قالوا ما أَخلَفنا مَوعِدَكَ بِمَلكِنا وَلـٰكِنّا حُمِّلنا أَوزارًا مِن زينَةِ القَومِ فَقَذَفناها فَكَذٰلِكَ أَلقَى السّامِرِيُّ
They replied, “We didn’t break our promise to you intentionally, but we were made to carry burdens of the people’s ornaments, and we cast them in, as the Samarian suggested.”
فَأَخرَجَ لَهُم عِجلًا جَسَدًا لَهُ خُوارٌ فَقالوا هـٰذا إِلـٰهُكُم وَإِلـٰهُ موسىٰ فَنَسِيَ
Then he produced for them a statue of a calf which made a mooing sound. They said, “This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot.”
أَفَلا يَرَونَ أَلّا يَرجِعُ إِلَيهِم قَولًا وَلا يَملِكُ لَهُم ضَرًّا وَلا نَفعًا
Didn’t they see that it could neither respond to them nor bring them harm or benefit?
وَلَقَد قالَ لَهُم هارونُ مِن قَبلُ يا قَومِ إِنَّما فُتِنتُم بِهِ ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ الرَّحمـٰنُ فَاتَّبِعوني وَأَطيعوا أَمري
Aaron had already pleaded with them, “O my people, you are being tested by this. Your Lord is the Most Gracious, so follow me and obey my order.”
قالوا لَن نَبرَحَ عَلَيهِ عاكِفينَ حَتّىٰ يَرجِعَ إِلَينا موسىٰ
They replied, “We won’t cease our devotion to it until Moses returns to us.”
قالَ يا هارونُ ما مَنَعَكَ إِذ رَأَيتَهُم ضَلّوا
He said, “O Aaron, what prevented you when you saw them straying?
أَلّا تَتَّبِعَنِ ۖ أَفَعَصَيتَ أَمري
From following me? Did you disobey my command?”
قالَ يَا ابنَ أُمَّ لا تَأخُذ بِلِحيَتي وَلا بِرَأسي ۖ إِنّي خَشيتُ أَن تَقولَ فَرَّقتَ بَينَ بَني إِسرائيلَ وَلَم تَرقُب قَولي
He replied, “O son of my mother, don’t seize me by my beard or head. I feared you would accuse me of causing division among the Children of Israel and not adhering to your words.”
قالَ فَما خَطبُكَ يا سامِرِيُّ
He then asked, “What’s your explanation, O Samarian?”
قالَ بَصُرتُ بِما لَم يَبصُروا بِهِ فَقَبَضتُ قَبضَةً مِن أَثَرِ الرَّسولِ فَنَبَذتُها وَكَذٰلِكَ سَوَّلَت لي نَفسي
He answered, “I saw what they didn’t see, so I grabbed a handful of the messenger’s trace, and I threw it. That’s what my inner self prompted me to do.”
قالَ فَاذهَب فَإِنَّ لَكَ فِي الحَياةِ أَن تَقولَ لا مِساسَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوعِدًا لَن تُخلَفَهُ ۖ وَانظُر إِلىٰ إِلـٰهِكَ الَّذي ظَلتَ عَلَيهِ عاكِفًا ۖ لَنُحَرِّقَنَّهُ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُ فِي اليَمِّ نَسفًا
Moses declared, “Go away! In this life, you must say, ‘No contact!’ And you have an appointment you can’t evade. Now, look at your god to which you remained devoted. We will burn it and then scatter it into the sea as dust.”