কুরআনের বিষয়
Calf العجل
- 11
While Moses was away on Mount Sinai for an appointed forty nights, his people committed a severe wrong by turning to the worship of a molten calf (2:51). Even after Moses had brought them clear signs, their obedience fractured in his absence (2:92). They used melted jewellery to fashion an idol, abandoning direct divine guidance for a silent object they built themselves.
What was the golden calf? The verses emphasize the physical reality and sheer impotence of the idol. Created from melted down jewellery, it was a mere shape that produced a lowing sound (7:148, 20:88). The Quran dismantles the logic of their devotion by pointing out the object's stark limitations: it could not speak to them, guide them in any direction, offer an answer, or wield any power to harm or benefit them (7:148, 20:89). Yet the idolators presented it to one another with the claim, 'This is your god and Moses' god, but he has forgotten' (20:88). They willfully chose to revere a helpless object they had just manufactured, elevating molded metal over the Creator.
Did anyone try to stop the worship? The Israelites were not left without a warner while Moses was on the mountain. Aaron directly confronted the crowd, explicitly identifying the metallic calf as a trial meant to test them (20:90). He urged them to remember that their true Master was the Lord of Mercy, commanding them to follow his guidance and obey his orders. The crowd, however, dismissed his authority entirely. They openly refused to give up their devotion to the statue, bluntly declaring, 'We shall not give up our devotion to it until Moses returns to us' (20:91).
What were the consequences of this idolatry? Upon his return, Moses confronted his people about the terrible wrong they had done to themselves (2:54). The Quran diagnoses a deep spiritual affliction rooted in their prior defiance. When they were previously commanded by God to hold firmly to what they were given, they responded, 'We hear and we disobey' (2:93). Because of this disbelief, they were 'made to drink [the love of] the calf deep into their hearts.' As noted in classical commentaries (Mawsu'at al-Tafsir al-Ma'thur, 2/566), this phrasing means they were made to drink the very love of the calf into their hearts, absorbing the idolatry entirely.
To cleanse this deep-seated corruption, Moses delivered grueling terms for their redemption. He instructed them to turn back to their Maker in repentance and kill the guilty among them, a harsh purification which God declared was the best action in His eyes (2:54). God warned that those who invented such falsehoods and took the calf for worship would be afflicted by their Lord's wrath and by disgrace in this life (7:152). Yet, even after they made presumptuous demands to see God face to face and worshipped an idol despite receiving clear revelations, God accepted their repentance, pardoning the transgression and granting Moses clear authority (4:153).
আয়াত
- 2:51 Al-Baqarah وَإِذْ وَٰعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰٓ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذْتُمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ وَأَنتُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ We appointed forty nights for Moses [on Mount Sinai] and then, while he was away, you took to worshipping the calf- a terrible wrong.
- 2:54 Al-Baqarah وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُم بِٱتِّخَاذِكُمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ بَارِئِكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ Moses said to his people, ‘My people, you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf, so repent to your Maker and kill [the guilty among] you. That is the best you can do in the eyes of your Maker.’ He accepted your repentance: He is the Ever Relenting and the Most Merciful.
- 2:92 Al-Baqarah ۞ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَكُم مُّوسَىٰ بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذْتُمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ وَأَنتُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ Moses brought you clear signs, but then, while he was away, you chose to worship the calf- you did wrong.’
- 2:93 Al-Baqarah وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَـٰقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ ٱلطُّورَ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱسْمَعُوا۟ ۖ قَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَأُشْرِبُوا۟ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ ۚ قُلْ بِئْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِهِۦٓ إِيمَـٰنُكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ Remember when We took your pledge, making the mountain tower above you, and said, ‘Hold on firmly to what We have given you, and listen to [what We say].’ They said, ‘We hear and we disobey,’ and through their disbelief they were made to drink [the love of] the calf deep into their hearts. Say, ‘How evil are the things your belief commands you to do, if you really are believers!’
- 4:153 An-Nisa يَسْـَٔلُكَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَـٰبًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا۟ مُوسَىٰٓ أَكْبَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَـٰنًا مُّبِينًا The People of the Book demand that you [Prophet] make a book physically come down to them from heaven, but they demanded even more than that of Moses when they said, ‘Show us God face to face,’ and were struck by the thunderbolt for their presumption. Even after clear revelations had come down to them, they took the calf as an object of worship, yet We pardoned this, and gave Moses clear authority;
- 7:148 Al-A'raf وَٱتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا لَّهُۥ خُوَارٌ ۚ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّهُۥ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلًا ۘ ٱتَّخَذُوهُ وَكَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ In his absence, Moses’ people took to worshipping a mere shape that made sounds like a cow- a calf made from their jewellery. Could they not see that it did not speak to them or guide them in any way? Yet they took it for worship: they were evildoers.
- 7:152 Al-A'raf إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُفْتَرِينَ Those who took to worshipping the calf will be afflicted by their Lord’s wrath, and by disgrace in this life.’ This is the way We repay those who invent such falsehoods,
- 20:88 Taha فَأَخْرَجَ لَهُمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا لَّهُۥ خُوَارٌ فَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ وَإِلَـٰهُ مُوسَىٰ فَنَسِىَ but he [used the molten jewellery to] produce an image of a calf which made a lowing sound, and they said, ‘This is your god and Moses’ god, but he has forgotten.’
- 20:89 Taha أَفَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَلَّا يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِمْ قَوْلًا وَلَا يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا Did they not see that [the calf] gave them no answer, that it had no power to harm or benefit them?
- 20:90 Taha وَلَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُمْ هَـٰرُونُ مِن قَبْلُ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِۦ ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى وَأَطِيعُوٓا۟ أَمْرِى Aaron did say to them, ‘My people, this calf is a test for you. Your true Lord is the Lord of Mercy, so follow me and obey my orders,’
- 20:91 Taha قَالُوا۟ لَن نَّبْرَحَ عَلَيْهِ عَـٰكِفِينَ حَتَّىٰ يَرْجِعَ إِلَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ but they replied, ‘We shall not give up our devotion to it until Moses returns to us.’