Moses Was Angry and Bitterly Grieved Because of the Israelites?


by Safaa Abdel-Aziz - Date: 2008-11-15 - Word Count: 1293 Share This!

Many people do not know Allah. This series (1-71) is an attempt to help them to know their Creator.


Verses 7:150-151 of the Noble Quran talk about: 1) Why was Moses angry and bitterly grieved because of the Israelites? 2) Why Did Moses cast down the Tablets of the Torah? 3) Why Did Moses seize his brother Aaron and drag him in anger? 4) Were the Israelites close to killing Moses brother Aaron? And 5) Moses prayed to Allah: My Lord, forgive me and my brother and Have mercy on us.  


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In the previous article (70) the Israelites, after Moses had departed for the communion with Allah, made of their ornaments, which they had borrowed from Pharaoh's folk on the pretext of a wedding celebration, and which remained in their possession, a calf, which the Samaritan had fashioned for them therefrom; a mere living body of flesh and blood, which lowed, that is, which made audible sounds like a cow.


But how come that the Samaritan made for them a cow which made audible sounds from the gold?


It is said that, it [the calf] was transformed in this way when the dust, which the Samaritan had collected from where the hoof of Gabriel's steed had trodden, was placed in its mouth, for it has the effect of giving life to that in which it is placed.


Then Allah asks:


Did they not see that it spoke not to them, nor guided them to any way?,


So how can it be taken as a god?


Yet they took it as such, a god, and were evildoers, for taking it so.


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The meaning of verse 7:150



And when Moses returned to his people, angry, because of them, and bitterly grieved, he said, to them: ‘Evil is that, that is, evil is the manner of succession, which you have followed in my place, after I had gone, this idolatry of yours. Would you hasten on the judgment of your Lord?'


And Moses cast down the Tablets, the Tablets of the Torah, angry for the sake of his Lord, and they were broken into pieces,


And he seized his brother by the head, that is, by the hair, with his right hand, and seized him by the beard, with his left hand, dragging him toward him, in anger.


Aaron said to Moses: ‘O, son of my mother!


Aaron said ibna umm? by which he meant son of my mother'


Um in Arabic means a mother


umm? means my mother


Ibna umm? means son of my mother


Why did Aaron say ibna umm? by which he meant son of my mother and he did not say son of my father?  Because the mention of umm? , my mother, is more affectionate in appealing to the heart),


Aaron said to Moses: ‘O, son of my mother! Truly the people judged me weak and they were close to killing me (if I have prevented them of making the idol calf and taking it as god).


Then Aaron continues: Do not make my enemies gloat over my misfortune, to rejoice thereat, by your humiliating me, and do not count me among the folk who have done evil', by worshipping the calf, in your reproach of them.


In other words, the verse says:


And when Moses returned unto his people, angry and grieved when he heard the voice of sedition,


he said: Evil is that course which you took after I had left you; evil is what you did by worshipping the calf after I went to the mountain. Would you hasten on the judgment of your Lord; would you hasten by worshipping the calf the promise of your Lord?  And he cast down the tablets from his hand and two of them were broken, and he seized his brother by the head i.e. by Aaron's hair, dragging him towards him. He (Aaron) said: Son of my mother! they were full brothers, but he mentioned their mother so that Moses might be gentle with him. Lo! the folk did judge me weak, humiliated me and almost killed me due to my opposition. Oh, make not mine enemies to triumph over me; make not the enemy, the folk of the calf, spite me and do not place me among the evil-doers! Do not harm me because of the folk of the calf.



The meaning of verse 7:151



Moses prayed to Allah and said, ‘My Lord, forgive me, what I have done to my brother, and forgive my brother, he includes him in the supplication in order to reconcile him and to fend off any gloating over his misfortune, and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of the merciful'


In other word, Moses said: My Lord! Have mercy on me because of what I did to Aaron and Have mercy on my brother Aaron because he did not fight them; Bring us into Thy mercy in Your Garden. You are the Most Merciful of all who show mercy.


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Verses 7:150-151 in different English translations of the meanings of Arabic Quran:



Verse 7:150



QARIB: and when moses returned to his nation, angry and sorrowful, he said: 'evil is what you have done in my absence! would you hasten the retribution of your lord? ' he threw down the tablets, and seizing his brother by the head, dragged him towards him. 'son of my mother, ' said (aaron), 'the nation weakened me, and almost killed me. do not let my enemies rejoice over me; do not number me among the harmdoers.'


SHAKIR: and when musa returned to his people, wrathful (and) in violent grief, he said: evil is it that you have done after me; did you turn away from the bidding of your lord? and he threw down the tablets and seized his brother by the head, dragging him towards him. he said: son of my mother! surely the people reckoned me weak and had well-nigh slain me, therefore make not the enemies to rejoice over me and count me not among the unjust people


PICKTHAL: and when moses returned unto his people, angry and grieved, he said: evil is that (course) which ye took after i had left you. would ye hasten on the judgment of your lord? and he cast down the tablets, and he seized his brother by the head, dragging him toward him. he said: son of my mother! lo! the folk did judge me weak and almost killed me. oh, make not mine enemies to triumph over me and place me not among the evil-doers.


YUSUFALI: when moses came back to his people, angry and grieved, he said: "evil it is that ye have done in my place in my absence: did ye make haste to bring on the judgment of your lord?" he put down the tablets, seized his brother by (the hair of) his head, and dragged him to him. aaron said: "son of my mother! the people did indeed reckon me as naught, and went near to slaying me! make not the enemies rejoice over my misfortune, nor count thou me amongst the people of sin."



Verse 7:151



QARIB: 'lord, ' said moses, 'forgive me and forgive my brother. admit us to your mercy, for you are most merciful of the merciful! '


SHAKIR: he said: my lord! forgive me and my brother and cause us to enter into thy mercy, and thou art the most merciful of the merciful ones


PICKTHAL: he said: my lord! have mercy on me and on my brother; bring us into thy mercy, thou the most merciful of all who show mercy.


YUSUFALI: moses prayed: "o my lord! forgive me and my brother! admit us to thy mercy! for thou art the most merciful of those who show mercy!"


Related Tags: gold, calf, mercy, god, evil, forgive, anger, lord, fight, torah, angry, pray, moses, creator, aaron, allah, quran, israelites, kill, cow, tablets, arabic, samaritan, seize, idolater, evildoers

Co-Chief editor, October Weekly magazine, Cairo, Egypt.

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