20. Surah Taha
The Quranic Text& Ali’s Version:
أَفَلَا
يَرَوْنَ أَلَّا
يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِمْ
قَوْلًا وَلَا
يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ
ضَرًّا وَلَا
نَفْعًا ﴿٨٩﴾
20: 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?
C2612. This is a parenthetical comment.
How blind the people were!
They had seen Signs of the true living God, and yet they were willing to worship this dead image!
The true living God had spoken in definite words of command, while this calf could only emit some sounds of lowing, which were themselves contrived by the fraud of the priests. This image could do neither good nor harm, while Allah was the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Universe, Whose Mercy was unbounded and Whose Wrath was terrible.
وَلَقَدْ
قَالَ لَهُمْ
هَارُونُ مِن
قَبْلُ يَا
قَوْمِ إِنَّمَا
فُتِنتُم بِهِ...
20: 90. Aaron had already, before this, said to them:
"O my people! ye are being tested in this:
C2613. "Resist this temptation: you are being tested in this. Do not follow after the semi-Egyptian Samiri, but obey me."
...وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ فَاتَّبِعُونِي وَأَطِيعُوا أَمْرِي ﴿٩٠﴾
for verily your Lord is (Allah) Most Gracious:
so follow me and obey my command."
C2614. The Bible story makes Aaron the culprit, which is inconsistent with his office as the high priest of Allah and the right hand of Moses. See n. 1116 to 7:150.
Our version is more consistent, and explains, through the example of the Samiri, the lingering influences of the Egyptian cult of Osiris the bull-god.
20: 91. They had said:
C2615. Obviously Aaron's speech in the last verse, and the rebels' defiance in this verse, were spoken before the return of Moses from the Mount.
... لَن نَّبْرَحَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفِينَ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ إِلَيْنَا مُوسَى ﴿٩١﴾
"We will not abandon this cult, but we will devote ourselves to it until Moses returns to us."
C2616. The rebels had so little faith that they had given Moses up for lost, and never expected to see him again.
قَالَ
يَا هَارُونُ
مَا مَنَعَكَ
إِذْ رَأَيْتَهُمْ
ضَلُّوا ﴿٩٢﴾
20: 92. (Moses) said: "O Aaron! what kept thee back, when thou sawest them going wrong
أَلَّا
تَتَّبِعَنِ
أَفَعَصَيْتَ
أَمْرِي ﴿٩٣﴾
20: 93. "From following me?
Didst thou then disobey my order?"
C2617. Moses, when he came back, was full of anger and grief. His speech to Aaron is one of rebuke, and he was also inclined to handle him roughly:
see next verse.
The order he refers to is that stated in 7:142, "Act for me amongst my people: do right, and follow not the way of those who do mischief."
قَالَ يَبْنَؤُُمَّ
لَا تَأْخُذْ
بِلِحْيَتِي
وَلَا بِرَأْسِي...
20: 94. (Aaron) replied:
"O son of my mother! seize (me not) by my beard nor by (the hair of) my head!
C2618. Cf. 7:150.
...إِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَمْ تَرْقُبْ قَوْلِي ﴿٩٤﴾
Truly I feared lest thou shouldst say,
'Thou hast caused a division among the Children of Israel, and thou didst not respect my word!'"
C2619. This reply of Aaron's is in no way inconsistent with the reply as noted in 7:150.
On the contrary there is a dramatic aptness in the different points emphasised on each occasion. In Surah 7, we were discussing the Ummah of Israel, and Aaron rightly says, "The people did indeed reckon me as naught, and went near to slay me!" In addition, "Let not the enemies rejoice over my misfortune" he is referring by implication to his brother's wish to maintain unity among the people.
Here the unity is the chief point to emphasize: we are dealing with the Samiri as mischief-monger, and he could best be dealt with by Moses, who proceeds to do so.
قَالَ
فَمَا خَطْبُكَ
يَا سَامِرِيُّ ﴿٩٥﴾
20: 95. (Moses) said: "What then is thy case, O Samiri?"
C2620. Moses now turns to the Samiri, and the Samiri's reply in the next verse sums up his character in a few wonderful strokes of character-painting.
