“My lord, expand for me my breast with assurance and ease for me my test and untie the knot from my tongue so that they may understand my speech.”Surah Taha 20:25-28
This is the dua that I recite before I speak, or begin writing. I learned these words from my friend Samin, when I told her I had a job interview. When you surround yourself with good people, the doors of meaningful knowledge open.
These verses were said by Moses (Musa AS) before he confronted Pharaoh. The story of Moses is woven into so many chapters of the Quran, and his story is one of my favorites. On Day 20 of Ramadan in 2025, in Sura Shu’araa, Moses says:
“My Lord is with me! Soon will He guide me!” He goes on to say “Who gives me food and drink, and when I am ill, it is He who cures me / who will cause me to die, and then to live (again) / And who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgement. O my Lord, bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous.” (p 370)
The enemy of Moses was Pharaoh, the b…
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