Verse 52
The Cow • madinah
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وَاِذۡ وٰعَدۡنَا مُوۡسٰۤی اَرۡبَعِیۡنَ لَیۡلَۃً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذۡتُمُ الۡعِجۡلَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہٖ وَاَنۡتُمۡ ظٰلِمُوۡنَ
7:143.
2:55, 93; 4:154; 7:149, 153; 20:89.
Moses, the Founder of Judaism, who delivered the Israelites from the tyranny of Pharaoh, was the greatest Israelite Prophet. According to biblical data he lived about 500 years after Abraham and about 1,400 years before Jesus. He was a Law-giving Prophet; the other Israelite Prophets that came after him were only the followers of his system.
See 7:143.
Man generally is the slave of his environments. This is particularly true of a subject people, who generally imitate the manners and customs of their rulers. The Israelites had lived under the bondage of Pharaohs for a long time, and naturally had imbibed the idolatrous faith of the Egyptians. When they left Egypt with Moses and came across an idol-worshipping people on the way, they requested him to sanction a similar worship for them (7:139).
7:143.
2:55, 93; 4:154; 7:149, 153; 20:89.
Important Words:
ظالمون (transgressors) is the plural of ظالم which is derived from ظلم which means (1) he put a thing at a wrong place (2) he transgressed against or wronged a person (Aqrab).
Commentary:
In this verse the incident of calf-worship mentioned in Exodus 32 is related. Man is generally the slave of environment. This is particularly true of a subject people, who assiduously imitate the manners and customs of their rulers. The Israelites had lived under the Pharaohs for a long time, and had imbibed the idolatrous faith of the Egyptians. When they left Egypt with Moses, and came across any idol-worshipping people on the way, they requested Moses again and again to sanction a similar worship for them (7:139). So eager were they for such worship that when Moses went to Mount Sinai, they made a calf and took to worshipping it. They revered the calf, because in Egypt the cow was held in special veneration. Egypt, like India, was an agricultural country where cattle must be of the highest value to man. Hence cow-worship.
The Bible mentions Aaron as having made a calf for the Israelites (Exod. 32:1-6). But the Quran strongly refutes this idea. Aaron was a Prophet of God and could not stoop to idol-worship. Says the Quran, And Aaron had said to them before this, 'O my people, you have only been tried by means of the calf; and surely, the Gracious God is your Lord; so follow me and do as I bid you' (20:91). It is strange that such baseless and incredible stories as the participation of a chosen one of God in idol-worship should find place in a Book which claims to be inspired. It only proves that the Bible has been the object of human interference. It is probable that some interested people deliberately interpolated the sacred writings and ascribed certain vices to the Prophets; and the Christian divines eagerly took them for granted, as they were of good use to them as a means of the exaltation of Jesus over the rest of the Prophets.
The verse speaks of the appointed duration as being of forty nights. In 7: 143 the Quran further tells us that at first the appointed duration was thirty nights, but by a subsequent addition of ten the period was extended to forty nights which is a fuller number. This favour was granted to Moses because of his faithfulness and sincerity.
The words, and you were transgressors, mean, you resorted to setting up equals with God, because this practice is indeed the greatest ظلمi.e. putting a thing in a wrong place. Elsewhere the Quran says: شرک i.e. attributing partners to God is indeed a great ظلم (31:14).
b
7:143.
c
2:55, 93; 4:154; 7:149, 153; 20:89.
51
穆撒是犹太教的创始人, 他使古以色列人从法老的暴政下解救出来, 是伟大的犹太人先知。按照 «圣经» 资料, 他生活在伊布拉欣之后约五百年, 约比伊撒早一千四百年。他是一位有经的先知; 他身后的一些其他古以色列人先知只是他道统的遵行者。
52
见7:143。
a
7:143.
b
2:55, 93; 4:154; 7:149, 153; 20:89.
58
Important Words:
ظالمون (transgressors) is the plural of ظالم which is derived from ظلم which means (1) he put a thing at a wrong place (2) he transgressed against or wronged a person (Aqrab).
Commentary:
In this verse the incident of calf-worship mentioned in Exodus 32 is related. Man is generally the slave of environment. This is particularly true of a subject people, who assiduously imitate the manners and customs of their rulers. The Israelites had lived under the Pharaohs for a long time, and had imbibed the idolatrous faith of the Egyptians. When they left Egypt with Moses, and came across any idol-worshipping people on the way, they requested Moses again and again to sanction a similar worship for them (7:139). So eager were they for such worship that when Moses went to Mount Sinai, they made a calf and took to worshipping it. They revered the calf, because in Egypt the cow was held in special veneration. Egypt, like India, was an agricultural country where cattle must be of the highest value to man. Hence cow-worship.
The Bible mentions Aaron as having made a calf for the Israelites (Exod. 32:1-6). But the Quran strongly refutes this idea. Aaron was a Prophet of God and could not stoop to idol-worship. Says the Quran, And Aaron had said to them before this, 'O my people, you have only been tried by means of the calf; and surely, the Gracious God is your Lord; so follow me and do as I bid you' (20:91). It is strange that such baseless and incredible stories as the participation of a chosen one of God in idol-worship should find place in a Book which claims to be inspired. It only proves that the Bible has been the object of human interference. It is probable that some interested people deliberately interpolated the sacred writings and ascribed certain vices to the Prophets; and the Christian divines eagerly took them for granted, as they were of good use to them as a means of the exaltation of Jesus over the rest of the Prophets.
The verse speaks of the appointed duration as being of forty nights. In 7: 143 the Quran further tells us that at first the appointed duration was thirty nights, but by a subsequent addition of ten the period was extended to forty nights which is a fuller number. This favour was granted to Moses because of his faithfulness and sincerity.
The words, and you were transgressors, mean, you resorted to setting up equals with God, because this practice is indeed the greatest ظلمi.e. putting a thing in a wrong place. Elsewhere the Quran says: شرک i.e. attributing partners to God is indeed a great ظلم (31:14).
b
7:143.
c
2:55, 93; 4:154; 7:149, 153; 20:89.
90
Moses, the Founder of Judaism, who delivered the Israelites from the tyranny of Pharaoh, was the greatest Israelite Prophet. According to biblical data he lived about 500 years after Abraham and about 1,400 years before Jesus. He was a Law-giving Prophet; the other Israelite Prophets that came after him were only the followers of his system.
91
See 7:143.
92
Man generally is the slave of his environments. This is particularly true of a subject people, who generally imitate the manners and customs of their rulers. The Israelites had lived under the bondage of Pharaohs for a long time, and naturally had imbibed the idolatrous faith of the Egyptians. When they left Egypt with Moses and came across an idol-worshipping people on the way, they requested him to sanction a similar worship for them (7:139).