Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 7 Al-A'raf, Ayat 138-147

وَجَاوَزۡنَا بِبَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَاۤءِيۡلَ الۡبَحۡرَ فَاَ تَوۡا عَلٰى قَوۡمٍ يَّعۡكُفُوۡنَ عَلٰٓى اَصۡنَامٍ لَّهُمۡ​ ۚ قَالُوۡا يٰمُوۡسَى اجۡعَلْ لَّـنَاۤ اِلٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمۡ اٰلِهَةٌ​  ؕ قَالَ اِنَّكُمۡ قَوۡمٌ تَجۡهَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:138﴾ اِنَّ هٰٓؤُلَۤاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمۡ فِيۡهِ وَبٰطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏  ﴿7:139﴾ قَالَ اَغَيۡرَ اللّٰهِ اَبۡغِيۡكُمۡ اِلٰهًا وَّهُوَ فَضَّلَـكُمۡ عَلَى الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ‏  ﴿7:140﴾ وَاِذۡ اَنۡجَيۡنٰكُمۡ مِّنۡ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ يَسُوۡمُوۡنَـكُمۡ سُوۡٓءَ الۡعَذَابِ​ ۚ يُقَتِّلُوۡنَ اَبۡنَآءَكُمۡ وَ يَسۡتَحۡيُوۡنَ نِسَآءَكُمۡ​ ؕ وَفِىۡ ذٰ لِكُمۡ بَلَاۤ ءٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ عَظِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿7:141﴾ وَوٰعَدۡنَا مُوۡسٰى ثَلٰثِيۡنَ لَيۡلَةً وَّاَتۡمَمۡنٰهَا بِعَشۡرٍ فَتَمَّ مِيۡقَاتُ رَبِّهٖۤ اَرۡبَعِيۡنَ لَيۡلَةً ​ ۚ وَقَالَ مُوۡسٰى لِاَخِيۡهِ هٰرُوۡنَ اخۡلُفۡنِىۡ فِىۡ قَوۡمِىۡ وَاَصۡلِحۡ وَلَا تَتَّبِعۡ سَبِيۡلَ الۡمُفۡسِدِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:142﴾ وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوۡسٰى لِمِيۡقَاتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهٗ رَبُّهٗ ۙ قَالَ رَبِّ اَرِنِىۡۤ اَنۡظُرۡ اِلَيۡكَ​ ؕ قَالَ لَنۡ تَرٰٮنِىۡ وَلٰـكِنِ انْظُرۡ اِلَى الۡجَـبَلِ فَاِنِ اسۡتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهٗ فَسَوۡفَ تَرٰٮنِىۡ​ ۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلّٰى رَبُّهٗ لِلۡجَبَلِ جَعَلَهٗ دَكًّا وَّخَرَّ مُوۡسٰى صَعِقًا​ ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ تُبۡتُ اِلَيۡكَ وَاَنَا اَوَّلُ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:143﴾ قَالَ يٰمُوۡسٰٓى اِنِّى اصۡطَفَيۡتُكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ بِرِسٰلٰتِىۡ وَ بِكَلَامِىۡ ​ۖ  فَخُذۡ مَاۤ اٰتَيۡتُكَ وَكُنۡ مِّنَ الشّٰكِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:144﴾ وَكَتَبۡنَا لَهٗ فِى الۡاَلۡوَاحِ مِنۡ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ مَّوۡعِظَةً وَّتَفۡصِيۡلًا لِّـكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ​ ۚ فَخُذۡهَا بِقُوَّةٍ وَّاۡمُرۡ قَوۡمَكَ يَاۡخُذُوۡا بِاَحۡسَنِهَا​ ؕ سَاُورِيۡكُمۡ دَارَ الۡفٰسِقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:145﴾ سَاَصۡرِفُ عَنۡ اٰيٰتِىَ الَّذِيۡنَ يَتَكَبَّرُوۡنَ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ بِغَيۡرِ الۡحَـقِّ ؕ وَاِنۡ يَّرَوۡا كُلَّ اٰيَةٍ لَّا يُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِهَا​ ۚ وَاِنۡ يَّرَوۡا سَبِيۡلَ الرُّشۡدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوۡهُ سَبِيۡلًا​ ۚ وَّاِنۡ يَّرَوۡا سَبِيۡلَ الۡغَىِّ يَتَّخِذُوۡهُ سَبِيۡلًا​ ؕ ذٰ لِكَ بِاَنَّهُمۡ كَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَكَانُوۡا عَنۡهَا غٰفِلِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:146﴾ وَالَّذِيۡنَ كَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَلِقَآءِ الۡاٰخِرَةِ حَبِطَتۡ اَعۡمَالُهُمۡ​ؕ هَلۡ يُجۡزَوۡنَ اِلَّا مَا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:147﴾

