The Holy Quran 7:148 — Surah Al-A'raf

Arabic text

وَٱتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا لَّهُۥ خُوَارٌ ۚ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّهُۥ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلًا ۘ ٱتَّخَذُوهُ وَكَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ

Translation

After him (after his departure to Mount Toor) the people of Moosa عليه الصلاة والسلام made from their jewellery a calf (crafted by Saamiri) that was (merely) a body (a torso) which made (meaningless mooing) sounds (because Saamiri put in it some sand taken from the footprint of Jibraeel as mentioned in verse 96 of Surah 20). Could they not see that it could not speak to them, nor guide them aright? They took it (the calf) to be their Ilaah and did (themselves) a great wrong.

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

The jewellery and the calf: this jewellery, which they melted down and cast into a calf, originally belonged to Pharaoh's people, the Copts. From them it came into the possession of the Children of Israel, as is stated in Surah Taha: حُمِّلْنَآ اَوْزَارًا مِّنْ زِيْنَةِ الْقَوْمِ “we were made to carry burdens of the people's ornaments”.

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