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Al-Baqarah - 2:51 & 2:52
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The Children of Israel worshipped the Calf
Allah then said,
وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
And (remember) when We appointed for Musa (Moses) forty nights, and (in his absence) you took the calf (for worship), and you were Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers).
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُمِ مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Then after that We forgave you so that you might be grateful.
Allah said, "Remember My favor on you when I forgave you for worshipping the calf."
This happened after Musa went to the meeting place with his Lord at the end of that period which was forty days. These forty days were mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf, when Allah said,
وَوَعَدْنَا مُوسَى ثَلَـثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَاهَا بِعَشْرٍ
And We appointed for Musa thirty nights and added (to the period) ten (more). (7:142)
It was said that these days were during the month of Dhul-Qa'dah plus the first ten days in Dhul-Hijjah, after the Children of Israel were delivered from Fir`awn and they safely crossed the sea.
Al-Baqarah - 2:53
Allah's statement
وَإِذْ اتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ
And (remember) when We gave Musa the Scripture, means, the Tawrah.
وَالْفُرْقَانَ
And the criterion, that is that which differentiates between truth and falsehood, guidance and deviation.
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
So that you may be guided aright.
After escaping the sea, as another Ayah in Surah Al-A'raf clearly stated,
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَـبَ مِن بَعْدِ مَأ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ الاٍّولَى بَصَأيِرَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
And indeed We gave Musa after We had destroyed the generations of old the Scripture (the Tawrah) as an enlightenment for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy, that they might remember (or receive admonition). (28:43)
Al-Baqarah - 2:54
The Children of Israel kill each other in Repentance
Allah tells;
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى بَارِيِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِيِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
And (remember) when Musa said to his people:"O my people! Verily, you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf. So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (the innocent kill the wrongdoers among you), that will be better for you with your Creator." Then He accepted your repentance. Truly, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.
This was the repentance required from the Children of Israel for worshipping the calf.
Commenting on Allah's statement;
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ
(And (remember) when Musa said to his people:"O my people! Verily, you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf...), Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "When their hearts thought of worshipping the calf,
وَلَمَّا سُقِطَ فَى أَيْدِيهِمْ وَرَأَوْاْ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ قَالُواْ لَيِن لَّمْ يَرْحَمْنَا رَبُّنَا وَيَغْفِرْ لَنَا
And when they regretted and saw that they had gone astray, they (repented and) said:"If our Lord does not have mercy upon us and forgive us," (7:149),
This is when Musa said to them,
يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ
(O my people! Verily, you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf...)."
Abu Al-Aliyah, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas commented on,
فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى بَارِيِكُمْ
(So turn in repentance to your Bari) that it means, "To your Creator."
Allah's statement,
إِلَى بَارِيِكُمْ
to your Bari (Creator), alerts the Children of Israel to the enormity of their error and means, "Repent to He Who created you after you associated others with Him in worship."
An-Nasa'i, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded Ibn Abbas saying, "Allah told the Children of Israel that their repentance would be to slay by the sword every person they meet, be he father or son. They should not care whom they kill. Those were guilty whom Musa and Harun were not aware of their guilt, they admitted their sin and did as they were ordered. So Allah forgave both the killer and the one killed."
This is part of the Hadith about the trials that we will mention in Surah Ta Ha, Allah willing.
Ibn Jarir narrated that Ibn Abbas said,
"Musa said to his people,
فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى بَارِيِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِيِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
"So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill each other (the innocent kill the wrongdoers among you), that will be better for you with your Creator."
Then He accepted your repentance. Truly, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.
Allah ordered Musa to command his people to kill each other. He ordered those who worshipped the calf to sit down and those who did not worship the calf to stand holding knives in their hands. When they started killing them, a great darkness suddenly overcame them. After the darkness lifted, they had killed seventy thousand of them. Those who were killed among them were forgiven, and those who remained alive were also forgiven.
Al-Baqarah - 2:55
The Best among the Children of Israel ask to see Allah; their subsequent Death and Resurrection
Allah tells;
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نُّوْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً
فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
And (remember) when you said:"O Musa! We shall never believe in you until we see Allah plainly." But you were seized with a bolt of lightning while you were looking.
Ibn Jurayj commented that Allah said, 'Remember My favor on you for resurrecting you after you were seized with lightning when you asked to see Me directly, which neither you nor anyone else can bear or attain.'
Ibn Abbas said that the Ayah,
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نُّوْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً
(And (remember) when you said:"O Musa ! We shall never believe in you until we see Allah plainly") means, "Publicly", "So that we gaze at Allah."
Also, Urwah bin Ruwaym said that Allah's statement,
وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
(While you were looking) means, "Some of them were struck with lightning while others were watching."
Allah resurrected those, and struck the others with lightning.
As-Suddi commented on,
فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ
(But you were seized with a bolt of lightning) saying; "They died, and Musa stood up crying and supplicating to Allah, 'O Lord! What should I say to the Children of Israel when I go back to them after You destroyed the best of them,
لَوْ شِيْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُم مِّن قَبْلُ وَإِيَّـىَ أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ السُّفَهَأءُ مِنَّأ
If it had been Your will, You could have destroyed them and me before; would You destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us.' 7:155)
Allah revealed to Musa that these seventy men were among those who worshipped the calf. Afterwards, Allah brought them back to life one man at a time, while the rest of them were watching how Allah was bringing them back to life.
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