سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 54
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُم بِٱتِّخَاذِكُمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ بَارِئِكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿54﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when Mûsâ (Moses) 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.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَ
qāla
said
مُوسَىٰ
mūsā
Musa
لِقَوْمِهِۦ
liqawmihi
to his people
يَـٰقَوْمِ
yāqawmi
O my people
إِنَّكُمْ
innakum
Indeed, you
ظَلَمْتُمْ
ẓalamtum
[you] have wronged
أَنفُسَكُم
anfusakum
yourselves
بِٱتِّخَاذِكُمُ
bi-ittikhādhikumu
by your taking
ٱلْعِجْلَ
l-ʿij'la
the calf
فَتُوبُوٓا۟
fatūbū
So turn in repentance
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
بَارِئِكُمْ
bāri-ikum
your Creator
فَٱقْتُلُوٓا۟
fa-uq'tulū
and kill
أَنفُسَكُمْ
anfusakum
yourselves
ذَٰلِكُمْ
dhālikum
That
خَيْرٌۭ
khayrun
(is) better
لَّكُمْ
lakum
for you
عِندَ
ʿinda
with
بَارِئِكُمْ
bāri-ikum
your Creator
فَتَابَ
fatāba
Then He turned
عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ
ʿalaykum
towards you
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed He
هُوَ
huwa
He
ٱلتَّوَّابُ
l-tawābu
(is) the-returning
ٱلرَّحِيمُ
l-raḥīmu
the Most Merciful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
54. And when Moses said to his people, "O my people! You have indeed wronged yourselves by taking the calf [70] as an object of worship. So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill your own selves [70.a]. That is better for you in the sight of your Lord." Then He accepted your repentance. Surely, He is the Most-Relenting, Most Merciful.
[70]
The Calf-Worship of the Children of Israel:
After the drowning of Pharaoh, when the Children of Israel reached the Sinai Peninsula, Allah Almighty summoned Musa (Moses) ؑ to Mount Tur for forty nights so that practical guidance and commandments could be given to this newly freed nation (the Children of Israel). After Musa ؑ departed, this nation began to worship the calf. Calf-worship was a common practice in Egypt. After the time of Yusuf (Joseph) ؑ, the Children of Israel fell into decline and gradually became slaves of the Copts (Pharaoh's people). They considered it safer to adopt their way of life, and among other vile diseases, they also adopted calf-worship. Even after being saved from Pharaoh, the germs of calf-worship had not yet been eradicated from them. [70۔ الف]
The Massacre of the Calf-Worshippers:
When Musa ؑ returned from Mount Tur with the Torah, he learned of the calf-worship of the Children of Israel and was deeply grieved by this. He told the people that now the punishment for this injustice is that all those who worshipped the calf should be killed one by one. At that time, the Children of Israel were divided into three groups. One group was those who had worshipped the calf. The second group was those who forbade them from calf-worship. The third group remained neutral; they neither worshipped the calf themselves nor forbade those who did. The command was given that those who forbade should kill the calf-worshippers, and those who remained neutral were to be forgiven.
[70]
The Calf-Worship of the Children of Israel:
After the drowning of Pharaoh, when the Children of Israel reached the Sinai Peninsula, Allah Almighty summoned Musa (Moses) ؑ to Mount Tur for forty nights so that practical guidance and commandments could be given to this newly freed nation (the Children of Israel). After Musa ؑ departed, this nation began to worship the calf. Calf-worship was a common practice in Egypt. After the time of Yusuf (Joseph) ؑ, the Children of Israel fell into decline and gradually became slaves of the Copts (Pharaoh's people). They considered it safer to adopt their way of life, and among other vile diseases, they also adopted calf-worship. Even after being saved from Pharaoh, the germs of calf-worship had not yet been eradicated from them. [70۔ الف]
The Massacre of the Calf-Worshippers:
When Musa ؑ returned from Mount Tur with the Torah, he learned of the calf-worship of the Children of Israel and was deeply grieved by this. He told the people that now the punishment for this injustice is that all those who worshipped the calf should be killed one by one. At that time, the Children of Israel were divided into three groups. One group was those who had worshipped the calf. The second group was those who forbade them from calf-worship. The third group remained neutral; they neither worshipped the calf themselves nor forbade those who did. The command was given that those who forbade should kill the calf-worshippers, and those who remained neutral were to be forgiven.
