(7:148-152)
(2:54) (20-83-98)
Moses was very anxious for the
development of his nation; God had promised him that he would be given guidance
in the coming forty nights. Without receiving an invitation from God he
went to the mountain Sinai to get directions from Him. He was absent from his nation for a long
period; a man known as Samiri, not a member of their tribe, was with them. Some non-Israelites had believed in Moses’
message and followed him when he left Egypt.
Samiri was one of them.
He
was a ruthless opportunist, so he exploited the vacuum created by the absence
of Moses. The Israeli women were very
fond of wearing heavy ornaments because it was Egyptian fashion; in the desert
these bulky ornaments were an obstacle for free movement. Samiri took these ornaments of gold and
silver, melted them, and formed a golden calf.
He, being well aware of the tricks which were used in temples to deceive
ignorant common folks, fixed a device in the calf, as he had seen priests doing
in many temples. This device made the
golden calf capable of producing a voice; he told the Israelites that it was
their God. The Israelites did not notice
that though the calf could make a lowing sound, he was unable to answer any
question. Moreover, he had no capacity
to do any harm or good for them. Samiri
and the Israelites both forgot that Moses might come and they would not be able
to answer him for this act.
Aaron,
whom Moses had left behind to look after the affairs of the Israelites, tried
to stop the nation from the worship of the calf; he told them that Samiri was
not a trustworthy person and they should not blindly follow him, otherwise they
would face serious difficulties. All the
heartfelt advice of Aaron failed to achieve any result. The nation of the Israelites was adamant and
paid no heed to it. They openly declared
that they were going to worship the golden calf until Moses came and decided
the matter for them. One trick of Samiri
made the Israelites forget all that two prophets had been teaching them in the
desert.
When
Moses reached the mountain, God asked him about the cause of his early arrival
and leaving his nation. Moses replied
that his nation was faithfully following in his footsteps; he thought it to be
the right time to get guidance and act upon it. Moses was informed that he did not gauge the
attitude of his nation accurately; his nation had not followed in his footsteps.
On the contrary, in his absence they had
been misguided by Samiri.
Disillusioned
and indignant, Moses returned to his nation. “Why have you adopted the worship
of the golden calf? Had God not promised
a fair future for you? Did the appointed
time appear too long for you, or did you want to invite the disapproval of God
by breaking the promise with me?” Moses asked his nation.
“We
have not broken our promise with you. We
were tired of the heavy ornaments and we threw them away,” replied his nation. Moses turned toward his brother Aaron and
asked him, “Why did you not strictly stop the Israelites from worshiping the
calf? Or did you want to disobey me in my absence?” Aaron was hurt by this question and he said, “Son
of my mother, do not scold me so harshly. I was quiet because I feared that you would
ask me why I had caused division among the Israelites without waiting for your
words.”
Moses
asked Samiri, “What you have to say in this matter?” Samiri replied, “I have
not adopted you message wholeheartedly.
I only believed in a part of your message, and I left that part also
when I saw an opportunity. Your nation
could not imagine what the underlying motive for my actions was. My ambition and desires made this act very
beautiful in my sight.”
Moses
said, “Leave our company at once. Your
punishment is that you will live your future life like an untouchable
person. In the life to come you will
face the unavoidable consequences of your action. The golden calf, your god you have forged,
will be burnt into ashes. Even its ashes will be scattered over the sea.” After
this decision, Moses turned toward the Israelites and declared that there is
only one God. Allah is the final
authority whose knowledge is covering the whole universe.
