قَالَ فَٱذْهَبْ فَإِنَّ لَكَ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ أَن تَقُولَ لَا مِسَاسَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوْعِدًا لَّن تُخْلَفَهُۥ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَـٰهِكَ ٱلَّذِى ظَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفًا ۖ لَّنُحَرِّقَنَّهُۥ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُۥ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ نَسْفًا 97
Translations
[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.' And indeed, you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. And look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will surely burn it and blow it [i.e., its ashes] into the sea with a blast.
Transliteration
Qala fathhab fa-inna laka fi al-hayati an taqula la misas wa-inna laka maw'idan lan tukhlafahu wa-andhur ila ilahika alladhi dhalta 'alayhi 'akifan lanuharriqqannahu thumma lannasfannahu fi al-yammi nasfan
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah's command to Samiri (the one who crafted the golden calf) to depart, with a dual punishment: in this life, he will be afflicted with leprosy and isolation ("la misas" - 'do not touch'), and in the Hereafter, he will face accountability on the Day of Judgment. Moses then affirms that the golden calf, the false god they worshipped, will be burned and scattered into the sea, emphasizing the futility of idolatry. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize this ayah as a demonstration of divine justice and the inevitable destruction of false deities.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Surah Taha (a Meccan surah) recounting the story of Prophet Moses and the incident of the golden calf. After the Children of Israel fashioned the calf as an idol during Moses' absence on Mount Sinai, Allah revealed the incident to Moses. This ayah records Allah's judgment upon Samiri, the craftsman responsible for creating the false idol, serving as a warning against idolatry.
Related Hadiths
While no single hadith directly quotes this ayah, the theme relates to Sahih Muslim's collection on the prohibition of idolatry and the Prophet's ﷺ statement regarding the destruction of false gods. Thematically connected to hadiths in Sahih Bukhari regarding the rejection of polytheism and the unity of worship.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that those who lead others astray through falsehood and idol-worship face both immediate worldly consequences and ultimate accountability before Allah on the Day of Judgment. It reinforces that no false deity—whether physical or conceptual—can withstand divine truth, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in monotheism and reject all forms of spiritual deviation.
Related Ayahs
فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ أُولَىٰهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًا لَّنَآ أُو۟لِى بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ فَجَاسُوا۟ خِلَـٰلَ ٱلدِّيَارِ ۚ وَكَانَ وَعْدًا مَّفْعُولًا
So when the [time of] promise came for the first of them, We sent against you servants of Ours - those of great military might, and they probed [even] into the homes, and it was a promise fulfilled.
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دِيَـٰرِهِمْ جَـٰثِمِينَ
And when Our command came, We saved Shuʿayb and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us. And the shriek seized those who had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone
مِّن وَرَآئِهِمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَلَا يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مَّا كَسَبُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا مَا ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
Before them is Hell, and what they had earned will not avail them at all nor what they had taken besides Allāh as allies. And they will have a great punishment.
غَافِرِ ٱلذَّنۢبِ وَقَابِلِ ٱلتَّوْبِ شَدِيدِ ٱلْعِقَابِ ذِى ٱلطَّوْلِ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ إِلَيْهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
The forgiver of sin, acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of abundance. There is no deity except Him; to Him is the destination.