therefore (in My presence) put off thy shoes: thou art in the sacred valley Tuwa.

therefore (in My presence) put off thy shoes: thou art in the sacred valley Tuwa. Or, it has a descriptive meaning derived from the term /tay/ which means 'the act of rolling up', as if the land is rolled up in holiness and sanctity, or as Raqib cites: Moses should cover a long distance to be prepared to receive the inspiration, but Allah rolled up the way and made it near for Moses to reach the goal.

Then, in three short, but meaningful sentences, it refers to the message that Allah sent to Moses in that valley where He commanded: "Go to Pharaoh, surely he has transgressed all bounds." And say to him: 'Wouldst thou that thou shouldst be purified (from sin) ?' And that I guide thee to thy Lord, so thou shouldst fear (Him) ? And, since invitations should be accompanied by reasons, in the next verse it says: Then did (Moses) show him The Great Sign.

The Great Sign, whether being the 'white shining hand' or the rod that became a 'snake active in motion' or both of them, has been one of the Great Signs that Moses relied on in the prime of his prophetic mission. There are some interesting points in these four verses that should be noted: It says that Moses is told to go to Pharaoh, because he has transgressed, and this shows that one of the great missions that the prophets had was to guide the rebels or to oppose them decisively.

This invitation to purity, by Moses, with those conciliatory words and in the most benevolent terms, to Pharaoh, where Allah tells Moses to go: And say (to him) 'Wouldst thou that thou shouldst be purified (from sin) ? ' is similar to the sense found in Sura Ta-Ha No.20, verse 44 which says: But speak to him mildly.... This meaning has a delicate hint to the fact that the goal of the prophecy of the prophets is to purify men and lead them to their real purified nature.

By the way, it does not say 'I purify you', it says:...Wouldst thou that thou shouldst be purified?..., which indicates that purification should come about from inside and by one's own intention; not from an imposition from an outside source. The statement of 'guidance' after mentioning the sense 'to purify' is a reason for showing that 'purification' is a preliminary step to 'guidance'.

The term /rabbika/'your Lord', indeed, is an emphasis on this fact that 'I take you to Him Who is your master and your cherisher. Why do you flee from the path of happiness? '. 'Fear of Allah' is the fruit of guidance.