وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوسَىٰ لِمِيقَـٰتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِىٓ أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ لَن تَرَىٰنِى وَلَـٰكِنِ ٱنظُرْ إِلَى ٱلْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ ٱسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُۥ فَسَوْفَ تَرَىٰنِى ۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّىٰ رَبُّهُۥ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُۥ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ مُوسَىٰ صَعِقًا ۚ فَلَمَّآ أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ 143
Translations
And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [Allāh] said, "You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first [among my people] of the believers."
Transliteration
Wa-lamma jaa'a Musa li-miqatina wa-kallamahu Rabbuhu qala Rabbi arini anzur ilayka qala lan tarani wa-lakin unzur ila-l-jabali fa-in istaqarra makanuhu fa-sawfa tarani fa-lamma tajalla Rabbuhu li-l-jabali ja'alahu dakkan wa-kharra Musa sa'iqan fa-lamma afaqa qala subhanaka tubtu ilayka wa-ana awwalu-l-mu'minin
Tafsir (Explanation)
When Musa (Moses) requested to see Allah directly, he was told that no created being can bear such a vision in this world. Allah instead showed the manifestation of His divine attributes to the mountain as a test, and the mountain was utterly destroyed, demonstrating the overwhelming nature of Allah's majesty. When Musa regained consciousness, he immediately repented and testified to Allah's transcendence, affirming his faith. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this ayah teaches the impossibility of seeing Allah in the dunya (worldly life) and confirms it as a gift reserved for the believers in Paradise.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative in Surah Al-A'raf describing Musa's journey and his encounter with Allah at Mount Sinai when he went to keep the appointment (miqat) for receiving the Torah. The context demonstrates Musa's deep desire for spiritual closeness to his Lord and Allah's mercy in guiding him toward understanding divine reality. This narrative follows Musa's call to prophethood and precedes the story of the golden calf.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'You will not see your Lord until you die.' Additionally, a hadith in Sahih Bukhari mentions that the people of Paradise will see Allah, contrasting the impossibility of seeing Him in this life. These traditions clarify that direct vision of Allah is exclusive to the Hereafter.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that our desire to draw closer to Allah must be tempered with understanding of His infinite transcendence and our finite human limitations. It encourages believers to show sincere repentance and humility when confronted with their weakness, while maintaining unwavering faith in Allah's existence and ultimate reward for the faithful.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا۟ لِمَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَـٰلِحًا مُّرْسَلٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلَ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ
Said the eminent ones who were arrogant among his people to those who were oppressed - to those who believed among them, "Do you [actually] know that Ṣāliḥ is sent from his Lord?" They said, "Indeed we, in that with which he was sent, are believers."
قَالَ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ فِىٓ أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ فِى ٱلنَّارِ ۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ٱدَّارَكُوا۟ فِيهَا جَمِيعًا قَالَتْ أُخْرَىٰهُمْ لِأُولَىٰهُمْ رَبَّنَا هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَـَٔاتِهِمْ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَعْلَمُونَ
[Allāh] will say, "Enter among nations which had passed on before you of jinn and mankind into the Fire." Every time a nation enters, it will curse its sister until, when they have all overtaken one another therein, the last of them will say about the first of them, "Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire." He will say, "For each is double, but you do not know."
وَإِذَا لَمْ تَأْتِهِم بِـَٔايَةٍ قَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا ٱجْتَبَيْتَهَا ۚ قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَتَّبِعُ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ مِن رَّبِّى ۚ هَـٰذَا بَصَآئِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
And when you, [O Muḥammad], do not bring them a sign [i.e., miracle], they say, "Why have you not contrived it?" Say, "I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This [Qur’ān] is enlightenment from your Lord and guidance and mercy for a people who believe."
۞ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا ۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّىٰهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَـٰلِحًا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ
It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her. And when he [i.e., man] covers her, she carries a light burden [i.e., a pregnancy] and continues therein. And when it becomes heavy, they both invoke Allāh, their Lord, "If You should give us a good [child], we will surely be among the grateful."