Verse 20:90 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

86 فَرَجَعَ مُوسَىٰۤ إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦ غَضۡبَـٰنَ أَسِفࣰاۚ قَالَ یَـٰقَوۡمِ أَلَمۡ یَعِدۡكُمۡ رَبُّكُمۡ وَعۡدًا حَسَنًاۚ أَفَطَالَ عَلَیۡكُمُ ٱلۡعَهۡدُ أَمۡ أَرَدتُّمۡ أَن یَحِلَّ عَلَیۡكُمۡ غَضَبࣱ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ فَأَخۡلَفۡتُم مَّوۡعِدِی ۝٨٦ farajaʿa mūsā ilā qawmihi ghaḍbāna asifan qāla yāqawmi alam yaʿid'kum rabbukum waʿdan ḥasanan afaṭāla ʿalaykumu l-ʿahdu am aradttum an yaḥilla ʿalaykum ghaḍabun min rabbikum fa-akhlaftum mawʿid Moses returned to his people, angry and aggrieved. He said, ‘My people, did your Lord not make you a gracious promise? Was my absence too long for you? Did you want anger to fall on you from your Lord and so broke your word to me?’ 87 قَالُوا۟ مَاۤ أَخۡلَفۡنَا مَوۡعِدَكَ بِمَلۡكِنَا وَلَـٰكِنَّا حُمِّلۡنَاۤ أَوۡزَارࣰا مِّن زِینَةِ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ فَقَذَفۡنَـٰهَا فَكَذَ ٰلِكَ أَلۡقَى ٱلسَّامِرِیُّ ۝٨٧ qālū mā akhlafnā mawʿidaka bimalkinā walākinnā ḥummil'nā awzāran min zīnati l-qawmi faqadhafnāhā fakadhālika alqā l-sāmiriy They said, ‘We did not break our word to you deliberately. We were burdened with the weight of people’s jewellery, so we threw it [into the fire], and the Samiri did the same,’ 88 فَأَخۡرَجَ لَهُمۡ عِجۡلࣰا جَسَدࣰا لَّهُۥ خُوَارࣱ فَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَاۤ إِلَـٰهُكُمۡ وَإِلَـٰهُ مُوسَىٰ فَنَسِیَ ۝٨٨ fa-akhraja lahum ʿij'lan jasadan lahu khuwārun faqālū hādhā ilāhukum wa-ilāhu mūsā fanasiy but he [used the molten jewellery to] produce an image of a calf which made a lowing sound, and they said, ‘This is your god and Moses’ god, but he has forgotten.’ 89 أَفَلَا یَرَوۡنَ أَلَّا یَرۡجِعُ إِلَیۡهِمۡ قَوۡلࣰا وَلَا یَمۡلِكُ لَهُمۡ ضَرࣰّا وَلَا نَفۡعࣰا ۝٨٩ afalā yarawna allā yarjiʿu ilayhim qawlan walā yamliku lahum ḍarran walā nafʿa Did they not see that [the calf] gave them no answer, that it had no power to harm or benefit them

90 وَلَقَدۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ هَـٰرُونُ مِن قَبۡلُ یَـٰقَوۡمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِۦۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ فَٱتَّبِعُونِی وَأَطِیعُوۤا۟ أَمۡرِی ۝٩٠ walaqad qāla lahum hārūnu min qablu yāqawmi innamā futintum bihi wa-inna rabbakumu l-raḥmānu fa-ittabiʿūnī wa-aṭīʿū amr Aaron did say to them, ‘My people, this calf is a test for you. Your true Lord is the Lord of Mercy, so follow me and obey my orders,’

91 قَالُوا۟ لَن نَّبۡرَحَ عَلَیۡهِ عَـٰكِفِینَ حَتَّىٰ یَرۡجِعَ إِلَیۡنَا مُوسَىٰ ۝٩١ qālū lan nabraḥa ʿalayhi ʿākifīna ḥattā yarjiʿa ilaynā mūs but they replied, ‘We shall not give up our devotion to it until Moses returns to us.’ 92 قَالَ یَـٰهَـٰرُونُ مَا مَنَعَكَ إِذۡ رَأَیۡتَهُمۡ ضَلُّوۤا۟ ۝٩٢ qāla yāhārūnu mā manaʿaka idh ra-aytahum ḍall Moses said, ‘When you realized they had gone astray, what prevented you, Aaron 93 أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِۖ أَفَعَصَیۡتَ أَمۡرِی ۝٩٣ allā tattabiʿani afaʿaṣayta amr from coming after me? How could you disobey my orders?’ 94 قَالَ یَبۡنَؤُمَّ لَا تَأۡخُذۡ بِلِحۡیَتِی وَلَا بِرَأۡسِیۤۖ إِنِّی خَشِیتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقۡتَ بَیۡنَ بَنِیۤ إِسۡرَ ٰۤءِیلَ وَلَمۡ تَرۡقُبۡ قَوۡلِی ۝٩٤ qāla yabna-umma lā takhudh biliḥ'yatī walā birasī innī khashītu an taqūla farraqta bayna banī is'rāīla walam tarqub qawl He said, ‘Son of my mother- let go of my beard and my hair!- I was afraid you would say, “You have caused division among the children of Israel and have not heeded what I said.”’