وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَى ﴿۱۷﴾ قَالَ هِيَ عَصَايَ أَتَوَكَّأُ عَلَيْهَا وَأَهُشُّ بِهَا عَلَى غَنَمِي وَلِيَ فِيهَا مَآرِبُ أُخْرَى ﴿۱۸﴾ قَالَ أَلْقِهَا يَا مُوسَى ﴿۱۹﴾ فَأَلْقَاهَا فَإِذَا هِيَ حَيَّةٌ تَسْعَى ﴿۲۰﴾ قَالَ خُذْهَا وَلَا تَخَفْ سَنُعِيدُهَا سِيرَتَهَا الْأُولَى ﴿۲۱﴾ وَاضْمُمْ يَدَكَ إِلَى جَنَاحِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَاءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوءٍ آيَةً أُخْرَى ﴿۲۲﴾ لِنُرِيَكَ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا الْكُبْرَى ﴿۲۳﴾

﴾17﴿ Wa maa tilka bi yamee nika yaa Moosaa
﴾18﴿ Qaala hiya 'asaaya atawakka'u alaihaa wa ahushshu bihaa 'alaa ghanamee wa liya feehaa ma aaribu ukhraa
﴾19﴿ Qaala alqihaa yaa Moosaa
﴾20﴿ Fa-alqaahaa fa -izaa hiya haiyatun tas'aa
﴾21﴿ Qaala khuzhaa wa laa ta khaf sanu'eeduhaa seeratahal oolaa
﴾22﴿ Wadmum yadaka ilaa janaahika takhruj baidaaa'a min ghairi sooo'in Aayatan ukhraa
﴾23﴿ Linuriyaka min Aayaatinal Kubra

﴾17﴿ And what is that in your right hand, O Moses
﴾18﴿ He said, This is my staff; I lean upon it, and with it, I bring down leaves for my sheep, and I have other uses for it as well
﴾19﴿ [Allah, the Exalted] said, Throw it down, O Moses
﴾20﴿ So he threw it down, and suddenly it became a serpent, moving swiftly
﴾21﴿ [Allah, the Exalted] said, Take it and do not fear; We will return it to its former state
﴾22﴿ And draw your hand to your side; it will come out white, without blemish—a sign among others
﴾23﴿ So that We may show you some of Our great signs

[17] In this verse, there is a prelude to granting a miracle to Musa (peace be upon him). The purpose of this question is to have Musa (peace be upon him) describe the benefits of the staff, but the benefit of it turning into a snake was unknown to him—this is proof that it is a miracle. And Allah’s question was to bring out the explanation of its uses.
(Bi-yamīnika)—this indicates that using the staff in the right hand is the practice (sunnah) of the Prophets.
[18] In this response, there are four statements. The point of the first sentence is that this staff does not belong to anyone else—it is mine.
In the second and third sentences, two benefits are mentioned: the first benefit relates to personal use, and the second benefit relates to livestock.
In the fourth sentence, there is an indication of the many other benefits of the staff. This serves as encouragement that using a staff is a good practice and a sunnah.
[19] The purpose here is to reveal another benefit of the staff in the form of a miracle, and this benefit was not known to Musa (peace be upon him). Therefore, it is a miracle.
[20] (Ḥayyah) is a generic noun that refers to a snake, whether it is large or slender. In Surah an-Naml and Surah al-Qaṣaṣ, it is said (ka’annahā jānّ)—meaning it appeared like a slender serpent. And in Surah al-A‘rāf and ash-Shu‘arā’, it is mentioned as (thu‘bān mubīn)—a clearly visible serpent or dragon.
Thus, the word (ḥayyah) encompasses both types. Here, the intended meaning is the transformation of reality—that a piece of wood turned into a living snake. And the word (ḥayyah) perfectly indicates this transformation.
[21] It becomes clear that natural fear due to outward causes does not contradict spiritual perfection.
And from these verses, it is understood that the true miracle—namely, the staff turning into a snake and then returning to a staff—was not under the control of Musa (peace be upon him). Therefore, this miracle was not attributed to him.
However, the actions of throwing down the staff and picking it up were within his control and not in themselves miracles, so those actions were attributed to Musa (peace be upon him).
[22] In this verse, the second miracle is mentioned. (Janāḥika) means "your wing," but here it refers to the arm—more precisely, the area beneath the arm (the side).
(Sū’) refers to any illness or defect that causes a person grief or sorrow.
In the first miracle, there is an indication of the overpowering nature of Musa’s (peace be upon him) proof, and in the second, there is an indication of the clarity and brightness of his evidence.
[23] The intended meaning of this is the destruction of Pharaoh and his people due to their denial of the miracles, because these miracles are clear evidence of the power and oneness of Allah, the Most High.