قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَخْلَفْنَا مَوْعِدَكَ بِمَلْكِنَا وَلَـٰكِنَّا حُمِّلْنَآ أَوْزَارًا مِّن زِينَةِ ٱلْقَوْمِ فَقَذَفْنَـٰهَا فَكَذَٰلِكَ أَلْقَى ٱلسَّامِرِىُّ 87
Translations
They said, "We did not break our promise to you by our will, but we were made to carry burdens from the ornaments of the people [of Pharaoh], so we threw them [into the fire], and thus did the Sāmirī throw."
Transliteration
Qāloo mā akhlafnā mawʿidaka bimalkkinā wa-lākin-nā humilnā awzāran min zīnati al-qawmi fa-qadhafnāhā fa-kadhālika alqā al-sāmiriyy
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Israelites defend themselves by claiming they did not break Moses' covenant intentionally, but rather they were burdened with ornaments and jewelry from the Egyptians which they cast down, and similarly the Samiri cast (the golden calf) into the fire. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse records the Israelites' excuse-making: they gathered the ornaments intending to return them but were incited by the Samiri to fashion the calf, showing their weakness in resisting temptation and their attempt to justify disobedience. Al-Qurtubi notes this demonstrates how sins are often preceded by seemingly minor compromises that lead to greater transgressions.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of the golden calf incident in Surah Taha, which recounts the events while Moses was receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. The Israelites, led astray by the Samiri, created the calf as an idol to worship during Moses' 40-day absence. This context illustrates the theme of testing and the community's vulnerability to fitrah (trial) in the absence of their leader's direct guidance.
Related Hadiths
While there is no directly related hadith to this specific verse, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain numerous hadiths about the golden calf incident in which the Prophet ﷺ mentions the fate of those who worship idols. Additionally, hadiths concerning the danger of adopting practices of other nations (like the Israelites' gold ornaments) appear in various collections as part of warnings against cultural imitation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true obedience requires internal resolve, not merely external justifications or circumstances; excuses rooted in material temptations ultimately reveal our spiritual weakness and lack of commitment to Divine commands. Muslims are reminded to actively resist worldly attractions rather than passively blame external pressures for their failures.