The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 594
CH. 7 AL-A'RĀF And sparing your women. therein was a great trial for you from your Lord. 1031 R. 17. 143. And "We made Moses a promise of thirty nights and supplemented them with ten. Thus the period appointed by his Lord was completed-forty nights. And Moses said to his brother, Aaron, ‘Act for me among my people in my absence, and manage them well, and follow not the way of those who cause disorder. ' 1032 worship it, degrades himself and brings himself lower than God has intended him to be. 1031. Commentary: "2:52. If the verse be taken as referring to the time of Moses and not the time that preceded his ministry, the words, your sons, would mean "your grown up sons" on whom heavy tasks were laid with a view to weakening and annihilating them. The children of Israel complained to Moses, saying, "The Lord look upon you and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us" (Exod. 5:21). See also 7:128 above. 1032. Commentary: The promised nights were only thirty, and ten were added PT. 9 ذلِكُمْ بَلَا مِنْ رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمُ وَوَعَدْنَا مُوسَى ثَلْثِيْنَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنُهَا بِعَشْرِ فَتَمَّ مِيْقَاتُ رَبَّةٍ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً وَقَالَ مُوسَى لِاَ خِيْهِ هُرُونَ اخْلُفْنِي فِي قَوْمِي وَاَصْلِحْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ subsequently to increase the favour. In fact, God's communion with Moses was completed in the promised thirty nights, as hinted in the next verse. So the prolongation of the period by ten nights, which was due to the request of Moses to God to manifest Himself to him, did not form part of the promise but was something additional. The words, Act for me among my that Aaron's position was subordinate people in my absence, clearly indicate to that of Moses. Moses called the Israelites "my people" and directed Aaron to act for him, i. e. officiate in 1034 his place during his absence, which shows that Aaron occupied no independent position but was only a subordinate Prophet to Moses. The words, and follow not the ways of those who cause disorder, are