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 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.”

إِنَّما إِلـٰهُكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذي لا إِلـٰهَ إِلّا هُوَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَيءٍ عِلمًا

Your God is the only God, besides whom there is no other god. He encompasses everything in knowledge.

كَذٰلِكَ نَقُصُّ عَلَيكَ مِن أَنباءِ ما قَد سَبَقَ ۚ وَقَد آتَيناكَ مِن لَدُنّا ذِكرًا

Thus, We narrate to you some of the stories of what happened before, and We’ve given you from us a Reminder.