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Ayah
Word by Word
وَإِذۡ
And when
أَخَذۡنَا
We took
مِيثَٰقَكُمۡ
your covenant
وَرَفَعۡنَا
and We raised
فَوۡقَكُمُ
over you
ٱلطُّورَ
the mount
خُذُواْ
Hold
مَآ
what
ءَاتَيۡنَٰكُم
We gave you
بِقُوَّةٖ
with firmness
وَٱسۡمَعُواْۖ
and listen
قَالُواْ
They said
سَمِعۡنَا
We heard
وَعَصَيۡنَا
and we disobeyed
وَأُشۡرِبُواْ
And they were made to drink
فِي
in
قُلُوبِهِمُ
their hearts
ٱلۡعِجۡلَ
(love of) the calf
بِكُفۡرِهِمۡۚ
because of their disbelief
قُلۡ
Say
بِئۡسَمَا
Evil (is) that
يَأۡمُرُكُم
orders you (to do) it
بِهِۦٓ
with
إِيمَٰنُكُمۡ
your faith
إِن
if
كُنتُم
you are
مُّؤۡمِنِينَ
believers
وَإِذۡ
And when
أَخَذۡنَا
We took
مِيثَٰقَكُمۡ
your covenant
وَرَفَعۡنَا
and We raised
فَوۡقَكُمُ
over you
ٱلطُّورَ
the mount
خُذُواْ
Hold
مَآ
what
ءَاتَيۡنَٰكُم
We gave you
بِقُوَّةٖ
with firmness
وَٱسۡمَعُواْۖ
and listen
قَالُواْ
They said
سَمِعۡنَا
We heard
وَعَصَيۡنَا
and we disobeyed
وَأُشۡرِبُواْ
And they were made to drink
فِي
in
قُلُوبِهِمُ
their hearts
ٱلۡعِجۡلَ
(love of) the calf
بِكُفۡرِهِمۡۚ
because of their disbelief
قُلۡ
Say
بِئۡسَمَا
Evil (is) that
يَأۡمُرُكُم
orders you (to do) it
بِهِۦٓ
with
إِيمَٰنُكُمۡ
your faith
إِن
if
كُنتُم
you are
مُّؤۡمِنِينَ
believers
Translation
And [recall] when We took your covenant and raised over you the mount, [saying], "Take what We have given you with determination and listen." They said [instead], "We hear and disobey." And their hearts absorbed [the worship of] the calf because of their disbelief. Say, "How wretched is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you should be believers."
Tafsir
And when We made a covenant with you, to act according to what is in the Torah, and raised over you the Mount, to drop it on you, when you had refused to accept it; We said, 'Take forcefully, seriously and with effort, what We have given you, and listen', to what you have been commanded, and be prepared to accept it, They said, 'We hear, your words, and disobey', your command; and they were made to drink the calf in their hearts, that is to say, the love of it [the golden calf] intoxicated their hearts in the way that wine does, on account of their unbelief. Say, to them: 'Evil is that, thing, which your belief, in the Torah, enjoins on you, [in the way of] the worship of the [golden] calf, if you are believers', in it, as you claim; meaning, you are not believers, for faith does not command that you worship the calf - their forefathers are meant here. Likewise, you do not believe in the Torah, because you have denied [the prophethood of] Muhammad may peace and salutation be upon him, whereas faith in it does not command you to reject him.
"Although The Jews denied the Truth, They claimed to be Believers!
Allah said,
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ
And when it is said to them,
meaning, the Jews and the People of the Book,
امِنُواْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ
Believe in what Allah has sent down,
to Muhammad , believe in and follow him.
قَالُواْ نُوْمِنُ بِمَأ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا
They say, ""We believe in what was sent down to us.""
meaning, it is enough for us to believe in what was revealed to us in the Tawrah and the Injil, and this is the path that we choose.
وَيَكْفُرونَ بِمَا وَرَاءهُ
And they disbelieve in that which came after it.
وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ
while it is the truth confirming what is with them.
meaning, while knowing that what was revealed to Muhammad.
الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ
(it is the truth confirming what is with them),
This means that since what was sent to Muhammad conforms to what was revealed to the People of the Book, then this fact constitutes a proof against them.
