your sandals, so we removed our sandals. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was filth in them. When any of you comes to the mosque, he should see; if he finds filth on his sandals, he should wipe it off and pray in them.

Sahih Muslim #5323Ibn 'Umar reported:Sahih

I happened to pass before Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon bin) with my lower garment trailing (upon the ground). He said: 'Abdullah, tug up your lower garment,, I tugged it up, and he again said: Tug it still further, and I tugged it still further and I went on tugging it afterward, whereupon some of the people said: To what extent? Thereupon he said: To the middle of the shanks.

Sahih Muslim #325Abu al-'Aliya narrated it on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed through the valley of Azraq, and he asked:Sahih

Which valley is this? They said: This is the valley of Azraq, and he observed: (I perceive) as if I am seeing Moses (peace be upon him) coming down from the mountain track, and he is calling upon Allah loudly (saying: Here I am! at your service! ). Then he came to the mountain track of Harsha. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Which is this mountain track? They said: It is the mountain track of Harsha. He observed (I feel) as If I am seeing Yunus (Jonah-peace be upon him) son of Matta on a well- built red dromedary, with a cloak of wool around him and the rein of his dromedary is made of the fibres of date-palm, and he is calling upon Allah (saying: Here I am! at your service, my Lord! ). Ibn Hanbal said in the hadith narrated by him: Hushaim said that the meaning of khulba was fibre of date-palm.

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #1843Narrated Hudhaifa:Da'if

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of the calf of my shin - or his shin - and he said: "This is the place of the Izar, if you must lower it, then the Izar has no right to be on the ankles." This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. Ath-Thawri and Shu'bah reported it from Abu Ishaq.

Sunan Abu Dawud #4139Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:Sahih

It is part of the Sunnah that when a man sits down, he should take off his sandals and place them at his side.