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 54
Translations
And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "O my people, indeed you have wronged yourselves by your taking of the calf [for worship]. So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves [i.e., the guilty among you]. That is best for [all of] you in the sight of your Creator." Then He accepted your repentance; indeed, He is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.
Transliteration
Wa-idh qala Musa li-qawmihi ya-qawmi innakum dhalamtum anfusakum bi-attikhadhikum al-'ijl fatubū ilā bāri'ikum fa-iqtulū anfusakum dhālikum khayrun lakum 'inda bāri'ikum fatāba 'alaykum innahu huwa al-Tawwāb al-Rahīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah recounts Musa's (Moses) rebuke to his people after they worshipped the golden calf during his absence on Mount Sinai. Musa commands them to repent to their Creator and instructs the believers among them to slay those who remained attached to idolatry, which Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain as a severe test and means of purification for the nation. Despite this severe command, Allah's mercy prevails as He accepts their repentance, demonstrating that His attribute of At-Tawwāb (The Ever-Returning to Mercy) and Ar-Rahīm (The Merciful) supersedes His justice when sincere repentance is made.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of a Medinan surah that references events from the Torah regarding the children of Israel. It appears in the context of Allah addressing the Muslim community about the Jews and their historical transgressions, serving as a reminder of the consequences of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the importance of sincere repentance. The incident itself occurred after the Exodus when Musa left his people for forty nights to receive the Torah.
Related Hadiths
The incident of the golden calf is referenced in various hadith collections. Related to repentance is the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Repentance wipes away all sins that came before it.' Additionally, Tirmidhi records that Allah loves those who repent and purify themselves.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that even grave sins can be forgiven through sincere repentance to Allah, regardless of severity, and that Allah's mercy encompasses those who turn back to Him. It serves as a powerful reminder that wrongdoing harms oneself first and foremost, making immediate repentance the wisest course of action.
Related Ayahs
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِى ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ ٱلْغَمَامِ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَقُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ ۚ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ ٱلْأُمُورُ
Do they await but that Allāh should come to them in covers of clouds and the angels [as well] and the matter is [then] decided? And to Allāh [all] matters are returned.
فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَأْذَنُوا۟ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۖ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَٰلِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ
And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allāh and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged.
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ٱدْخُلُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا۟ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَـٰيَـٰكُمْ ۚ وَسَنَزِيدُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And [recall] when We said, "Enter this city [i.e., Jerusalem] and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins].' We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."
لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become distinct from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in ṭāghūt and believes in Allāh has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allāh is Hearing and Knowing.