A long time ago, after the great miracle at the sea, Prophet Musa led his people the Bani Israel through the desert. At that time, Allah called Musa to a special mountain called Mount Sinai. There, Allah wanted to give him important teachings for the people.
Musa goes to the mountain
Musa told his brother Harun, “Stay with our people while I go up the mountain to talk to Allah.” Harun agreed and promised to look after everyone.
Musa climbed up the big, rocky mountain and there he talked to Allah. Musa was full of wonder and listened closely. Allah gave him special instructions that would help the people live well and follow the right path.
The people forget
While Musa was gone, some people among the Bani Israel started to feel impatient and worried. They forgot about how Allah had saved them from Pharaoh. They wanted something they could see and touch.
A man named Samiri had an idea. He said, “Let’s take the gold we have and make something to worship.” And so, they did something very wrong. They melted down their gold and shaped a calf out of it. The calf couldn’t talk or move, but some of the people began to worship it.
Harun tried to stop them. He said, “Remember Allah and what He has done for us!” But some people did not listen.
Musa comes back
When Musa came down from the mountain and saw the golden calf, he was very upset and sad. “How could you forget Allah so quickly?” he asked. His heart was heavy like a stone.
Musa knew it was important to remind everyone that Allah is the one true God, so he helped the people understand their mistake. He told them about the teachings Allah had given him on the mountain.
Learning to do right
The people felt sorry for what they did. They promised never to forget Allah again. They said, “We will follow Allah’s ways and will not do bad things again.”
Musa was happy to see them learning from their mistake and turning back to Allah. Allah forgives those who truly feel sorry and want to do good.
Questions to ponder
- Why did the people make a golden calf?
- How did Musa feel when he saw the calf?
- What can we learn from this story about forgiveness?
The message of the story
Allah is the one true God, and no one should ever forget Him. Even if we make mistakes, if we truly say sorry and want to do better, Allah forgives us. He is full of mercy and love.
Verses from the Quran
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:51-54)
"And ˹remember˺ when We appointed forty nights for Moses, then you worshipped the calf in his absence, acting wrongfully."
"Even then We ˹still˺ forgave you so perhaps you would be grateful."
"And ˹remember˺ when We gave Moses the Scripture—the decisive authority—that perhaps you would be ˹rightly˺ guided."
"And ˹remember˺ when Moses said to his people, “O my people! Surely you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf, so turn in repentance to your Creator and execute ˹the calf-worshippers among˺ yourselves. That is best for you in the sight of your Creator.” Then He accepted your repentance. Surely He is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful."
Surah Al-A'raf (7:148-152)
"In the absence of Moses, his people made from their ˹golden˺ jewellery an idol of a calf that made a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to the ˹Right˺ Path? Still they took it as a god and were wrongdoers."
"Later, when they were filled with remorse and realized they had gone astray, they cried, “If our Lord does not have mercy on us and forgive us, we will certainly be losers."
"When Moses returned to his people, ˹totally˺ furious and sorrowful, he said, “What an evil thing you committed in my absence! Did you want to hasten your Lord’s torment?” Then he threw down the Tablets and grabbed his brother by the hair, dragging him closer. Aaron pleaded, “O son of my mother! The people overpowered me and were about to kill me. So do not ˹humiliate me and˺ make my enemies rejoice, nor count me among the wrongdoing people."
"Moses prayed, “My Lord! Forgive me and my brother! And admit us into Your mercy. You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."
"Those who worshipped the calf will certainly be afflicted with wrath from their Lord as well as disgrace in the life of this world. This is how We reward those who invent falsehood."
Surah Ta-Ha (20:85-97)
"Allah responded, “We have indeed tested your people in your absence, and the Sâmiri has led them astray."
"So Moses returned to his people, furious and sorrowful. He said, “O my people! Had your Lord not made you a good promise? Has my absence been too long for you? Or have you wished for wrath from your Lord to befall you, so you broke your promise to me?"
"They argued, “We did not break our promise to you of our own free will, but we were made to carry the burden of the people’s ˹golden˺ jewellery, then we threw it ˹into the fire˺, and so did the Sâmiri."
"Then he moulded for them an idol of a calf that made a lowing sound. They said, “This is your god and the god of Moses, but Moses forgot ˹where it was˺!”"
"Did they not see that it did not respond to them, nor could it protect or benefit them?"
"Aaron had already warned them beforehand, “O my people! You are only being tested by this, for indeed your ˹one true˺ Lord is the Most Compassionate. So follow me and obey my orders."
"They replied, “We will not cease to worship it until Moses returns to us."
"Moses scolded ˹his brother˺, “O Aaron! What prevented you, when you saw them going astray,"
"from following after me? How could you disobey my orders?"
"Aaron pleaded, “O son of my mother! Do not seize me by my beard or ˹the hair of˺ my head. I really feared that you would say, ‘You have caused division among the Children of Israel, and did not observe my word."
"Moses then asked, “What did you think you were doing, O Sâmiri?"
"He said, “I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful ˹of dust˺ from the hoof-prints of ˹the horse of˺ the messenger-angel ˹Gabriel˺ then cast it ˹on the moulded calf˺. This is what my lower-self tempted me into."
"Moses said, “Go away then! And for ˹the rest of your˺ life you will surely be crying, ‘Do not touch ˹me˺!’ Then you will certainly have a fate that you cannot escape. Now look at your god to which you have been devoted: we will burn it up, then scatter it in the sea completely."
