“Say, ‘If the abode of the Hereafter with Allah is exclusively for you, to the exclusion of all other people, then wish for death, if you are truthful.’” (94)

Regarding His words, exalted is He: “Moses certainly came to you with clear proofs”—that is, evident indications and manifest miracles—⦗15/b⦘ “then, after he had gone, you took up the calf, while you were wrongdoers.”

“And when We took your covenant and raised the Mount above you: ‘Hold firmly to what We have given you, and listen’”—that is, respond and obey. Obedience and response are termed “listening” by association, since hearing is the means to obedience and response. “They said, ‘We hear,’ ‘and we disobey’”—that is, we disobey Your command. It is also said: We hear with our ears, but disobey with our hearts. The scholars of meanings said: They did not actually say this with their tongues; rather, when they heard it and received it with disobedience, this was expansively attributed to speech.

“And their hearts were made to imbibe the calf because of their disbelief”—that is, love of the calf. Its meaning is that love of the calf was instilled into their hearts and permeated them, just as a colour is infused through intense adhesion. Thus it is said, “So-and-so is suffused with colour,” when his whiteness is mingled with redness. It is related in the narratives that Moses was commanded to file the calf with a file, then scatter it in the river, and he commanded them to drink from it (1). Whoever still retained any love for the calf in his heart had gold filings (2) appear upon him when he drank.

Regarding His words, exalted is He: “How evil is that to which your faith commands you”—namely, that you worship the calf besides Allah. That is, what evil faith it is that commands you to worship the calf—“if you are believers,” as you claim. This is because they said, “We believe in what was sent down to us,” but Allah declared them liars.

[Regarding His words, exalted is He: “Say, ‘If the abode of the Hereafter with Allah is for you...’” This is because the Jews advanced false claims, such as their saying, “The Fire will not touch us except for a limited number of days” (al-Baqarah 80), and, “They say, ‘None shall enter Paradise except one who is a Jew or