سُوْرَةُ طٰهٰ
Surah Taa-Haa (20) — Ayah 90
وَلَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُمْ هَـٰرُونُ مِن قَبْلُ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِۦ ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى وَأَطِيعُوٓا۟ أَمْرِى ﴿90﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And Hârûn (Aaron) indeed had said to them beforehand: "O my people! You are being tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allâh) the Most Gracious, so follow me and obey my order."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And verily
قَالَ
qāla
(had) said
لَهُمْ
lahum
to them
هَـٰرُونُ
hārūnu
Harun
مِن
min
before
قَبْلُ
qablu
before
يَـٰقَوْمِ
yāqawmi
O my people
إِنَّمَا
innamā
Only
فُتِنتُم
futintum
you are being tested
بِهِۦ ۖ
bihi
by it
وَإِنَّ
wa-inna
and indeed
رَبَّكُمُ
rabbakumu
your Lord
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ
l-raḥmānu
(is) the Most Gracious
فَٱتَّبِعُونِى
fa-ittabiʿūnī
so follow me
وَأَطِيعُوٓا۟
wa-aṭīʿū
and obey
أَمْرِى
amrī
my order
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 90) ➊ { وَ لَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُمْ هٰرُوْنُ …:} Before the coming of Musa (peace be upon him), Harun (peace be upon him) had advised in a very good manner. Allah Almighty began the mention of Harun’s (peace be upon him) address with {’’ وَ لَقَدْ ‘‘} (Indeed, certainly), in which is a refutation of the Bible, which claims that the calf was made by Harun (peace be upon him). It is stated that, indeed, Harun (peace be upon him) had forbidden his people from worshipping it. Observe the beauty of Harun’s (peace be upon him) address, that first he mentioned their mutual relationship by saying {’’ يٰقَوْمِ ‘‘} (O my people!), meaning, listen to the words of one who is one of you, who is a member of your own people and has kinship with all of you, just as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his people: «{ لَاۤ اَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ اَجْرًا اِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبٰى }» [الشوریٰ : ۲۳ ] “I do not ask you for any reward for this, except love due to kinship.” Then, after negating the false deity, he emphasized accepting only the true deity, “the Most Merciful,” as their Lord, who is merciful to mankind in every situation, just as in “La ilaha illallah” first there is the negation of every deity and finally the affirmation of Allah Almighty as the true deity. In the end, due to his prophethood and his deputyship from Musa (peace be upon him), he advised them to follow him and obey his command. This is the best order of advice.
➋ Here, one point is worth mentioning: the Shia present a hadith with great emphasis as evidence for Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) being the successor instead of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) after the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): [ أَنْتَ مِنِّيْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُوْنَ مِنْ مُّوْسٰی إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِيْ ] [ مسلم، فضائل الصحابۃ، باب من فضائل علي بن أبي طالب رضی اللہ عنہ : 2404/31، عن سعد بن أبي وقاص رضی اللہ عنہ ] “You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me.” These people should observe that in the presence of such a large gathering of opponents, who were even ready to kill Harun (peace be upon him), Harun (peace be upon him) did not practice taqiyyah, but rather, in clear words, stated the truth before everyone and invited the people to follow and obey him, and forbade them from following and obeying others. So, if the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had erred in appointing Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) as the successor, then it would have been obligatory upon Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to do exactly what Harun (peace be upon him) did, and without any taqiyyah or fear, announce his succession and clearly say {’’ فَاتَّبِعُوْنِيْ وَ اَطِيْعُوْا اَمْرِيْ ‘‘}. So, when he did not do so, it is evident that the decision of the Ummah was correct. (Razi)
➋ Here, one point is worth mentioning: the Shia present a hadith with great emphasis as evidence for Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) being the successor instead of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) after the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): [ أَنْتَ مِنِّيْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُوْنَ مِنْ مُّوْسٰی إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِيْ ] [ مسلم، فضائل الصحابۃ، باب من فضائل علي بن أبي طالب رضی اللہ عنہ : 2404/31، عن سعد بن أبي وقاص رضی اللہ عنہ ] “You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me.” These people should observe that in the presence of such a large gathering of opponents, who were even ready to kill Harun (peace be upon him), Harun (peace be upon him) did not practice taqiyyah, but rather, in clear words, stated the truth before everyone and invited the people to follow and obey him, and forbade them from following and obeying others. So, if the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had erred in appointing Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) as the successor, then it would have been obligatory upon Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to do exactly what Harun (peace be upon him) did, and without any taqiyyah or fear, announce his succession and clearly say {’’ فَاتَّبِعُوْنِيْ وَ اَطِيْعُوْا اَمْرِيْ ‘‘}. So, when he did not do so, it is evident that the decision of the Ummah was correct. (Razi)
