The Idol Worship Incident: Lesson Learned from Bani Israel

Lesson 9

Lesson Objectives To understand why the Bani Israel returned to idol worshipping in the absence of P Musa (a) The examine the punishment and forgiveness of Bani Israeel

The Worship of the Calf.

During this interim a strange incident occurred. A person called Saamiry , who outwardly professed to be a Muslim, took advantage of Hazrat Moosa s lengthened absence. He told the Bani Israeel : That jewellery which you borrowed from the Egyptians can not be returned. Instead bring it to me and I will make it beneficial to you.

The Bani Israeel handed over all the jewellery to Saamiry. He gathered it all and formed the body of a calf. Then he took a handful of sand which he had kept with him and threw in to the body of the calf. Through this scheme he created some semblance of life. The mooing sound of a calf began to emit from it. Then Saamiry said to the Bani Israeel : Moosa made a mistake. This is your deity.

In this manner Saamiry led the Bani Israeel to idolatry. When Hazrat Haroon beheld this he tried to dissuade the Bani Israeel from this idolatry. He tried to make them understand that this was the path to deviation. But they refused to obey him. They said : Until Moosa returns we will not abstain from this. What are your thoughts on this event?

Until it reached such a stage that Allaah Taala deemed it necessary to inform Hazrat Moosa . Allaah Ta ala addressed him saying: Oh Moosa ! Why did you leave your people and come in such haste? Hazrat Moosa replied: Oh Allaah! I hastened to your presence in order to receive guidance for the people. At that moment Allaah Ta ala informed him: Those same people for whose guidance you are so anxious are involved in idolatry.

How did Prophet Musa feel?

When Hazrat Moosa heard this he was terribly grieved. Angry and disheartened, he returned to his people. He addressed his people saying: What have you done! For how long have I delayed that you have become involved in this calamity. He was trembling with such fury that slates of the Tauraat fell from his hands. The Bani Israeel replied: It is not our fault. Saamiry took the Egyptians gold from us and created this farce. He incited us to this idolatry.

Polytheism is something that the honour of a prophet can not bear. This together with his fiery temper caused him to seize his brother, Hazrat Haroon, by the neck, and as his hands advanced to Hazrat Haroon s beard, Hazrat Haroon said : Oh my brother! It was not my fault. In every possible way I tried to make to them listen! But they refused saying that : Until Moosa comes we will not listen to you. In fact, finding they were intending to kill me. When I realised the extent it had reached I thought that if a war broke out between them and the true Muslims, I must not be accused of causing a rift among the people. Therefore I silently awaited your arrival. My dear brother don t pull my hair and please let go of my beard! Do not give the others an opportunity to laugh at us.

Upon hearing this, the anger that was directed at Hazrat Haroon subsided. Then he turned to Saamiry saying: Saamiry! What farce did you conjure? Saamiry replied: I saw such a thing which they (the Bani Israeel) did not see. When Firown was drowning, Hazrat Jibraeel was mounted on a horse, thus forming a barrier between the Bani Israeel and the Egyptians. I saw signs of life being left on the sand which bore the hoof prints of Hazrat Jibraeel s horse. Vegetation sprouted on the dry ground touched by the hooves of the horse. I took a handful of that soil and threw into the calf, which created some form of life, and it began to emit a mooing sound .

Hazrat Moosa said: Very well, in this world you will be punished in this manner that you will wander about like a mad-man. When anybody comes near you, you will run away screaming: Don t touch me! On the Day of Judgement you will find the Divine punishment that has been decreed for such disobedient ones. Oh Saamiry! Listen to this as well. That calf which you have made into a deity will be cast into the fire and be reduced to ash. That ashes will then cast into ocean so that you and your foolish followers may realise that the might and power of your deity is such that let alone assisting others it can not even save itself from destruction.

The Forgiveness of the Bani Israeel.

When Hazrat Moosa anger abated, he picked up the slates of the Tauraat and turned to Allaah Ta ala. He enquired as to what form of punishment should be meted out to the sinners. The reply received was that those people who had resorted to idolatry had to give up their lives. It is mentioned in a tradition of Nasai Shareef that Hazrat Moosa told the Bani Israeel: Your repentance (Towbah) is only possible in this way that; the sinners should end their lives in this manner that, that relative who is the most beloved should kill him with his own hands.

Meaning that the father should kill the son; the son, the father; and the brother had to kill his brother. The Bani Israeel did not have any alternative but to surrender to this command. In this manner, many of the Bani Israeel were killed. When the situation came to this extreme Hazrat Moosa prostrated himself to Allaah Ta ala, and begged the Divine Master: Oh Allaah! Now have mercy on them and forgive them.

This prayer of Hazrat Moosa was accepted and Allaah Ta ala said: We have forgiven both the killer and the one who has been killed. We have also forgiven those sinners who are still alive. But let be known that in future they should not even go near idolatry.

What idols might we worship?