قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكَ يَـٰسَـٰمِرِىُّ 95
Translations
[Moses] said, "And what is your case, O Sāmirī?"
Transliteration
Qāla famā khạtbuka yā Sāmirī
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah's Messenger Musa (Moses) asks As-Samiri, 'What is your case?' or 'What is your excuse?' after discovering the golden calf idol that Samiri had craftily created during Musa's absence. This question is posed with divine authority, giving Samiri the opportunity to respond before his punishment is decreed. According to classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, this rhetorical question emphasizes the gravity of Samiri's transgression and his betrayal of the covenant, while also demonstrating Musa's measured approach in demanding an explanation before judgment.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Surah Taha (verses 83-98), which describes the incident of the golden calf created while Prophet Musa was receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai for forty nights. The Qur'an presents this as a test of faith for the Children of Israel, and Samiri's deception represents a severe breach of monotheistic commitment. The context reveals how even among those who witnessed miracles, some fell into idolatry.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly quotes this verse, the incident is referenced in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim in various ahadith discussing the golden calf. A relevant hadith from Sahih Muslim describes how the calf was made from the ornaments of the Israelites and could produce a lowing sound, emphasizing the miraculous nature of Samiri's creation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that our actions are never hidden from Allah, and we must be prepared to answer for our choices; it also reminds us that even those granted miracles and divine guidance can fall into grave sin through deception and abandonment of monotheism, serving as a cautionary tale against spiritual arrogance and heedlessness.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّقَوْا۟ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَـٰتٍ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَـٰكِن كَذَّبُوا۟ فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allāh, We would have opened [i.e., bestowed] upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأْكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ وَٱلنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَّهُمْ
Indeed, Allāh will admit those who have believed and done righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow, but those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as grazing livestock eat, and the Fire will be a residence for them.
مَتَـٰعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ
[It is but] a small enjoyment; then their [final] refuge is Hell, and wretched is the resting place.
وَقَضَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا
And We conveyed to the Children of Israel in the Scripture that, "You will surely cause corruption on the earth twice, and you will surely reach [a degree of] great haughtiness."