طه
The discussion of the disconnected letters (al-ḥurūf al-muqaṭṭaʿa) has been set out many times in the series (al-Baqara, Qāf, Ṣād, Yāsīn, al-Shuʿarāʾ, Maryam) and is not repeated here. In summary: no certain knowledge about the meaning of these letters has been transmitted; the most honest position is to say that it is not known.
What belongs here is a disagreement peculiar to ṭāhā, and it must not be concealed. These two letters, unlike the other disconnected letters, can also be read as a word, and for that reason they have been dwelt on separately.
| Reading | What it says | Its status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disconnected letters — like the other sūra openings; the meaning is unknown | Its position at the head of a sūra and its standing in the same place as the other disconnected letters support this reading |
| 2 | A form of address — it is reported that in some Arab dialects it is a call meaning "O man / O fellow" | It is a transmitted explanation; it is not certain knowledge. The claim about the dialect is disputed |
| 3 | One of the names of the Prophet | It is transmitted; there is no evidence for it in the text. That it is the name of the sūra does not show that the word is a name |
| 4 | An imperative — from the verb ṭaʾ, "tread, set your foot down" | This has been found forced on linguistic grounds |
None of these is preferred in this commentary, and the second and third readings are not given as certain knowledge. The record is this: there is no certain knowledge.
And an observation about the word order may be entered: on whichever reading these letters are taken, the second verse turns directly to the one addressed: mā anzalnā ʿalayka. That is, the first sentence of the sūra is built not with a voice whose identity is disputed, but with a sentence whose addressee is plain.