Overview (Verses 51 - 57)

Ingratitude at Its Worst

The Jews have left Egypt and, through God’s grace and mercy, crossed the Red Sea safely. The sūrah picks up the story: “And [remember, too], when We appointed for Moses forty nights, and in his absence you took to worshipping the calf, and thus became wrongdoers. Yet even after that We pardoned you, so that you might be thankful. We gave Moses the Scriptures and the Standard [by which to distinguish right from wrong], so that you might be rightly guided. Moses said to his people, ‘You, my people, have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf Turn, then, in repentance to your Maker and slay one another. That will be better for you in your Maker’s sight.’ Thus, He accepted your repentance; for He is the One to accept repentance, the Merciful.” (Verses 51-54)

The episode of the calf is covered in more detail in verses 87-98 of Sūrah 20, revealed earlier in Makkah. It is a well-known chapter of Jewish history. When their Prophet left them for a while, they sank as low as worshipping an inanimate object, in total disregard of the instructions of the Prophet who saved them, by God’s grace, from Pharaoh and his army. Their attitude is described in its true colours:

“You took to worshipping the calf, and thus became wrongdoers.” (Verse 51) Who could be a worse wrongdoer than one who worships the model of a calf after God had saved him from idolaters?

Nevertheless, God pardoned them and gave their Prophet, Moses, the Torah as a source of guidance for them. However, there was need for a thorough cleansing of ranks. Such a shaky nature could only be steadied by a very stringent atonement: “Moses said to his people: “You, my people, have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf Turn, then, in repentance to your Maker and slay one another. That will be better for you in your Maker’s sight.” (Verse 54) Thus, the order was given to kill those who went far astray as a means of cleansing for the whole community.

No doubt it was a heavy responsibility, for killing members of their community was like killing themselves; but it was inescapable in order to preserve the purity and righteousness of the rest of the community. It was a punishment commensurate with the vile transgression perpetrated. Had they counselled one another against transgression, they would not have worshipped the calf. Hence, the punishment to reform their nature.

Once punishment has been meted out, God’s mercy descends afresh. “Thus, He accepted your repentance; for He is the One to accept repentance, the Merciful.” (Verse 54)

Yet, true to form, their stubbornness and obduracy had the better of the Israelites. They now demanded to see God Himself. The demand was made by the seventy individuals who, as detailed in the earlier Makkan sūrahs, had been chosen by Moses to represent his people. They went further than that, making their belief in Moses and his message conditional on their seeing God in person. Obviously, this is mentioned here for comparison with the attitude of the Prophet Muĥammad’s Jewish contemporaries, who were demanding impossible proof to verify the truth of his claim to prophethood.

And [remember] when you said, Moses, we will not believe in you until we see God in person. ‘You were then struck by a thunderbolt while you were looking on. But We raised you again after you had been as dead, so that you might be thankful. We caused the clouds to provide shade for you, and sent down for you manna and quails. ‘Eat of the good things We have provided for you. ‘Indeed, to Us they did no harm, but themselves did they wrong. (Verses 55-57)

Neither the signs and favours nor God’s forgiveness and generosity had any effect on the Israelites’ obdurate, materialistic and cynical nature. The prolonged and harsh persecution they had endured under the tyranny of the Pharaoh seems to have finally corrupted their souls, so that they would yield only to force. Nothing corrupts souls and natures than writhing under tyranny for a long time. They had acquired the slave characteristics of being submissive when overpowered and subjugated, but vicious and revengeful when not under threat. Over the centuries, this became, and remains today, a defining character of the Jewish people.

While on Mount Sinai, the Israelites had the audacity to demand from Moses that they should see God in person, to which God responded by striking them with a thunderbolt that left them as dead. Nevertheless, God was again merciful towards them and restored them to consciousness, so that they might appreciate His kindness and show gratitude.

God also recalls for them how He had taken care of their forefathers when they were lost in the wilderness, providing them with food and protecting them against the scorching heat of the sun. Historic records indicate that the Israelites, on leaving Egypt, crossed the Red Sea into the Sinai desert. It was hot and without water, which put them in danger of dying of starvation. But, God bestowed His grace on them and provided them with a special type of food, as sweet as honey, which they called manna. God also sent them flocks of quail which they could easily catch and eat. Clouds would gather above them to protect them from the heat of the desert sun. Thus God alleviated their suffering in the wilderness, but, as the verse comments, they showed no appreciation or gratitude. As such, they were the losers: “Indeed to Us they did no harm, but themselves did they wrong.” (Verse 57)