وَنَزَعَ يَدَهُۥ فَإِذَا هِىَ بَيْضَآءُ لِلنَّٰظِرِينَ
26:34; 27:13; 28:33.
Commentary:
The miracle of the white hand has also been mentioned in the Bible (Exod. 4:6), with the difference that whereas in the Bible the hand is represented as "leprous", the Quran represents it as being "without disease" (28:33). Another difference between the two accounts is that the Quran represents Moses as having shown both signs to Pharaoh, while according to the Bible, although Moses is bidden to show this sign to Pharaoh (Exod. 4:8), it does not mention that Moses did actually show the latter sign to him. The Quranic version clearly seems to be the more correct, not only because Moses could not omit to show the sign of the white hand to Pharaoh as he was commanded by God, as admitted by the Bible itself, but also because Pharaoh having failed to profit by the first sign, Moses must have shown him the second Sign also, after the rejection of the first.
The bodies of highly spiritual men are known to emit invisible rays of various colours according to the degree or nature of their spiritual development. The rays that emerge from the bodies of perfectly holy men, such as Prophets, are of pure white colour. So the rays that issued from the hand of Moses must have been of that colour, and when these rays were made visible, his hand naturally appeared white to the beholders. Men are known to have had such spiritual experience in the times of other Prophets of God as well. For instance, authentic instances of such spiritual experiences having been felt by certain individuals in the time of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, are on record (Al-Fadl, vol. 32, No. 217).
Elsewhere the Quran says, God said to Moses Thrust thy hand into thy bosom; it will come forth white without disease (28:33). This constituted, in symbolic language, a clear hint to Moses that if he kept his followers close to him and under his fostering care, they would not only become men of light themselves, but would also impart light to others, otherwise they would become not only black but also diseased. The miracle was not, therefore, the performance of a magician but a sign full of deep spiritual significance.
26:34; 27:13; 28:33.
The bodies of highly spiritual men are known to emit rays of various colours according to the degree or nature of their spiritual development. The rays that are emitted by the bodies of Prophets are of pure white colour. Similarly, rays that issued from the hand of Moses must have been of that colour and, when they were made visible, his hand naturally appeared white to the beholders. Men are known to have had such spiritual experiences in the times of other Prophets of God as well. God said to Moses: Thrust thy hand into thy bosom; it will come forth white without disease (28:33). This constituted, in symbolic language, a clear hint to Moses that if he kept his followers close to him and under his fostering care, they would not only become men of light themselves but would also impart light to others, otherwise they would become not only black but also morally diseased. The miracle was not, therefore, the performance of a sorcerer but a Sign full of deep spiritual significance.