The Golden Calf

“Why have you hurried ahead of your people, O Moses?”

20:83And (it was said): What hath made thee hasten from thy folk, O Moses?

He said, “They are following in my footsteps, and I hastened to You, my Lord, so You may be pleased.”

20:84He said: They are close upon my track. I hastened unto Thee, my Lord, that Thou mightest be well pleased.

He said, “We have tested your people after you left, and the Samiri has led them astray.”

20:85He said: Lo! We have tried thy folk in thine absence, and As-Samiri hath misled them.

In Moses’ absence, his people took a calf for worship, an idol made from their jewellery, producing a hollow sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them? Yet they took it for worship and became wrongdoers.

2:51And when We did appoint for Moses forty nights (of solitude), and then ye chose the calf, when he had gone from you, and were wrong-doers.

2:92And Moses came unto you with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), yet, while he was away, ye chose the calf (for worship) and ye were wrong-doers.

2:93And when We made with you a covenant and caused the Mount to tower above you, (saying): Hold fast by that which We have given you, and hear (Our Word), they said: We hear and we rebel. And (worship of) the calf was made to sink into their hearts because of their rejection (of the covenant). Say (unto them): Evil is that which your belief enjoineth on you, if ye are believers.

4:153The people of the Scripture ask of thee that thou shouldst cause an (actual) Book to descend upon them from heaven. They asked a greater thing of Moses aforetime, for they said: Show us Allah plainly. The storm of lightning seized them for their wickedness. Then (even) after that) they chose the calf (for worship) after clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) had come unto them. And We forgave them that! And We bestowed on Moses evident authority.

7:148And the folk of Moses, after (he left them), chose a calf (for worship), (made) out of their ornaments, of saffron hue, which gave a lowing sound. Saw they not that it spake not unto them nor guided them to any way? They chose it, and became wrong-doers.

When regret seized them and they realized they had gone astray, they said, “If our Lord does not forgive us and show mercy, we will surely be among the lost.”

7:149And when they feared the consequences thereof and saw that they had gone astray, they said: Unless our Lord have mercy on us and forgive us, we verily are of the lost.

When Moses returned, angry and sorrowful, he said, “What a terrible thing you have done in my absence! Did you rush ahead of your Lord’s command?” He threw down the tablets and seized his brother by the hair, pulling him toward him. Aaron said, “O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or my head! I feared that you would say I caused division among the people and did not wait for your command.”

7:150And when Moses returned unto his people, angry and grieved, he said: Evil is that (course) which ye took after I had left you. Would ye hasten on the judgment of your Lord? And he cast down the tablets, and he seized his brother by the head, dragging him toward him. He said: Son of my mother! Lo! the folk did judge me weak and almost killed me. Oh, make not mine enemies to triumph over me and place me not among the evil-doers.

20:86Then Moses went back unto his folk, angry and sad. He said: O my people! Hath not your Lord promised you a fair promise? Did the time appointed then appear too long for you, or did ye wish that wrath from your Lord should come upon you, that ye broke tryst with me?

Aaron had warned them earlier, “O my people, you are being tested by this. Your Lord is the Most Merciful, so follow me and obey my command.”

20:90And Aaron indeed had told them beforehand: O my people! Ye are but being seduced therewith, for lo! your Lord is the Beneficent, so follow me and obey my order.

They said, “We will not stop worshiping it until Moses returns.”

20:91They said: We shall by no means cease to be its votaries till Moses return unto us.

Moses said, “O Aaron, what prevented you when you saw them going astray?”

20:92He (Moses) said: O Aaron! What held thee back when thou didst see them gone astray,

“Did you disobey my command?”

20:93That thou followedst me not? Hast thou then disobeyed my order?

He said, “O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or my head. I feared you would say I caused division among the Children of Israel and did not wait for your command.”

20:94He said: O son of my mother! Clutch not my beard nor my head! I feared lest thou shouldst say: Thou hast caused division among the Children of Israel, and hast not waited for my word.

They said, “We did not break our promise willingly, but we were burdened with the weight of the people’s ornaments, so we cast them, and the Samiri did likewise.”

20:87They said: We broke not tryst with thee of our own will, but we were laden with burdens of ornaments of the folk, then cast them (in the fire), for thus As-Samiri proposed.

Then he produced for them a calf, an illusion that seemed too low. They said, “This is your Allah and the Allah of Moses, but he has forgotten.”

20:88Then he produced for them a calf, of saffron hue, which gave forth a lowing sound. And they cried: This is your god and the god of Moses, but he hath forgotten.

Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them?

20:89See they not, then, that it returneth no saying unto them and possesseth for them neither hurt nor use?

Moses said, “And what is your case, O Samiri?”

20:95(Moses) said: And what hast thou to say, O Samiri?

He said, “I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful from the messenger’s traces and cast it. That is what my soul prompted me to do.”

20:96He said: I perceived what they perceive not, so I seized a handful from the footsteps of the messenger, and then threw it in. Thus my soul commended to me.

Moses said, “Then go! Your punishment in this life is to say, ‘Do not touch me.’ And you have an appointed time that you cannot escape. Look at your Allah to which you were devoted, we will burn it and scatter its ashes into the sea.”

20:97(Moses) said: Then go! and lo! in this life it is for thee to say: Touch me not! and lo! there is for thee a tryst thou canst not break. Now look upon thy god of which thou hast remained a votary. Verily we will burn it and will scatter its dust over the sea.

“Your only Allah is Allah, besides whom there is no deity. He encompasses all things in knowledge.”

20:98Your Allah is only Allah, than Whom there is no other Allah. He embraceth all things in His knowledge.

Moses said, “My Lord, forgive me and my brother, and admit us into Your mercy. You are the Most Merciful.”

7:151He said: My Lord! Have mercy on me and on my brother; bring us into Thy mercy, Thou the Most Merciful of all who show mercy.

Those who took the calf for worship will face their Lord’s wrath and humiliation in this life. This is how We repay the inventors of falsehood.

2:54And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves. That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.

7:152Lo! Those who chose the calf (for worship), terror from their Lord and humiliation will come upon them in the life of the world. Thus do We requite those who invent a lie.

And recall when Moses said to his people, 'O my people, you have wronged yourselves by worshiping the calf. So, turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves. Then seek His forgiveness, for He is the relenting, the Most Merciful.'

2:54And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves. That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.

But those who do wrong and then repent and believe, your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

2:54And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves. That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.

7:153But those who do ill-deeds and afterward repent and believe - lo! for them, afterward, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Yet Allah forgave them and granted Moses undeniable authority.

2:52Then, even after that, We pardoned you in order that ye might give thanks.

4:153The people of the Scripture ask of thee that thou shouldst cause an (actual) Book to descend upon them from heaven. They asked a greater thing of Moses aforetime, for they said: Show us Allah plainly. The storm of lightning seized them for their wickedness. Then (even) after that) they chose the calf (for worship) after clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) had come unto them. And We forgave them that! And We bestowed on Moses evident authority.

Yet We revived you after your death, so that you might be grateful.

2:56Then We revived you after your extinction, that ye might give thanks.

When Moses’ anger subsided, he picked up the tablets, which contained guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.

7:154Then, when the anger of Moses abated, he took up the tablets, and in their inscription there was guidance and mercy for all those who fear their Lord.