(7:138) And We led the Children of Israel across the sea; and then they came upon a people who were devoted to the worship of their idols. They said: '0 Moses, make for us a god even as they have gods.'98 Moses said: 'You are indeed an ignorant people.' (7:139) The way these people follow is bound to lead to destruction; and all their works are vain. (7:140) Moses said: 'Should I seek any god for you other than Allah although it is He who has exalted you above all?' (7:141) And call to mind when We delivered you from Pharaoh's people who perpetrated on you a terrible torment, putting your males to death and sparing your females. Surely in it there was an awesome trial for you from your Lord. (7:142) And We appointed for Moses thirty nights, to which We added ten, whereby the term of forty nights set by his Lord was fulfilled.99 And Moses said to Aaron, his brother: 'Take my place among my people, act righteously, and do not follow the path of those who create mischief.'100 (7:143) And when Moses came at Our appointment, and his Lord spoke to him, he said: 'O my Lord! Reveal Yourself to me, that I may look upon You!' He replied: 'Never can you see Me. However, behold this mount; if it remains firm in its place, only then you will be able to see Me.' And as soon as his Lord unveiled His glory to the mount, He crushed it into fine dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he recovered, he said: 'Glory be to You! To You I turn in repentance, and I am the foremost among those who believe.' (7:144) He said: 'O Moses! I have indeed preferred you to all others by virtue of the Message I have entrusted to you and by virtue of My speaking to you. Hold fast therefore, to whatever I have granted you, and give thanks.' (7:145) And We ordained for Moses in the Tablets all manner of admonition, and instruction concerning all things,101 and said to him: Hold to these, with all your strength. and bid your people to follow them in accord with their best understanding.102 I shall soon show you the habitation of the wicked. 103 (7:146) I shall turn away from My signs those who, without any right, behaved haughtily in the earth,104 even if they may, witness each and every, sign, they shall not believe therein. And even if they see the right path, they shall still not follow it; but if they see the path of error. they shall choose it for their path. This is because they rejected Our signs as false and were heedless to them. (7:147) Vain are the deeds of those who reject Our signs as false and to the meeting of the Hereafter. 105 Shall they be recompensed, except according to their deeds?'

Notes

98. The point at which the Israelites probably crossed the Red Sea lies somewhere between the present Suez and Ismailia. After that they headed towards the south of the Sinai peninsula along the coastal route. The western and northern regions of the Sinai peninsula were then included in the Egyptian empire. In the southern part of the peninsula, in the area lying between the present towns of Tur and Abu Zanimah, there were copper and turquoise mines. Since these were of immense value to the Egyptians, a number of garrisons had been set up to ensure their security'. One such garrison was located at a place known as Mafqah, which also housed a big temple. The ruins of this temple can still be found in the south-western part of the peninsula. In its vicinity there was an ancient temple, dedicated to the moon-god of the Semites. Passing by these places the people of Israel, who had been subservient to the Egyptians for a long time and were thus considerably Egyptianized in their outlook, felt the desire to indulge in idol-worship.

The extent to which the Israelites had become degenerated as a result of their slavery may be gauged by Joshua's last address to the Israelites delivered seventy years after their exodus from Epypt:

Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24: 14-15).

This shows that even though the Israelites had been taught and trained by Moses for forty Years and by Joshua for twenty-eight years, they had still been unable to purge their minds of those influences which had warped their outlook and mentality during their period of bondage under Pharaoh. These Muslims had begun to look upon idol-worship as natural. Even after their exodus, the sight of a temple would incline them to indulge in the idolatrous practices which they had observed among their former masters.

