Surah 2. Al-Baqarah, Ayat 51-51

Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 51-51

وَاِذۡ وٰعَدۡنَا مُوۡسٰٓى اَرۡبَعِيۡنَ لَيۡلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذۡتُمُ الۡعِجۡلَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ ظٰلِمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:51﴾

(2:51) And recall when We summoned Moses for a term of forty nights,⁶⁷ and then you set up the calf as your god in his absence.⁶⁸ You indeed committed a grave wrong.

Notes

67. When the Israelites reached the Sinai peninsula after their exodus from Egypt, God summoned Moses to the mountain for forty days and nights so that the nation which had now achieved independence could be taught law and morality. (See Exodus 24-3l.)

68. The cult of cow-worship was widespread among Israel's neighbours. It was particularly common in Egypt and Canaan. After the time of Joseph, when the Israelites fell prey to degeneracy and became the slaves of the Copts, they were contaminated by many of the corrupt practices prevalent among their rulers. Cow-worship was one of them. (There is a detailed account of the episode of calf-worship in Exodus 32.)