Ta-Ha

Ṭā Hā (; Arabic: طه) is the 20th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 135 verses (āyāt). It is named "Ṭā Hā" because the chapter starts with the Arabic ḥurūf muqaṭṭaʿāt (disjoined letters) طه (Ṭāhā). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is traditionally believed to be a Meccan surah, from the second Meccan period (615-619), which means it is believed to have been revealed in Mecca, rather than later in Medina. Among the subjects treated in this chapter are God's call of Moses (Quran 20:10), the Exodus of the Israelites and the crossing of the Red Sea (20:77), the worship of the Golden Calf (20:88) and the Fall of Man (20:120). The main theme of the chapter is about the existence of God. It addresses this theme through stories about Moses and Adam. Sura 20 displays several thematic and stylistic patterns described by Angelika Neuwirth in Jane McAuliffe's book "The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an". These include the eschatological prophecies of the Quran, signs of God's existence, and debate. Additionally, sura 20 employs what has been termed the "ring structure" to reinforce its central theme. This is the chapter that convinced Umar to convert to Islam. The oldest surviving manuscript containing chapter Ṭā Hā is a Quranic manuscript in the Mingana Collection identified as having been written on the Birmingham Quran manuscript, dated 0-25 AH.