Surah Al-A'raf — 7:150
Sign in to save
وَلَمَّا رَجَعَ مُوسَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦ غَضۡبَٰنَ أَسِفٗا قَالَ بِئۡسَمَا خَلَفۡتُمُونِي مِنۢ بَعۡدِيٓۖ أَعَجِلۡتُمۡ أَمۡرَ رَبِّكُمۡۖ وَأَلۡقَى ٱلۡأَلۡوَاحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأۡسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُۥٓ إِلَيۡهِۚ قَالَ ٱبۡنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱسۡتَضۡعَفُونِي وَكَادُواْ يَقۡتُلُونَنِي فَلَا تُشۡمِتۡ بِيَ ٱلۡأَعۡدَآءَ وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡنِي مَعَ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Upon Moses’ return to his people, ˹totally˺ furious and sorrowful, he said, “What an evil thing you committed in my absence! Did you want to hasten your Lord’s torment?” Then he threw down the Tablets and grabbed his brother by the hair, dragging him closer. Aaron pleaded, “O son of my mother! The people overpowered me and were about to kill me. So do not ˹humiliate me and˺ make my enemies rejoice, nor count me among the wrongdoing people.”
Commentary
Moses returned to his people from his meeting with His Lord full of anger and sadness upon finding them worshipping the calf. He said: 'What an evil condition you have fallen into after me O people, which leads only to ruin and misery! Were you tired of waiting for the appointed time of your Lord assigned for me – the forty nights – so you started to worship the calf!' Moses threw the Tablets down because of his extreme anger and sadness, and took his brother Aaron by the head and beard and dragged him, because he had been with them and had not been able to stop them from worshipping the calf. Aaron said to his brother Moses: 'O son of my mother, indeed the people considered me to be weak, not respecting me, and they had almost killed me; so do not punish me in a way that would make my enemies rejoice, and do not to include me out of your anger among the people who had done wrong by worshipping other than Allah.'