The lesson of the whole of this episode is the fall of a human soul that nominally comes to Allah's Truth in a humble position but makes mischief when and as it finds occasion. It is no less dangerous and culpable than the arrogant soul, typified by Pharaoh, which gets into high places and makes its leadership the cause of ruin of a whole nation.
قَالَ بَصُرْتُ
بِمَا لَمْ
يَبْصُرُوا
بِهِ...
20: 96. He replied:
"I saw what they saw not:
فَقَبَضْتُ قَبْضَةً مِّنْ أَثَرِ الرَّسُولِ...
so I took a handful (of dust) from the footprint of the Messenger,
...فَنَبَذْتُهَا وَكَذَلِكَ سَوَّلَتْ لِي نَفْسِي ﴿٩٦﴾
and threw it (into the calf): thus did my soul suggest to me."
C2621. This answer of the Samiri is a fine example of unblushing effrontery, careful evasion of issues, and invented falsehoods.
He takes upon himself to pretend that he had far more insight than anybody else: he saw what the crowd did not see. He saw something supernatural.
"The Messenger" is construed by many Commentators to mean the angel Gabriel. Rasul (plural, rusul) is used in several places for "angels" e.g., in 11:69, 77; 19:19; and 35:1.
But if we take it to mean the Messenger Moses, it means that the Samiri saw something sacred or supernatural in his footprints: perhaps he thinks a little flattery would make Moses forgive him. The dust became sacred, and his throwing it into the calf made the calf utter a lowing sound! As if that was the point at issue!
He does not answer the charge of making an image for worship. But finally, with arrogant effrontery, he says, "Well, that is what my soul suggested to me, and that should be enough!"
قَالَ
فَاذْهَبْ
فَإِنَّ لَكَ
فِي الْحَيَاةِ
أَن تَقُولَ
لَا مِسَاسَ...
20: 97. (Moses) said:
"Get thee gone! but thy (punishment) in this life will be that thou wilt say, 'Touch me not';
C2622. He and his kind were to become social lepers, untouchables; perhaps also sufficiently arrogant to hold others at arm's length, and say "Noli me tangere" (touch me not) .
...وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوْعِدًا لَّنْ تُخْلَفَهُ...
and moreover (for a future penalty) thou hast a promise that will not fail:
C2623. Namely, the promised Wrath of Allah:
...وَانظُرْ إِلَى إِلَهِكَ الَّذِي ظَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفًا...
now look at thy god, of whom thou hast become a devoted worshipper:
...لَّنُحَرِّقَنَّهُ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُ فِي الْيَمِّ نَسْفًا ﴿٩٧﴾
we will certainly (melt) it in a blazing fire and scatter it broadcast in the sea!"
C2624. The cast effigy was destroyed. Thus ends the Samiri's story, of which the lessons are indicated in n. 2620 above.
It may be interesting to pursue the transformations of the word Samiri in later times. For its origin see notes2605 and 2608 above.
Whether the root of Samiri was originally Egyptian or Hebrew does not affect the later history. Four facts may be noted.
1. There was a man bearing a name of that kind at the time of Moses, and he led a revolt against Moses and was cursed by Moses.
2. In the time of King Omri (903-896 B.C.) of the northern kingdom of Israel, there was a man called Shemer, from whom, according to the Bible, was bought a hill on which was built the new capital of the kingdom, the town of Samaria.
3. The name of the hill was Shomer (watchman, vigilant guardian), and that form of the name also appears as the name of a man (see 3 Kings 16:24);
some authorities think the town was called after the hill and not after the man (Hastings's Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics), but this is for our present purposes immaterial.
4. There was and is a dissenting community of Israelites called Samaritans, who have their own separate Pentateuch and Targum, who claim to be the true Children of Israel, and who hold the Orthodox Jews in contempt as the latter hold them in contempt; they claim to be the true guardians (Shomerim) of the Law, and that is probably the true origin of the name Samaritan, which may go further back in time than the foundation of the town of Samaria. I think it probable that the schism originated from the time of Moses, and that the curse of Moses on the Samiri explains the position.
إِنَّمَا
إِلَهُكُمُ
اللَّهُ الَّذِي
لَا إِلَهَ
إِلَّا هُوَ...
20: 98. But the God of you all is the One Allah:
there is no god but He:
...وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا ﴿٩٨﴾
all things He comprehends in His knowledge.
