The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2)

The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 602

CH. 7 AL-A'RĀF PT. 9 قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِاَ خِي وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِي رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنْتَ اَرْحَمُ الرَّحِمِينَ 152. He (Moses) said, 'My Lord, IĘSJE forgive me and my brother, and admit us to Thy mercy, and Thou art the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. R. 19. '1041 اِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ As to those who to the. 153 took calf for worship, wrath from غَضَبٌ مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِي الْحَيَوةِ their Lord shall overtake them الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُفْتَرِيْنَ and abasement in the present life. And thus do We reward those who invent lies. 1042 "2:52, 93; 4:154; 7:149; 20:89. Moses caught hold of Aaron's head, not because the latter had abetted calf-worship, as he is represented to have done in the Bible (Exod. 32:2-4), but because he did not successfully prevent the people from worshipping the calf. As Moses' representative, he should have effectively prevented the people from idol-worship, but he failed to do so. So the display of anger on the part of Moses was due not to any religious or legal offence committed by Aaron, but to his failure to manage affairs properly in the absence of Moses. Aaron had hoped that Moses would set things right on his return. That was only an error of judgement or lack of proper control, not a legal or religious offence. The way in which Moses treated Aaron also shows that the latter was subordinate to the former. The treatment, however, should not be taken as a display of rough manners on the part of Moses. The anger of Moses was justified because a great to sacrilege had been committed and the very work of his life was jeopardized; and Aaron being subordinate Moses, the latter was entitled to take disciplinary action. The words, Son of my mother, were used by Aaron not because Moses was a half-brother to him but because he wished to make an effective appeal to his feelings of tenderness and affection, and in this he succeeded. The meaning of the particle (with) in the clause, and place me not with the unjust people, helps to explain its real sense in 4:70. Here, as well as there the particle gives the meaning of "among". 1041. Commentary: 1042 Moses soon saw the innocence of Aaron, so he included him with himself in his prayer for God's mercy. 1042. Commentary: As it was not Aaron who took the calf for worship, so he was excluded when the offenders were punished.