His words, “lest you perish,” mean: lest you be ruined and wretched if you follow the path of one who turns people ⦗504⦘ away from it.
Allah, Exalted is He, says:
(17–23) “And what is that in your right hand, O Moses? He said, ‘It is my staff; I lean upon it, bring down leaves with it for my sheep, and have other uses for it.’ He said, ‘Throw it down, O Moses.’ So he threw it down, and thereupon it became a snake moving swiftly. He said, ‘Take hold of it and do not fear; We shall restore it to its former state. And draw your hand to your side; it will emerge shining white, without any disease—another sign—so that We may show you some of Our greatest signs.’”
After Allah had explained the foundation of faith to Moses, He wished to explain and show him some of His signs, thereby reassuring his heart, bringing him comfort, and strengthening his faith through Allah’s support of him against his enemy. He therefore said, “And what is that in your right hand, O Moses?” Although Allah, Exalted is He, knew the answer, He phrased the statement as a question to lend this moment greater significance. Moses replied:
“It is my staff; I lean upon it and bring down leaves with it for my sheep.”
He mentioned two benefits of the staff. One benefits human beings: he supported himself upon it while standing and walking, thereby receiving assistance from it. The other benefits animals: he used to tend sheep, and when he grazed them among trees used for leaf fodder and the like, he would strike the trees with it so that their leaves fell and the sheep could graze upon them.
This fine character in Moses, peace be upon him—one of whose effects was his excellent care for animals and his kindness toward them—demonstrated Allah’s special care for him, His choosing him, and His singling him out, as required by Allah’s mercy and wisdom.
“And I have other uses for it”—that is, other purposes besides these two. Part of Moses’s good manners, peace be upon him, was that when Allah asked him about what was in his right hand, the question could have concerned either what it was or what benefit it had, so he answered both. Allah then said to him, “Throw it down, O Moses. So he threw it down, and thereupon it became a snake moving swiftly.”
By Allah’s permission, it turned into an enormous serpent. Moses fled in fear without looking back. Describing it as moving swiftly dispels a possible misconception: that it was merely an illusion rather than something real. The fact that it moved swiftly removes this misconception.
Allah therefore said to Moses, “Take hold of it and do not fear”—that is, it will not harm you—“We shall restore it to its former state,” meaning the form and condition it had when it was a staff. In faith and submission, Moses obeyed Allah’s command and took hold of it, whereupon it returned to the staff he knew. This was one sign. Allah then mentioned the other sign, saying:
“And draw your hand to your side”—that is, place your hand inside the opening of your garment and draw your upper arm, which is a person’s wing, close to your side—“it will emerge shining white, without any disease,” meaning radiantly white, without any defect or leprosy—“another sign.”
Allah says, “These two are proofs from your Lord to Pharaoh and his chiefs. Indeed, they have been a defiantly disobedient people.”
“So that We may show you some of Our greatest signs.” That is, We caused what We have mentioned—the staff turning into a snake that moved swiftly and the hand emerging white before those who beheld it—in order to show you some of Our greatest signs, which demonstrate the truth of your mission and the reality of what you have brought. Thus your heart may be reassured, your knowledge may increase, you may trust Allah’s promise to preserve and grant you victory, and these signs may constitute proof and decisive evidence for those to whom you have been sent.