Al-Qur'an Surah Taha Verse 18

Mufti Taqi Usmani

He said, “It is my staff. I lean on it, and I beat down leaves with it for my sheep, and I have many other uses for it.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

He replied, “It is my staff! I lean on it, and with it I beat down ˹branches˺ for my sheep, and have other uses for it.”[[ Moses could have just said, “A staff.” But he volunteered to talk about the uses of the staff, adding that there are many other uses he has not mentioned, with the hope that Allah would ask him about it more. The reason is that Moses wanted to prolong the conversation with Allah as much as he could. ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

He said, “It is my staff. I lean on it and beat down leaves with it for my sheep, and I have other uses for it.”

A. J. Arberry

'Why, it is my staff,' said Moses. 'I lean upon it, and with it I beat down leaves to feed my sheep; other uses also I find in it.

Abdul Haleem

‘It is my staff,’ he said, ‘I lean on it; restrain my sheep with it; I also have other uses for it.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

He said: it is my staff; I lean there on; and therewith beat down fodder for my sheep; and for me therein are other purposes.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

He said, "It is my rod; on it I lean; with it I beat down fodder for my flocks; and in it I find other uses."

Abul Ala Maududi

Moses answered: "This is my staff. I lean on it (when I walk), and with it I beat down leaves for my flock, and I have many other uses for it."

Ahmed Ali

"It's my staff," he answered; "I lean on it, and fell leaves for my goats with it, and I have other uses for it."

Ahmed Raza Khan

He said, “This is my staff; I support myself on it, and I knock down leaves for my sheep with it, and there are other uses for me in it.”

Ali Quli Qarai

He said, ‘It is my staff. I lean on it, and with it I beat down leaves for my sheep; and I have other uses for it.’

Ali Ünal

He said: "It is my staff. I lean on it, and with it I beat down leaves for my flock, and I have some other uses for it."

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Moses) replied, `This is my staff. I lean on it, and beat down leaves for my sheep with it, and it serves (also) my many other needs.´

English Literal

He said: "It is my stick/cane, I lean on/support myself on it, and I hit/move/shake with it on my sheep and goats, and for me in it others needs/purposes."

Faridul Haque

He said, "This is my staff; I support myself on it, and I knock down leaves for my sheep with it, and there are other uses for me in it."

Hamid S. Aziz

"What is that in your right hand, O Moses?"

Hilali & Khan

He said: "This is my stick, whereon I lean, and wherewith I beat down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And what is this in thy right hand, O Moses?

Mohammad Habib Shakir

He said: This is my staff: I recline on it and I beat the leaves with it to make them fall upon my sheep, and I have other uses for it.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

He said: This is my staff whereon I lean, and wherewith I bear down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses.

Muhammad Sarwar

He replied, "It is my staff. I lean on it, bring down leaves for my sheep with it and I need it for other reasons.

Qaribullah & Darwish

'It is my staff," Moses replied, "upon it I lean and with it I beat down leaves to feed my sheep and for me there are other uses in it'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

He said: "This is my stick, whereon I lean, and wherewith I beat down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses."

Wahiduddin Khan

He replied, "It is my staff. I lean on it, and with it, I beat down the leaves for my flock; I also have other uses for it."

Talal Itani

He said, “This is my staff. I lean on it, and herd my sheep with it, and I have other uses for it.”

Tafsir jalalayn

He said, `It is my staff. I lean, I support myself, upon it, when I leap [across something] or walk, and I beat down [leaves], I strike the leaves on trees, with it, so that they fall, for my sheep, which then consume them; and I have uses for it (ma'rib, `uses', is the plural of ma'ruba, with the r' taking any [one] of the three vowels [sc. ma'ruba, ma'raba or ma'riba] meaning `needs') in other ways, such as [using it] to carry food supplies and waterskins, as well as to drive away [undesirable] animals. He [Moses] gives an extensive response to indicate his [many] needs for it.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

قَالَ هِيَ عَصَايَ أَتَوَكَّأُ عَلَيْهَا

He said;"This is my stick, whereon I lean..."

I lean on it while I am walking.

وَأَهُشُّ بِهَا عَلَى غَنَمِي

and wherewith I beat down branches for my sheep,

This means, `I use it to shake the branches of trees so that the leaves will fall for my sheep to eat them.'

Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Qasim reported from Imam Malik that he said,

"(It is) when a man places his staff into a branch and shakes it so that its leaves and fruit will fall without breaking the stick. It is not the same as striking or beating."

Maymun bin Mahran also said the same.

Concerning his statement,

وَلِيَ فِيهَا مَأرِبُ أُخْرَى



and wherein I find other uses.

This means other benefits, services and needs besides this.

Some of the scholars took upon themselves the burden of mentioning many of these obscure uses.

Concerning Allah's statement,

قَالَ أَلْقِهَا يَا مُوسَى