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
20:94
Answered [Aaron]: "O my mother's son! Seize me not by my beard, nor by my head! 79 ' Behold, I was afraid lest [on thy return] thou say, 'Thou hast caused a split among the children of Israel, and hast paid no heed to my bidding!" 80
20:95
Said [Moses]: "What, then, didst thou have in view, O Samaritan?"
(20:96) He answered: "I have gained insight into something which they were unable to see: 81 and so I took hold of a handful of the Apostle's teachings and cast it away: for thus has my mind prompted me [to act]." 82
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
81 It is to be noted that the verb basura (lit., "he became seeing") has the tropical significance of "he perceived [something] mentally", or "he gained insight" or "he understood". Hence, Abu Muslim al-Isfahani (whose interpretation of the whole of this verse Razi analyzes and finds most convincing) explains the above phrase as meaning, "I realized what they [i.e., the rest of the people] did not realize - namely, that some of thy beliefs, O Moses, were wrong". It would seem that the samaritan objected to the idea of a transcendental, imperceivable God, and thought that the people ought to have something more "tangible" to believe in. (See also next note.)
82 Contrary to the fanciful interpretations advanced by some of the other commentators, Abu Muslim (as quoted by Razi) explains the term athar (lit., "vestige" or "trace") in its tropical sense of the "practices and sayings" or - collectively - the "teachings" of any person, and particularly of a prophet; thus, he makes it clear that the phrase gabadtu gabdatan min athari 'r-rasul fa-nabadhtuha signifies "I took hold of a handful [i.e., "something"] of the teachings of the Apostle, and discarded it" : it being understood that "the Apostle" referred to by the Samaritan in the third person is Moses himself. (As already mentioned in the preceding note, Razi unreservedly subscribes to Abu Muslim's interpretation of this passage.) In my opinion, the Samaritan's rejection of a part of Moses' teachings is meant to explain the subconscious tendency underlying all forms
of idolatry and of the attribution of divine qualities to things or beings other than God: a futile, self-deceiving hope of bringing the Unperceivable closer to one's limited perception by creating a tangible "image" of the Divine Being or, at least, of something that could be conceived as His "emanation". Inasmuch as all such endeavours obscure rather than illuminate man's understanding of God, they defeat their own purpose and destroy the misguided devotee's spiritual potential: and this is undoubtedly the purport of the story of the golden calf as given in the Qur'an. ]]
[[Ali’s notes - 2620 Moses now turns to the Samiri, and the Samiri's reply in the next verse sums up his character in a few wonderful strokes of character-painting. The lesson of the whole of this episode is the fall of a human soul that nominally comes to Allah's Truth in a humble position but makes mischief when and as it finds occasion. It is no less dangerous and culpable than the arrogant soul, typified by Pharaoh, which gets into high places and makes its leadership the cause of ruin of a whole nation. (20.95)
2621 This answer of the Samiri is a fine example of unblushing effrontery, careful evasion of issues, and invented falsehoods. He takes upon himself to pretend that he had far more insight than anybody else: he saw what the crowd did not see. He saw something supernatural. "The Messenger" is construed by many Commentators to mean the angel Gabriel. Rasul (plural, rusul) is used in several places for "angels" e.g., in xi. 69, 77; xix. 19; and xxxv. 1. But if we take it to mean the Messenger Moses, it means that the Samiri saw something sacred or supernatural in his footprints: perhaps he thinks a little flattery would make Moses forgive him. The dust became sacred, and his throwing it into the calf made the calf utter a lowing sound! As if that was the point at issue! He does not answer the charge of making an image for worship. But finally, with arrogant effrontery, he says, "Well, that is what my soul suggested to me, and that should be enough!" (20.96) ]]
20:97
Said [Moses]; "Begone, then! And, behold, it shall be thy lot to say throughout [thy] life,
'Touch me not!' 83 But, verily, [in the life to come] thou shalt be faced with a destiny from which there will be no escape! 84 And [now] look at this deity of thine to whose worship thou hast become so devoted: we shall most certainly burn it, and then scatter [whatever remains of] it far and wide over the sea!
(20:98) Your only deity is God - He save whom there is no deity, [and who] embraces all things within His knowledge!"