Similarly, Allah said,
الَّذِينَ اتَيْنَـهُمُ الْكِتَـبَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَأءَهُمْ
Those to whom We gave the Scripture (Jews and Christians) recognize him (Muhammad) as they recognize their sons. (2:146)
Allah said next,
قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَاء اللّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّوْمِنِينَ
""Why then have you killed the Prophets of Allah aforetime, if you indeed have been believers!""
This means, ""If your claim that you believe in what was revealed to you is true, then why did you kill the Prophets who came to you affirming the Tawrah's Law, although you knew they were true Prophets! You killed them simply out of transgression, stubbornness and injustice with Allah's Messengers. Therefore, you only follow your lusts, opinions and desires.""
Similarly, Allah said,
أَفَكُلَّمَا جَأءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَى أَنفُسُكُم اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقًا كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ
Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not, you grew arrogant! Some you disbelieved and some you killed. (2;87)
Also, As-Suddi said,
""In this Ayah, Allah chastised the People of the Book,
قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَاء اللّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّوْمِنِينَ
(Say (O Muhammad to them):""Why then have you killed the Prophets of Allah aforetime, if you indeed have been believers.""
وَلَقَدْ جَاءكُم مُّوسَى بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
And indeed Musa came to you with clear proofs,
meaning, with clear signs and clear proofs that he was the Messenger of Allah and that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.
The clear signs -or miracles- mentioned here are;
the flood,
the locusts,
the lice,
the frogs,
the blood,
the staff and
the hand.
Musa's miracles also include;
parting the sea,
shading the Jews with clouds,
the manna and quails,
the gushing stone, etc.
ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ
yet you worshipped the calf,
meaning, as a deity instead of Allah, during the time of Musa.
Allah's statement,
مِن بَعْدِهِ
after he left,
after Musa went to Mount Tur to speak to Allah.
Similarly, Allah said,
وَاتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَى مِن بَعْدِهِ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلً جَسَداً لَّهُ خُوَارٌ
And the people of Musa made in his absence, out of their ornaments, the image of a calf (for worship). It had a sound (as if it was mooing). (7:148)
وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
and you were Zalimun.
meaning, you were unjust in this behavior of worshipping the calf, although you knew that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.
Similarly, Allah said,
وَلَمَّا سُقِطَ فَى أَيْدِيهِمْ وَرَأَوْاْ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ قَالُواْ لَيِن لَّمْ يَرْحَمْنَا رَبُّنَا وَيَغْفِرْ لَنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ
And when they regretted and ﷺ that they had gone astray, they (repented and) said:""If our Lord have not mercy upon us and forgive us, we shall certainly be of the losers."" (7:149)
The Jews rebel after Allah took Their Covenant and raised the Mountain above Their Heads
Allah says;
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَا اتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاسْمَعُواْ
And (remember) when We took your covenant and We raised above you the Mount (saying), ""Hold firmly to what We have given you and hear (Our Word).""
Allah reminded the Jews of their errors, breaking His covenant, transgression and defiance, when He raised Mount Tur above them so that they would believe and agree to the terms of the covenant. Yet, they broke it soon afterwards.
قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا
They said, ""We have heard and disobeyed.""
We have mentioned the Tafsir of this subject before.
وَأُشْرِبُواْ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ
And their hearts absorbed (the worship of) the calf,
Abdur-Razzaq said that Ma`mar narrated that Qatadah said that it,
means, ""They absorbed its love, until its love resided in their hearts.""
This is also the opinion of Abu Al-Aliyah and Ar-Rabi bin Anas.
Allah's statement,
قُلْ بِيْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِهِ إِيمَانُكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ مُّوْمِنِينَ
Say:""Worst indeed is that which your faith enjoins on you if you are believers.""
means, ""Worse yet is the manner in which you behaved in the past and even now, disbelieving in Allah's Ayat and defying the Prophets. You also disbelieved in Muhammad, which is the worst of your deeds and the harshest sin that you committed. You disbelieved in the Final Messenger and the master of all Prophets and Messengers, the one who was sent to all mankind. How can you then claim that you believe, while committing the evil of breaking Allah's covenant, disbelieving in Allah's Ayat and worshipping the calf instead of Allah."
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