Surah 20:90

"Certainly Aaron had said to them before, ‘My people! You are only being tempted by it. Surely your Lord is the Merciful, so follow me and obey my command!’"

Contradictions (1)Islamic Commentaries (1)Manuscripts (34)

Harun prohibits them from worship of Calf and the Persistence of the Children of Israel in doing so Verses 20:90-91

Show Full Scripture Context (20:90-91) — 2 Verses

Verse 90

وَلَقَدۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ هَٰرُونُ مِن قَبۡلُ يَٰقَوۡمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِۦۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ فَٱتَّبِعُونِي وَأَطِيعُوٓاْ أَمۡرِي

Certainly Aaron had said to them before, ‘My people! You are only being tempted by it. Surely your Lord is the Merciful, so follow me and obey my command!’

Verse 91

قَالُواْ لَن نَّبۡرَحَ عَلَيۡهِ عَٰكِفِينَ حَتَّىٰ يَرۡجِعَ إِلَيۡنَا مُوسَىٰ

They said, ‘We shall continue (to be) devoted to it until Moses returns to us.’

Allah, the Exalted, informs of Harun’s attempt to prohibit them from worshipping the calf and his telling them that this was only a test for them. He told them that their Lord was the Most Beneficent, Who created everything and decreed for everything its just measure. He is the Owner of the Mighty Throne, the One Who does whatever He wants.

Quoted Scripture

"so follow me and obey my order."

Meaning, “Follow me in that which I am commanding you with and leave that which I forbid you from.”

Quoted Scripture

"They said : "We will not stop ivorshipping it, until Musa returns to us.""

meaning, “We will not cease in our worship of this calf until we hear what Musa has to say about it.” So they opposed Harun in this matter and they fought against him, nearly killing him.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 6, Page 378-379)

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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