Translation
We (God) brought the Children of Israel across the sea, and they came upon a people (perhaps Amalekites as described in the Bible) who worshipped idols. They (the Children of Israel) said to Moses: “Set up for us a god like theirs.” Moses rebuked them: “You are behaving like ignorant people. What these people are engaged in will lead them to destruction, and all they do is worthless. How shall I set up a god other than God Who has favored you above all others?” (He reminded them): “How God has delivered you from the people of the Pharaoh who imposed cruel sufferings on you—killing your sons and sparing only your women. This was an enormity of trials from your Sustainer!” 378
We (God) appointed for Moses thirty nights (and days) and added ten more so that his engagement with his Sustainer was for forty nights (and days). Moses instructed his brother Aaron (prior to going up for his engagement): “Be my representative (during my absence) among the people, behave with righteousness, and do not follow the ways of corruption and mischief.”
Moses came up for Our appointment (with God), and his Cherisher God spoke to him. He said: “My Sustainer, show me Yourself so that I might behold You.” He [God] said: “You cannot see Me, but pay attention to this mountain; if it remains firm in its place, only then you can see Me.” Then his Sustainer God shone His glory on the mountain and made it crumble to pieces; Moses fell down, losing his senses. When he recovered, he declared: “You are the most glorious; I turn to You, and I am the first to accept of the believers!” God said: “Moses, I have elevated you among mankind by My messages and by My words. Implement what I convey to you, and remain ever thankful. We articulated for you in the tablets guidance and exposition for all matters (of importance). So commit to these with firmness, and advise your people to follow the goodness therein. I (God) will show you the results of corruption and mischief. I will deprive of My guidance those who act with pride on this earth without justification; they will see every sign but will not accept it; they will see the means to correct themselves but will ignore them, and they will see the means to corrupt themselves and will latch onto them. Such conditions exist because they actively deny Our guidance and remain ignorant of it (see also 96:6–7). Those who reject Our guidance and Our meeting in the Afterlife, theirs is a pursuit not worth anything. How can they be rewarded except based on what they do?”
Interpretation
378 The narrative of Moses is one of the longest in the Qur’an, perhaps to emphasize its relevance to human conditions that tend to get the better of us in every generation unless we are careful about our faith in God, our mutual conduct, and our management of our communities, societal affairs, national priorities, and global peace. The tablet gifted to Moses by God contains the basic foundation of moral and ethical behaviors that all of humanity can attest to, and certainly among the Jews, Christians, and Muslims, these tablets contain guidance that is considered sacred and essential for human societies to evolve and progress. But we also know that having the knowledge and guidance is necessary but not sufficient to guide humanity unless each of us makes a conscious commitment to follow and implement them in our societal constructs. God laid out clearly some of the challenges, one of which is the willful and arrogance denial and disregard of such guidance and also the apprehension that Moses had when he instructed his brother Aaron to oversee his community in his absence since they were prone to worshipping false gods and disparaging moral boundaries, as is evident from stories in the Bible and the Torah.
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REFLECTION
These stories of the prophets and their communities are living reminders for each generation to seek renewed ways to find the truth and to improve human conditions and not fall victim to the same lapses we see throughout history. For the Muslims, the early conflicts that ensued with Ali, the fourth Caliph; Aisha, the wife of the prophet; and other companions; as well as the atrocities committed by sons of Muwabia, the first ruler of the Ummayyad dynasty, which took control of the growing emergence of Muslims and Islam, are stark reminders of how human conditions degenerate rapidly if we do not have the moral courage and physical commitment to uphold truth and justice in society. The same situation continues to exist in Muslim countries where Shia-Sunni conflicts are causing the daily loss of innocent lives while each party calls themselves Muslims, where we have tolerated leaders such as Gaddafi and Saddam Hossain and let corruption overtake civil society, where cultural Islam overtakes real Islam, and where our self-proclaimed religious leaders and scholars are more interested in looking like Arabs and glorifying past generations than in speaking the Islam that is relevant today for our generation. As God said, those who have passed away will have their rewards from God, and those who are present will be accountable for their own deeds.
ACTION
Truly understanding the human guidance that God has given us and which the prophets and people of conscience have tried to implement in human societies is an obligation on each one of us. All of us will be judged based on what we do within our own community and within the sphere of influence that God has placed us in.