“When Moses returned to his people, angry and deeply grieved”—that is, filled with anger and rage against them because of his intense zeal, perfect sincerity, and compassion—“he said, ‘How wretchedly you have acted in my absence!’” That is, what a wretched state you fell into after my departure, for it is a state that leads to eternal ruin and everlasting misery.
“Were you too impatient to await your Lord’s command?” He had promised to send down the Book to them, yet, following their corrupt judgment, they hastened to commit this hideous act. “He threw down the Tablets”—casting them aside in anger—“and seized his brother” Aaron by the head and beard, “dragging him toward himself.” He said to him, “What prevented you, when you saw them go astray, * from following me? Did you then disobey my command?”—the command he had given him when he said, “Take my place among my people, set matters right, and do not follow the way of those who spread corruption.” So Aaron said, “O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or my head. I feared that you would say, ‘You caused division among the Children of Israel and did not heed my word.’” ⦗304⦘ Here too, “he said, ‘O son of my mother,’” appealing to his brother’s tenderness by mentioning their mother alone, although Aaron was his full brother through both their mother and father. “The people overpowered me”—that is, they treated me with contempt when I said to them, “My people, you are only being tested by it. Your Lord is the Most Merciful, so follow me and obey my command.” “They nearly killed me”; therefore, do not think that I was negligent. “So do not let the enemies gloat over me” by rebuking and handling me harshly, for enemies are eager to find some fault in me or discover some lapse on my part. “And do not place me among the wrongdoing people” by treating me as you treat them.
Moses, peace be upon him, then regretted having acted so hastily toward his brother before learning that he was innocent of the negligence Moses had suspected him of.
He “said, ‘My Lord, forgive me and my brother’” Aaron, “and admit us into Your mercy”—that is, into its very midst—and cause Your mercy to encompass us on every side, for it is an impregnable fortress against every evil, and within it lie every good and all joy.
“You are the most merciful of those who show mercy”—that is, You are more merciful to us than anyone else, more merciful to us than our fathers, mothers, children, and even ourselves.
Allah Most High then explained the condition of those who had worshipped the calf: “Indeed, those who took the calf”—as a god—“will be overtaken by wrath from their Lord and humiliation in the life of this world,” just as they had angered their Lord and treated His command lightly.
“Thus do We recompense those who fabricate lies.” Everyone who invents lies about Allah, lies concerning His Sacred Law, and attributes to Him words He did not say will have a share of Allah’s wrath and humiliation in worldly life. Allah’s wrath overtook them when He commanded them to kill one another and would not be pleased with them except through that. They therefore killed one another, and when the fighting ended, a great many had been slain (1). Allah then accepted their repentance.
He therefore stated a general ruling encompassing them and everyone else: “But those who commit evil deeds”—whether polytheism, major sins, or minor sins—“and then repent thereafter” by regretting the past, abandoning those deeds, and resolving never to return to them, “and believe” in Allah and in everything Allah has required them to believe—faith is not complete without the deeds of the heart and the bodily actions that flow from faith—“then surely, after that,” meaning after this state of repenting from evil deeds and returning to obedience, “your Lord is All-Forgiving”: He forgives and erases evil deeds, even if they nearly fill the earth; “Most Merciful” in accepting repentance, granting success to perform good deeds, and accepting them.
“When Moses’ anger subsided”—that is, when his anger abated, he regained his composure, and he became aware of his situation—he turned his attention to what mattered most to him. Thus, “he took up the Tablets” that he had thrown down. They were Tablets of immense stature and great distinction, “and in their inscription were guidance and mercy.” That is, they contained guidance away from error, a clarification of truth and falsehood, good deeds and evil deeds, direction toward the finest conduct, character, and manners, and mercy and happiness for whoever acted upon them and understood their rulings and meanings. Not everyone, however, accepts Allah’s guidance and mercy. It is accepted, followed, and willingly received only by those who [themselves] (2) “stand in awe of their Lord”—that is, who fear Him and are in awe of Him. As for one who does not fear Allah or standing before Him, the Tablets only increase him in insolence and aversion, while Allah’s proof contained in them is established against him.
“And”—when the Children of Israel repented and returned to sound judgment—“Moses chose” from among them “seventy men,” selecting their finest men to plead before their Lord on behalf of their people. Allah appointed a time for them to attend. When they arrived, they said, “O Moses, show us Allah openly.” They displayed great audacity toward Allah and behaved with gross impropriety toward Him, so “the earthquake seized them,” and they collapsed and died.
Moses, peace be upon him, continued humbly beseeching Allah and devoting himself to supplication, saying, “My Lord, had You willed, You could have destroyed them before”—before they came and entered a position in which they could plead on behalf of their people; instead, they themselves had now become wrongdoers. “Will You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done?” That is, those of weak intellect and foolish judgment. He beseeched Allah and pleaded that those who had dared to behave so insolently toward Him did not possess sound minds that would restrain them from what they said and did, and that they had been overtaken by a trial that imperils a person and makes him fear for his faith. He therefore said, “This is nothing but Your trial, by which You lead astray whom You will and guide whom You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us; You are the best of those who forgive.” That is, You are the best to forgive, the worthiest to show mercy, and the most generous to give and bestow favor.
It was as though Moses, peace be upon him, said: “The foremost aim of us all, O Lord, is to remain obedient to You and believe in You. Whoever retains his reason and sound judgment and remains steadfast through the success You have granted him never ceases to be upright. But whoever is weak-minded and foolish in judgment, and is turned away by the trial, does what he does because of those two causes. Yet despite this, You are the most merciful of those who show mercy and the best of those who forgive, so forgive us and have mercy upon us.”
Allah answered his plea, restored them to life after their death, and forgave them ⦗305⦘ for their sins.