Surah 20

(Saying) eat of the Tayyibât (good lawful things) wherewith We have provided you, and commit no transgression or oppression therein, lest My Anger should justly descend on you. And he on whom My Anger descends, he is indeed perished. [Tafsir At-Tabari]

And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them, (till his death).

"And what made you hasten from your people, O Mûsâ (Moses)?"

He said: "They are close on my footsteps: and I hastened to You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased."

(Allâh) said: "Verily We have tried your people in your absence, and As-Sâmirî has led them astray."

Then Mûsâ (Moses) returned to his people in a state of anger and sorrow. He said: "O my people! Did not your Lord promise you a fair promise? Did then the promise seem to you long in coming? Or did you desire that wrath should descend from your Lord on you, that you broke your promise to me (i.e disbelieving in Allâh and worshipping the calf)?"

They said: "We broke not the promise to you, of our own will, but we were made to carry the weight of the ornaments of the [Fir‘aun’s (Pharaoh)] people, then we cast them (into the fire), and that was what As-Sâmirî suggested."

Then he took out (of the fire) for them (a statue of) a calf which seemed to low. They said: "This is your ilâh (god), and the ilâh (god) of Mûsâ (Moses), but he [Mûsâ (Moses)] has forgotten (his god).’"

Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good?

And Hârûn (Aaron) indeed had said to them beforehand: "O my people! You are being tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allâh) the Most Gracious, so follow me and obey my order."

They said: "We will not stop worshipping it (i.e. the calf), until Mûsâ (Moses) returns to us."

[Mûsâ (Moses)] said: "O Hârûn (Aaron)! 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 [Hârûn (Aaron)] 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 my word!’ "

[Mûsâ (Moses)] said: "And what is the matter with you. O Sâmirî? (i.e. why did you do so?)"

(Sâmirî) said: "I saw what they saw not, so I took a handful (of dust) from the (hoof) print of the messenger [Jibrîl’s (Gabriel) horse] and threw it [into the fire in which were put the ornaments of Fir‘aun’s (Pharaoh) people, or into the calf]. Thus my inner-self suggested to me."

Mûsâ (Moses) said: "Then go away! And verily, your (punishment) in this life will be that you will say: "Touch me not (i.e. you will live alone exiled away from mankind); and verily (for a future torment), you have a promise that will not fail. And look at your ilâh (god) to which you have been devoted. We will certainly burn it, and scatter its particles in the sea."

Your Ilâh (God) is only Allâh, (the One) Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). He has full knowledge of all things.

Thus We relate to you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) some information of what happened before. And indeed We have given you from Us a Reminder (this Qur’ân).

Whoever turns away from it (this Qur’ân - i.e. does not believe in it, nor acts on its orders), verily, they will bear a heavy burden (of sins) on the Day of Resurrection,[5]