Surah 7 Al-A'raaf — Ayah 148
وَٱتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلًۭا جَسَدًۭا لَّهُۥ خُوَارٌ ۚ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّهُۥ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلًا ۘ ٱتَّخَذُوهُ وَكَانُوا۟ ظَٰلِمِينَ
En het volk van Mozes nam, na zijn vertrek, een lichamelijk kalf, dat loeide, van hunne versierselen vervaardigd. Zagen zij niet, dat ik niet tot hen sprak, noch hen op den weg geleidde? Maar zij beschouwden het als hunnen god en handelden slecht.
wa-ittakhadha qawmu mūsā min baʿdihi min ḥuliyyihim ʿij'lan jasadan lahu khuwārun alam yaraw annahu lā yukallimuhum walā yahdīhim sabīlan ittakhadhūhu wakānū ẓālimīna
Word by word
- وَٱتَّخَذَ wa-ittakhadha And took
- قَوْمُ qawmu (the) people
- مُوسَىٰ mūsā (of) Musa
- مِنۢ min from
- بَعْدِهِۦ baʿdihi after him
- مِنْ min from
- حُلِيِّهِمْ ḥuliyyihim their ornaments
- عِجْلًۭا ʿij'lan a calf
- جَسَدًۭا jasadan an image
- لَّهُۥ lahu [for] it
- خُوَارٌ ۚ khuwārun (had) a lowing sound
- أَلَمْ alam Did not
- يَرَوْا۟ yaraw they see
- أَنَّهُۥ annahu that it
- لَا lā (could) not
- يُكَلِّمُهُمْ yukallimuhum speak to them
- وَلَا walā and not
- يَهْدِيهِمْ yahdīhim guide them
- سَبِيلًا ۘ sabīlan (to) a way
- ٱتَّخَذُوهُ ittakhadhūhu They took it (for worship)
- وَكَانُوا۟ wakānū and they were
- ظَـٰلِمِينَ ẓālimīna wrongdoers
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Story of worshipping the Calf
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,
((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,
(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,
(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,
(And when they regretted), and felt sorrow for their action,
(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.