Surah 2:93

"And when We took a covenant with you, and raised the mountain above you: ‘Hold fast what We have given you, and hear,’ they said, ‘We hear and disobey.’ And they were made to drink the calf in their hearts because of their disbelief. Say: ‘Evil is what your belief commands you, if you are believers.’"

Islamic Commentaries (1)Manuscripts (45)

The Jews rebel after Allah took Their Covenant and raised the Mountain above Their Heads Verses 2:93

Show Full Scripture Context (2:93) — 1 Verse

Verse 93

وَإِذۡ أَخَذۡنَا مِيثَٰقَكُمۡ وَرَفَعۡنَا فَوۡقَكُمُ ٱلطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَآ ءَاتَيۡنَٰكُم بِقُوَّةٖ وَٱسۡمَعُواْۖ قَالُواْ سَمِعۡنَا وَعَصَيۡنَا وَأُشۡرِبُواْ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلۡعِجۡلَ بِكُفۡرِهِمۡۚ قُلۡ بِئۡسَمَا يَأۡمُرُكُم بِهِۦٓ إِيمَٰنُكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ

And when We took a covenant with you, and raised the mountain above you: ‘Hold fast what We have given you, and hear,’ they said, ‘We hear and disobey.’ And they were made to drink the calf in their hearts because of their disbelief. Say: ‘Evil is what your belief commands you, if you are believers.’

Quoted Scripture

"93. And (remember) when We took your covenant and We raised above you the Mount (saying), "Hold firmly to what We have given you and hear (Our Word)." They said, "We have heard and disobeyed." And their hearts absorbed (the worship of) the calf because of their disbelief. Say: "Worst indeed is that which your faith enjoins on you if you are believers.""

The Jews rebel after Allah took Their Covenant and raised the Mountain above Their Heads
Allah reminded the Jews of their errors, breaking His covenant, transgression and defiance, when He raised Mount Tur above them so that they would believe and agree to the terms of the covenant. Yet, they broke it soon afterwards, {They said, "We have heard and disobeyed."} We have mentioned the Tafsir of this subject before. 'Abdur-Razzaq said that Ma'mar narrated that Qatadah said that, {And their hearts absorbed (the worship of) the calf} means, “They absorbed its love, until its love resided in their hearts.” This is also the opinion of Abu Al-'Aliyah and Ar-Rabi' bin Anas. Allah's statement, {Say: "Worst indeed is that which your faith enjoins on you if you are believers."} means, “Worse yet is the manner in which you behaved in the past and even now, disbelieving in Allah's Ayat and defying the Prophets. You also disbelieved in Muhammad which is the worst of your deeds and the harshest sin that you committed. You disbelieved in the Final Messenger and the master of all Prophets and Messengers, the one who was sent to all mankind. How can you then claim that you believe, while committing the evil of breaking Allah's covenant, disbelieving in Allah's Ayat and worshipping the calf instead of Allah?"

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 1, Pages 298-299)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.

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