In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
(Moses) said: “Aaron, what has prevented you, when you saw that they had gone astray, from following me? Why have you disobeyed me?”
“Son of my mother,” he replied, “do not seize me by my beard, or by my head! I was afraid that you might say, ‘You have caused a split among the Israelites and did not wait for my orders’.”
Said (Moses): “Samiri, what had come over you?”
He answered: “I have gained insight into something which they were unable to see. I took a handful of dust from the trail of the messenger and flung it away; for thus has my mind prompted me to act.”
Said (Moses): “Begone, then! It shall be your lot to say throughout your life, ‘Do not touch me.’ But you shall be faced with a destiny from which you shall have no escape. Now look at this deity of yours to whose worship you have become so devoted: we shall most certainly burn it, and then scatter it far and wide over the sea.”
Your only deity is God, other than whom there is no deity. His knowledge encompasses all things.
(Ta Ha: 20: 92-98)
We discussed last week how Moses, having been informed by God that his people went astray at the behest of the Samiri, returned to them feeling anger and sadness. He remonstrated with them, reminding them of God’s goodly promise, but they started to give some silly excuses. Moses also scolded his brother, who was his deputy, for letting them continue with their calf worship. But Aaron, a prophet like his brother Moses, did not just let that take place. The Surah has already explained his attitude. Now he explains to his brother what he did, trying to calm his fury and awaken his compassion. He reminds him of their close relationship: “Son of my mother,” he replied, “do not seize me by my beard, or by my head! I was afraid that you might say, ‘You have caused a split among the Israelites and did not wait for my orders’.”
Here we find Aaron to be far more in control of his emotions. He touches on a tender point in Moses’ feelings, reminding him of their being brothers. He also explains to him that he simply wished to do what his brother had bid him. He feared that should he adopt strong measures the Children of Israel might split into groups, some with the calf worship, and others following Aaron’s advice. Since his brother wanted him to take care of them all, keeping them together, he felt that his attitude was simply one of following the orders he was given.
Now Moses addresses himself, with all his anger to the Samiri, the perpetrator of the whole trouble. He did not speak to him first because the people themselves should have known better than to follow anyone who comes to them with an outrageous idea. Aaron, as their trusted leader, is also responsible for making sure that they do not slip, should they be faced with temptation. The Samiri takes less importance, since he did not use brute force to compel them to follow his lead, nor did he cast a screen over their faculties of thinking. He simply presented a temptation and they fell for it. They could very easily have remained true to the guidance of their first Prophet, Moses, and benefited by the counsel of their second Prophet, Aaron. Hence, responsibility lies with them in the first place, then with their leader, and finally with the perpetrator of the trouble.
“Said (Moses): Samiri, what had come over you?” How come that all this has happened through you? The way the question is phrased is indicative of the seriousness of the whole affair. He answered: “I have gained insight into something which they were unable to see. I took a handful of dust from the trail of the messenger and flung it away; for thus has my mind prompted me to act.”
Numerous are the reports that try to explain the Samiri’s answer: what did he see? Who was the messenger of whose trail he took a handful? What did this have to do with the calf he made and how did throwing this handful affect the calf he made? It is frequently mentioned in these reports that he saw Gabriel the Angel in his form which he takes when he descends to Earth. So he took a handful of dust from underneath his foot or his horse’s hoof and threw that dust on the golden calf to produce the lowing sound, or that it was the cause of making the jewelry into a lowing calf.
The Qur’an does not tell us here what really happened; it simply quotes what the Samiri said. We are inclined to consider this an excuse the Samiri concocted in order to evade responsibility for what had happened.
We feel that it was he who made the calf out of the jewelry the Israelites threw away, having taken it unlawfully from the Egyptian women. As he made it, he deliberately ensured that as wind went through its hollow inside it produced such noise. When questioned about it, he sought to have an excuse based on his being able to see Gabriel and his taking a handful of his trail.
Be that as it may, Moses punished him by expelling him for life from the Israelite community, leaving his destiny in the Hereafter to God Almighty. He further took a strong and effective measure concerning the deity he made with his own hands, aiming to show his people that it was an inanimate object, unable to protect his maker or to save itself: “Said (Moses): Begone, then! It shall be your lot to say throughout your life, ‘Do not touch me.’ But you shall be faced with a destiny from which you shall have no escape. Now look at this deity of yours to whose worship you have become so devoted: we shall most certainly burn it, and then scatter it far and wide over the sea.”
Thus the Samiri was ostracized: no one would come near him to harm or benefit him. He was not allowed to touch anyone either. This was one of the penalties prescribed in Moses’ faith: expelling the offender and ostracizing him to the extent that no one comes near him at all. The other aspect is that of God’s punishment at His own time.
Still angry and furious, Moses orders the calf to be burned, cast away and its ashes thrown in the sea. Such strong action seems to be one of the characteristics of Moses. In this instance, however, his anger is in defense of God’s faith. In such a situation, strong action is commendable.
With the scene of the false deity being burned and blown away, Moses declares the basic principle of the true faith: “Your only deity is God, other than whom there is no deity. His knowledge encompasses all things.”
With this declaration we come to the end of the story of Moses as related in this Surah. The overriding tone here is that of the grace God bestows on His servants, His care and forgiveness, even when they err. The Surah does not add any other episode of his history with his people, because the subsequent events tell of the punishment God metes out to them for their sins and corruption. The overall atmosphere of this Surah is one of mercy, compassion and grace. The later episodes do not fit with that atmosphere.
Next week, we will begin commentary on the final passage of the Surah, God willing.