99. After the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt which marks, on the one hand, the end of the constraints of slavery and on the other, the beginning of their life as an independent nation, Moses was summoned by God to Mount Sinai in order that he might receive the Law for Israel. He was initially summoned for a period of forty days so that he might single-mindedly devote himself to worshipping, fasting, meditation and reflection and thus develop the ability to receive the revelation which was to put a very heavy burden upon him.

In compliance with God's command, Moses left the Israelites at the place now known as the Wadi al-Shaykh which lies between Nabi Salih and Mount Sinai. The place where the Israelites had camped is presently called

Maydan al-Rahah. At one end of the valley is a hillock where, according to local tradition, the Prophet Salih pitched his tent after his migration from the land of Thamud. A mosque built as a monument to the Prophet Salih still adorns the landscape. Mount Harun is located at the other end of the valley where, again, according to local tradition, the Prophet Harun (Aaron) stayed after his exasperation with the Israelites because of their cow-worship. The top of the towering Mount Sinai, standing 7,359 feet high, is mostly enveloped by clouds. The cave to which Moses retired for forty days to devote himself to worship and meditation is situated at the top of the mountain, and still attracts many pilgrims. Close to the cave are a mosque and a church. Moreover, a monastery built in the Justinian period stands even today at the foot of the mountain. (See Tafhim al-Qur'an, (al-Naml 27: nn. 9-10).

100. Although Aaron was senior to Moses in age by three years, he was placed under the direction of the Prophet Moses and was required to assist him in connection with his mission, As explained elsewhere in the Qur'an, Aaron was not assigned independent prophethood; he was rather appointed a Prophet by God in response to Moses' prayer that he be appointed as his assistant. See (Ta Ha 20: 29-31 - Ed.)

101. The Bible categorically mentions that the tablets were of stone. The act of writing on these tablets is attributed in both the Qur'an and the Bible, to God. Nonetheless, it is not possible to ascertain whether the actual act of writing was as performed by God exercising His power directly, or by God in the sense of His assignment of the task to some angel or to Moses (cf. Exodus 31: 18, 32: 15-16; and Deuteronomyi, 5: 6-22).

102 The Israelites were asked to hold fast to the Law to follow it in its plain meaning, a meaning which can he grasped by an ordinary man of sound heart and good intent with the help of his common sense. This stipulation was added in order to discourage the chicanery and hair-splitting to which lawyers resort in order to accommodate the crooked aims of the people. The warning was necessary to emphasize that holding fast to the Law was not to be equated with following the chicanery of the lawyers.

103. The Israelites were told that on their way they would come across the ruins of earlier nations who had refused to turn to God and who had persisted in their evil way's. Observing those ruins would he instructive insofar as they eloquently spoke of the tragic end that meets those who indulge in such iniquity .

104. It is God's law that evil-doers do not and cannot take any lesson from the otherwise instructive events which they observe. The arrogance mentioned here refers to man's delusion that he is on a higher plane than God's creatures and servants. It is this which prompts him to disregard God's command and to adopt an attitude which suggests that he neither considers himself God's servant, nor God his Lord. Such egotism has no basis in fact; it is sheer vanity. For as long as man live on God's earth, what can justify his living as a servant of anyone other than the Lord of the universe? It is for this reason that the Qur'an declares this arrogance to be 'without any right'.

105. That the acts of such persons are vain and fruitless is evident from the fact that the acceptance of man's acts by God is subject to two conditions. First, one's acts should conform to the Law laid down by God. Second, man should be prompted by the desire to achieve success in the Hereafter rather than merely in this world. If these conditions are not fulfilled, a person's acts will be of no consequence. He who performs an act in defiance of God's guidance, is guilty of rebellion and is undeserving of God's reward. He who acts only to obtain worldly success, is neither entitled to nor should expect any reward from God in the Hereafter. If someone uses another person's land contrary to his wish, what else can he expect from him than punishment? The same holds true for he who deliberately uses someone's land, knowing well that he is not entitled to any produce after the restoration of that land to its owner. There is no justification for him to expect any share of the produce of that land.