Allah describes the misguidance of those who worshipped the calf that
As-Samiri made for them from the ornaments they borrowed from the Copts. He made
the shape of a calf with these ornaments and threw in it a handful of dust from
the trace of the horse that the Angel Jibril was riding, and the calf seemed to
moo. This occurred after Musa went for the appointed term with his Lord, where
Allah told him about what happened when he was on Mount Tur. Allah said about
His Honorable Self,
[قَالَ فَإِنَّا قَدْ
فَتَنَّا قَوْمَكَ مِن بَعْدِكَ وَأَضَلَّهُمُ السَّامِرِىُّ ]
((Allah) said: "Verily, We have tried your people in your absence, and
As-Samiri has led them astray'') [20:85]. The scholars of Tafsir have different
views over the calf, whether it actually became alive and mooing, or if it
remained made of gold, but the air entering it made it appear to be mooing.
These are two opinions. Allah knows best. It was reported that when the statue
mooed, the Jews started dancing around it and fell into misguidance because they
adored it. They said that this, the calf, is your god and the god of Musa, but
Musa forgot it! Allah answered them,
[أَفَلاَ يَرَوْنَ
أَلاَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِمْ قَوْلاً وَلاَ يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ ضَرّاً وَلاَ نَفْعاً
]
(Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that
it had neither power to harm them nor to do them good) [20:89]. Allah said here,
[أَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ
أَنَّهُ لاَ يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلاَ يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلاً]
(Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to the
way) Allah condemned the Jews for falling into misguidance, worshipping the calf
and ignoring the Creator of the heavens and earth, the Lord and King of all
things. They worshipped besides Him a statue made in the shape of a calf, that
seemed to moo, but it neither spoke to them nor brought them any benefit.
Rather, their very sense of reason was blinded because of ignorance and
misguidance. Allah's statement,
[وَلَمَّا سُقِطَ فَى
أَيْدِيهِمْ]
(And when they regretted), and felt sorrow for their action,
[وَرَأَوْاْ
أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ قَالُواْ لَئِن لَّمْ يَرْحَمْنَا رَبُّنَا وَيَغْفِرْ
لَنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ]
(and saw that they had gone astray, they said: "If our Lord have not mercy
upon us and forgive us, we will certainly become among the losers.'') or among
the destroyed ones. This was their recognition of their sin and their way of
seeking salvation from Allah the Most Mighty and Majestic.
[وَلَمَّا رَجَعَ
مُوسَى إِلَى قَوْمِهِ غَضْبَـنَ أَسِفًا قَالَ بِئْسَمَا خَلَفْتُمُونِى مِن
بَعْدِى أَعَجِلْتُمْ أَمْرَ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَلْقَى الأَلْوَاحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ
أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ ابْنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُونِى
وَكَادُواْ يَقْتُلُونَنِى فَلاَ تُشْمِتْ بِىَ الأَعْدَآءَ وَلاَ تَجْعَلْنِى مَعَ
الْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ - قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى وَلأَخِى وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِي
رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَحِمِينَ ]
(150. And when Musa returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said: "What
an evil thing is that which you have done during my absence. Did you hasten in
matter of your Lord'' And he threw down the Tablets and seized his brother by
(the hair of) his head and dragged him towards him. He (Harun) said: "O son of
my mother! Indeed the people judged me weak and were about to kill me, so make
not the enemies rejoice over me, nor put me among the people who are
wrongdoers.'') (151. He (Musa) said: "O my Lord! Forgive me and my brother, and
admit us into Your mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of those who show
mercy.'') Allah states that when Musa returned to his people after conversation
with his Lord, he became angry and full of regret. Abu Ad-Darda' said that Asif,
or regret, is the severest type of anger.
[قَالَ بِئْسَمَا
خَلَفْتُمُونِى مِن بَعْدِى]
(He (Musa) said: "What an evil thing is that which you have done during my
absence.'') evil it is that which you committed after I departed and left you,
by worshiping the calf,
[أَعَجِلْتُمْ أَمْرَ
رَبِّكُمْ]
(Did you hasten in the matter of your Lord) Musa said, `You wanted me to rush
back to you, even though [being there] this was Allah's decision' Allah said
next,
[وَأَلْقَى
الأَلْوَاحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ]
(And he threw down the Tablets and seized his brother by his head and dragged
him towards him.) This Ayah demonstrates the meaning of the Hadith,
«لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ
كَالْمُعَايَنَة»
(Information is not the same as observation.) It indicates that Musa threw
down the Tablets because he was angry at his people, according to the majority
of scholars of early and latter times. Allah said,
[وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ
أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ]
(and seized his brother by (the hair of) his head and dragged him towards
him.) for Musa feared that Harun might have not tried hard enough to forbid them
from their evil action. In another Ayah, Allah said,
[قَالَ يهَـرُونُ مَا
مَنَعَكَ إِذْ رَأَيْتَهُمْ ضَلُّواْ - أَلاَّ تَتَّبِعَنِ أَفَعَصَيْتَ أَمْرِى -
قَالَ يَبْنَؤُمَّ لاَ تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِى وَلاَ بِرَأْسِى إِنِّى خَشِيتُ أَن
تَقُولَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَ بَنِى إِسْرءِيلَ وَلَمْ تَرْقُبْ قَوْلِى ]
.(He [Musa] said: "O Harun ! What prevented you when you saw them going
astray. That you followed me not (according to my advice to you) Have you then
disobeyed my order'' He [Harun] said: "O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my
beard, nor by my head! Verily, I feared lest you should say: `You have caused a
division among the Children of Israel, and you have not respected (waited or
observed) my word!''') [20:92-94]. Here, Allah said that Harun said,
[ابْنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ
الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُونِى وَكَادُواْ يَقْتُلُونَنِى فَلاَ تُشْمِتْ بِىَ
الأَعْدَآءَ وَلاَ تَجْعَلْنِى مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ]
("O son of my mother! Indeed the people judged me weak and were about to kill
me, so make not the enemies rejoice over me, nor put me among the people who are
wrongdoers.'') Harun said, `Do not place me on the same level as they are, as if
I was one of them.' Further, Harun said, `O son of my mother', so that Musa
would feel more mercy and leniency towards him, even though Harun was also the
son of Musa's father. When Musa was satisfied that his brother was innocent,
[وَلَقَدْ قَالَ
لَهُمْ هَـرُونُ مِن قَبْلُ يقَوْمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُمْ بِهِ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ
الرَّحْمَـنُ فَاتَّبِعُونِى وَأَطِيعُواْ أَمْرِى ]
(And Harun indeed had said to them beforehand: "O my people! You are being
tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allah) the Most Gracious, so follow me
and obey my order.'') [20:90], this is when,
[قَالَ]
(he said) Musa,
[رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى
وَلأَخِى وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِي رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَحِمِينَ]
("O my Lord! Forgive me and my brother, and admit us into Your mercy, for you
are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.'') Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that
Ibn `Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«يَرْحَمُ اللهُ
مُوسَى لَيْسَ الْمُعَايِنُ كَالْمُخْبِرِ أَخْبَرَهُ رَبُّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّ
قَوْمَهُ فُتِنُوا بَعْدَهُ فَلَمْ يَلْقَ الْأَلْوَاحَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُمْ
وَعَايَنَهُمْ أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاح»
(May Allah grant His mercy to Musa! Surely, he who observes [something] is
nothing like he who is informed about it. His Lord, the Exalted and Most
Honored, told him that his people were tested after him, but he did not throw
the Tablets. When he saw them with his eyes, then he threw the Tablets.)
[إِنَّ الَّذِينَ
اتَّخَذُواْ الْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِى
الْحَيوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُفْتَرِينَ - وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُواْ
السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِهَا وَءَامَنُواْ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن
بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ]
(152. Certainly, those who took the calf (for worship), wrath from their Lord
and humiliation will come upon them in the life of this world. Thus do We
recompense those who invent lies.) (153. But those who committed evil deeds and
then repented afterwards and believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is
indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) The `wrath' mentioned here that struck the
Children of Israel because of their worshipping the calf, means, Allah did not
accept their repentance until some of them [who did not worship the calf] killed
others [who worshipped the calf]. We mentioned this story in Surat Al-Baqarah,
[فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى
بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ
فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ]
(So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (the guilty), that
will be better for you before your Creator.'' Then He accepted your repentance.
Truly, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.) [2:54] As for
the humiliation mentioned in the Ayah, it pertains to the disgrace and
humiliation that the Jews suffered in the life of this world. Allah's statement,
[وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى
الْمُفْتَرِينَ]
(Thus do We recompense those who invent lies) is for all those who invent an
innovation (in religion). Surely, the disgrace resulting from inventing an
innovation (in religion) and defying Allah's Message, will be placed in the
heart and from there on to the shoulders. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said; "The disgrace
of innovation will weigh on their shoulders even if they were to gallop on their
mules or trot on their work horses.'' Ayyub As-Sakhtiyani narrated from Abu
Qilabah Al-Jarmi that he commented on this Ayah,
[وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى
الْمُفْتَرِينَ]
(Thus do We recompense those who invent lies.) "By Allah! This Ayah is for
all those who invent a lie, until the Day of Resurrection.'' Also, Sufyan bin
`Uyaynah said, "Every person who invents a Bid`ah (innovation in the religion)
will taste disgrace.''Allah tells His servants that He accepts repentance from
His servants for any sin, even Shirk, Kufr, hypocrisy and disobedience. Allah
said:
[وَالَّذِينَ
عَمِلُواْ السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِهَا وَءَامَنُواْ إِنَّ
رَبَّكَ]
(But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterwards and
believed, verily, your Lord) O Muhammad, Messenger of Repentance and Prophet of
Mercy,
[مِن
بَعْدِهَا]
(after that) after committing that evil action,
[لَغَفُورٌ
رَّحِيمٌ]
(is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) Ibn Abi Hatim reported that
`Abdullah bin Mas`ud was asked about a man committing fornication with a woman
and then marrying her, and Ibn Mas`ud recited this Ayah,
[وَالَّذِينَ
عَمِلُواْ السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِهَا وَءَامَنُواْ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ
مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ]
(But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterwards and
believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful.) `Abdullah recited this Ayah ten times, neither allowing nor
disallowing it.
[وَلَمَّا سَكَتَ عَن
مُّوسَى الْغَضَبُ أَخَذَ الاٌّلْوَاحَ وَفِى نُسْخَتِهَا هُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ
لِّلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِرَبِّهِمْ يَرْهَبُونَ ]
(154. And when the anger of Musa calmed, he took up the Tablets; and in their
inscription was guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.)
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