20 Sura Taha

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

فَأَخْرَجَ لَهُمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا ...   

20: 88.  "Then he brought out (of the fire) before the (people) the image of a calf:

C2609. See. n. 1113 to 7:148, where the same words are used and explained.

... لَهُ خُوَارٌ...

it seemed to low:

C2610. See n. 1114 to 7:148.

...فَقَالُوا هَذَا إِلَهُكُمْ وَإِلَهُ مُوسَى فَنَسِيَ ﴿٨٨﴾

so they said: 'This is your god, and the god of Moses, but (Moses) has forgotten!'"

C2611. Moses has forgotten: i.e., 'forgotten both us and his god. He has been gone for so many days. He is searching for a god on the Mount when his god is really here!'

This is spoken by the Samiri and his partisans, but the people as a whole accepted it, and it therefore, becomes their speech.

Others version:

20:88

[[ Asad’s notes:

71 Or, according to Zamakhshari: "Did, then, the time [of my absence] seem too long to you?" (It is to be noted that the term 'ahd signifies a "time" or "period" as well as a "covenant" or "promise".)

72 Lit., "Or have you decided that condemnation by your Sustainer should fall due upon you?"- ie.,"are you determined to disregard the consequences of your doings?"

73 It is mentioned in Exodus xii, 35 that, immediately before their departure from Egypt, the Israelites "borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver and jewels of gold". This "borrowing" was obviously done under false pretences, without any intention on the part of the Israelites to return the jewellery to its rightful owners: for, according to the Biblical statement (ibid., verse 36), "they spoiled [i.e., robbed] the Egyptians" by doing so. While it is noteworthy that the Old Testament, in its present, corrupted form, does not condemn this behaviour, its iniquity seems to have gradually dawned upon the

Israelites, and so they decided to get rid of those sinfully acquired ornaments

(Baghawi, Zamakhshari and - in one of his alternative interpretations - Razi).

74 This interpolation is necessary in view of the change from the direct speech in the preceding verse to the indirect in this one and in the sequence.

75 See surah 7, note 113.

76 An allusion to the fact that Moses had been brought up - obviously as an Egyptian - at

Pharaoh's court. ]]

Ali’s

86 So Moses returned to his people in state of indignation and sorrow. He said: "O my people! did not your Lord make a handsome promise to you? Did then the promise seem to you long (in coming)? Or did ye desire that Wrath should descend from your Lord on you and so ye broke your promise to me?" ²⁶⁰⁶

87 They said: "We broke not the promise to thee as far as lay in our power: but we were made to carry the weight of the ornaments of the (whole) people and we threw them (into the fire) and that was what the Samiri suggested. ^{2607 2608}

88 "Then he brought out (of the fire) before the (people) the image of a calf: it seemed to low: so they said: `This is your god and the god of Moses but (Moses) has forgotten!' " ^{2609 2610 2611}

89 Could they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer) and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good? ²⁶¹²

[[ Ali’s notes

2606 There are two promises referred to in this verse, the promise of Allah and the promise of the people of Israel. They form one Convenant, which was entered into through their leader Moses. See xx. 80, and ii. 63, n. 78. Allah's promise was to protect them and lead them to the Promised Land, and their promise was to obey Allah's Law and His commandments. (20.86)

2607 Cf. Exod. xii. 35-36: the Israelites, before they left Egypt, borrowed from the Egyptians "jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and raiment"; and "they spoiled the Egyptians" i.e., stripped them of all their valuable jewellery. Note that the answer of the backsliders is disingenuous in various ways. (1) The Samiri was no doubt responsible for suggesting the making of the golden calf, but they could not on that account disclaim responsibility for themselves: the burden of the sin is on him who commits it, and he cannot pretend that he was powerless to avoid it. (2) At most the weight of the gold they carried could not have been heavy even if one or two men carried it, but would have been negligible if distributed. (3) Gold is valuable, and it is not likely that if they wanted to disburden themselves of it, they had any need to light a furnace, melt it, and cast it into the shape of a calf. (20.87)

2608 See n. 2605 about the Samiri. If the Egyptian origin of the root is not accepted we have a Hebrew origin in "Shomer" a guard, watchman, sentinel. The Samiri may have been a watchman, in fact or by nickname. (20.87)

2609 See. n. 1113 to vii. 148, where the same words are used and explained. (20.88)

2610 See n. 1114 to vii. 148. (20.88)]]

Asad’s Version:

20:89

Why - did they not see that [the thing] could not give them any response, and had no power to harm or to benefit them?

(20:90) And, indeed, even before [the return of Moses] had Aaron said unto them: "O my people! You are but being tempted to evil by this [idol] - for, behold, your [only] Sustainer is the Most Gracious! Follow me, then, and obey my bidding!" 77

20:91

[But] they answered: "By no means shall we cease to worship it until Moses comes back to

us!" (20:92) [And now that he had come back, Moses] said: "O Aaron! What has prevented

thee, when thou didst see that they had gone astray, (20:93) from [abandoning them and]

following me? Hast thou, then, [deliberately] disobeyed my commandment?" 78