Transliteration:( Yafqahoo qawlee )
"That they may understand my speech [27]"
Hazrat Musa (عليه السلام), in his childhood, had once placed a red-hot coal in his blessed mouth, due to which his tongue developed a slight stutter or lisp.
This occurred while he was playing in the lap of Pharaoh—he had seized Pharaoh’s beard and struck him on the face. Pharaoh became angry and intended to kill him.
Sayyidah Asiya, to protect him, said: "He is just a child, unable to distinguish between gold and fire."
To test this, Pharaoh placed before him two trays—one with a red ruby, and the other with fire. Hazrat Musa (عليه السلام) took a red-hot coal and put it in his mouth.
As a result, he developed a speech impediment, which led him to pray for clarity in his speech so that the people would understand him clearly.
The tafsir of Surah Ta-Ha verse 28 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Taha ayat 22 which provides the complete commentary from verse 22 through 35.
(20:28) so that they may understand my speech;[15]
15. Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) prayed to Allah for this because he was conscious that he was not a fluent speaker but was slow of speech. He also knew that as a Messenger he would have to be fluent in order to impress Pharaoh and his courtiers. This is confirmed by the Bible (Exodus 4: 10) but the Talmud gives a strange explanation for this impediment in his speech. According to it, when he was a child he burnt his tongue with a live coal to escape punishment from Pharaoh whose crown he had taken off from his head and put it on his own head. The same story has been adopted by many of our commentators though it is absurd on the face of it. Our interpretation is also confirmed by the Quran. The fact is, that at first he was not a fluent speaker and Pharaoh had also taunted him on this impediment. (Surah Az-Zukhruf, Ayat 52). Prophet Moses realized the same for he said: My brother Aaron is more fluent than me, so send him with me as a helper, so that he may support me (with his fluent speech). (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 34). Afterwards this impediment in his speech was removed and he was able to deliver very fluent speeches. This may be testified by his speeches which have been cited both in the Bible and in the Quran for they are masterpieces of eloquence and rhetoric.
Above all, it does not stand to reason that Allah should appoint a lisper or a stammerer or a stutterer as His Messenger. That is why the Messengers have always been the best of mankind in regard to their appearance, personality and capabilities for they had to be most impressive both in their appearance and conduct, so that they could not be made the target of ridicule and contempt by the people because of such personal defects as stammering or stuttering.
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