Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 150

(Ayah 150) ➊ {وَ لَمَّا رَجَعَ مُوْسٰۤى اِلٰى قَوْمِهٖ غَضْبَانَ اَسِفًا: ’’ غَضْبَانَ ‘‘ ’’فَعْلَانَ‘‘ } on the pattern indicates being filled with something, i.e., filled with anger. {’’ اَسِفًا ‘‘ } is an adjective form, and in language it means one who is angry, even more than wrathful, as Allah Almighty said: «{ فَلَمَّاۤ اٰسَفُوْنَا انْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ }» [ الزخرف : ۵۵ ] "Then when they provoked Our anger, We took retribution from them." And it also means regret and sorrow. Some scholars have said that intense anger and regret are two states of the same thing: one gets angry at a weak person, and feels regret before a powerful one. Living among the Children of Israel, Musa (peace be upon him) had dominance over them and was also helpless over their ignorance. That is, Musa (peace be upon him) returned filled with anger and regret, because Allah Almighty had already informed him on the Mount that Samiri had led his people astray after him. See Surah Ta-Ha (85).
➋ {بِئْسَمَا خَلَفْتُمُوْنِيْ۠ مِنْۢ بَعْدِيْ:} That is, when I was leaving, I told you that until I return, Harun will be my successor; obey him and do not follow the corrupters, but when I did not return for the appointed period (30) days, you thought I had died, so you started worshipping the calf, thus you proved to be very bad successors after me, or you did a very bad deed. (Al-Manar)
➌ {وَ اَلْقَى الْاَلْوَاحَ وَ اَخَذَ بِرَاْسِ اَخِيْهِ … : } The intense anger of Musa (peace be upon him) manifested in two actions: one, throwing down the tablets, and two, grabbing Harun (peace be upon him) by the head and pulling him towards himself. From this, it is understood that there is a big difference between seeing and hearing. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What is heard is not like what is seen with the eyes. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, informed Musa (peace be upon him) of what his people had done regarding the calf, but he did not throw the tablets. When he saw with his own eyes what they had done, he threw the tablets and they broke." [ أحمد : 271/1، ح : ۲۴۵۱۔ مستدرک حاکم : 321/2، ح : ۳۲۵۰، عن ابن عباس رضی اللہ عنھما وصححہ الألبانی ]
➍ {قَالَ ابْنَ اُمَّ:} Musa (peace be upon him) was indeed the real brother of Harun (peace be upon him), but to gain his compassion, he said, "O son of my mother." {’’ ابْنَ اُمَّ ‘‘} was originally {’’يَا ابْنَ أُمِّيْ‘‘}, the vocative particle ya was omitted and the ya of {’’أُمِّيْ‘‘} was changed to alif, so it became {’’ابْنَ اُمَّا‘‘}, then for further lightening, the alif was also omitted, so it became {’’ ابْنَ اُمَّ ‘‘}.
➎ {اِنَّ الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُوْنِيْ …:} That is, I tried my utmost to stop them from worshipping the calf. (See Ta-Ha: 90) But these people attacked me and it was near that they would have killed me.
➏ {فَلَا تُشْمِتْ بِيَ الْاَعْدَآءَ …: ’’شَمَاتَةٌ ‘‘} means the enemy being happy over some harm. Obviously, at this display of anger by Musa (peace be upon him), the enemies must have been pleased; by enemies are meant those who made the calf and supported its worship. Therefore, Harun (peace be upon him) said, "Do not make the enemies happy by seizing me in this way." «{ وَ لَا تَجْعَلْنِيْ مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظّٰلِمِيْنَ }» And do not decide that I too am a partner with them in making or worshipping the calf. This is a clear refutation of the accusation in the Torah mentioned earlier (Ayah 148) that this calf was made by Harun (peace be upon him). Harun (peace be upon him) was also greatly distressed that the enemies would be pleased by the disagreement between brothers. That is why the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) always sought refuge with Allah from {’’شَمَاتَةُ الْاَعْدَاءِ‘‘}, that is, always sought refuge from the happiness of enemies at any calamity. The complete supplication is as follows: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ جَهْدِ الْبَلَاءِ وَ دَرَكِ الشَّقَاءِ وَسُوْءِ الْقَضَاءِ وَشَمَاتَةِ الْأَعْدَاءِ ] [ بخاری، الدعوات، باب التعوذ من جہد البلاء : ۶۳۴۷ ]

