Then, when he recovered he said: Glory be to Thee: I turn to...

Then, when he recovered he said: Glory be to Thee: I turn to Thee and I am the first of believers. He said: O Musa! Surely I have chosen thee above the people with My messages and with My words; therefore, take hold of what I give to thee and be of the grateful ones. And We ordained for him in the tablets admonition of every kind and clear explanation of all things.

Take hold of them with firmness and enjoin the people to take hold of what is best thereof." (7:142-145)7 Chapter 13: Israelites Worship the Calf "And Musa people made of their ornaments a calf after him, a mere body which had a hollow sound. What! Could they not see that it did not speak to them nor guide them in the way? They took it for worship and they were unjust.

And when they repented and saw that they had gone astray they said; If our Lord show not mercy to us, we shall certainly be of the losers. And when Musa returned to his people wrathful and in violent grief, he said; Evil is it that you have done after me. Did you turn away from the bidding of your Lord. And he threw down the tablets8 and seized his brother by the head dragging him towards him.

He said: Son of my mother, surely the people reckoned me weak and had well nigh slain me, therefore make not the enemies rejoice over me and count me not among the unjust people.9 He said: My Lord!

Forgive me and my brother and cause us to enter into Thy mercy, for Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful ones." (7:148-151) This incident of the worship of the calf is described in another context by the Qur'an thus: "He said: We have tried thy people after thee and the Samiri10 has led them astray. So, Musa returned to his people wrathful and sorrowing. Said he: O my people!

Did not your Lord promise you a goodly promise; did then the time seem long to you of my absence or desired ye that wrath from your Lord should light upon you that ye failed in your promise to me? They said: We did not break our promise to thee of Our Own accord but we were made to bear the burden of the ornaments of the people, then we cast them away. Thus did Samiri suggest to us.

So he brought forth for them a calf, a mere body which had a hollow sound and they said: This is your God and the God of Musa whom he hath forgotten. What! Could they not see that it did not return to them a reply and that it did not control any harm or benefit for them. And Harun certainly had said to them before: O my people!