150. 1 When Musa (Moses) ؑ came and saw that they were engaged in the worship of the calf, he became extremely angry, and in haste, the tablets which he had brought from Mount Tur, he placed them in such a manner that it appeared to the onlookers as if he had thrown them down, which the Quran has described as "cast down." However, even if he did throw them, there is no disrespect in this, because his intention was not to disrespect the tablets, but rather, in religious zeal and importance, he became so overwhelmed that this act occurred from him involuntarily.

150. 2 Harun (Aaron) ؑ and Musa (Moses) ؑ were real brothers, but here Harun ؑ said "son of my mother" because in this phrase there is more affection and gentleness.

150. 3 Harun (Aaron) ؑ presented his excuse, due to which he was unable to prevent the people from the grave crime of shirk (associating partners with Allah). One reason was his own weakness, and the other was the stubbornness and rebellion of Bani Israel, to the extent that they were ready to kill him, and he had to remain silent to save his life, for which Allah has given permission in such situations.

150. 4 By only reproaching me, the enemies will be pleased, whereas this is the time to suppress the enemies and to save our people from them.

150. 5 And besides, how can I be counted among them in belief and action? I neither committed shirk, nor permitted it, nor was pleased with it; I only remained silent, and for that I have a valid excuse. Then how can I be counted among the wrongdoers (polytheists)? Thus, Musa (Moses) ؑ prayed for forgiveness and mercy for his brother Harun (Aaron) ؑ.

150. And when Musa (Moses) ؑ returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said, "You have done evil in my absence. Did you hasten the matter before your Lord's command?" Then he threw down the tablets and seized his brother by the head, pulling him towards himself. Harun (Aaron) said, "O son of my mother! The people considered me weak and were about to kill me. So do not let the enemies rejoice over me, and do not place me with the wrongdoing people."

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The Reproach of Sayyiduna Musa (علیہ السلام) Upon Harun (علیہ السلام) and His Response:

Musa (علیہ السلام) had already been informed by revelation while on Mount Tur that Samiri had made a calf and that many people of the nation had fallen into calf-worship. Therefore, when he returned to his people, anger and grief were already present in his temperament. Upon arrival, he said to the people, "What mischief have you committed after me?" Your life immediately of disbelief and polytheism returned among you. Then, in a state of anger and religious zeal, he threw down the tablets and, pulling the beard and head hair of Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام), said, "How did you tolerate all this as my deputy?" In response, Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام) replied in a very loving tone and apologetic manner: "My brother, son of my mother! Just listen to me. I did not fall short in trying to make them understand, but these people were so rebellious that they did not understand anything I said. Rather, they even started threatening to kill me. Therefore, do not give these wretches a chance to laugh at me and clap their hands, and never think that the injustice and polytheism they committed was done at my instigation." Here, it is worth mentioning that in the Bible, some prophets have been accused of various severe sins, among whom is Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام), who is not only considered a participant in the crime of this polytheism of Bani Israel but also its instigator and helper. In this regard, consider the following passage from the Bible: "When Musa delayed in coming down from the mountain, the Israelites became impatient and said to Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام), 'Make us a god,' and Harun (علیہ السلام) made a golden calf for them according to their request. As soon as the Israelites saw it, they exclaimed, 'O Israel! This is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.' Then Harun (علیہ السلام) built an altar for it and, after announcing, gathered all the Israelites the next day and offered sacrifices before it." [خروج باب 32 آيت 1 تا 6]

The Accusation of Calf-Worship Against Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام) in the Bible:

The Noble Quran has completely exonerated Sayyiduna Harun (علیہ السلام) from this accusation of the Jews and clarified that the maker of the calf was not Harun (علیہ السلام) but Samiri. And for this reason, Allah Almighty has declared the Quran as a guardian over all previous heavenly books, meaning that whatever in those books contradicts the Quran cannot be considered revealed; it is certainly the inventions of others.