Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 93
Quran 2:93 · The Cow · Madani · Para 1 · Page 14
وَاِذْ اَخَذْنَا مِیْثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّوْرَ ؕ خُذُوْا مَاۤ اٰتَیْنٰكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ وَّاسْمَعُوْا ؕ قَالُوْا سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَیْنَا ۗ وَاُشْرِبُوْا فِیْ قُلُوْبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ ؕ قُلْ بِئْسَمَا یَاْمُرُكُمْ بِهٖۤ اِیْمَانُكُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِیْنَ ۟
Transliteration
Wa-ith akhathna meethaqakumwarafaAAna fawqakumu attoora khuthooma ataynakum biquwwatin wasmaAAoo qaloosamiAAna waAAasayna waoshriboo feequloobihimu alAAijla bikufrihim qul bi/sama ya/murukumbihi eemanukum in kuntum mu/mineen
Saheeh International
And [recall] when We took your covenant and raised over you the mount, [saying], "Take what We have given you with determination and listen." They said [instead], "We hear and disobey." And their hearts absorbed [the worship of] the calf because of their disbelief. Say, "How wretched is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you should be believers."
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
Remember when you made a binding promise with God to follow Moses, peace be upon him, and to accept what he brought from God. God raised the mountain over you so that you were awestruck, and told you to hold tightly and seriously to the scripture He had sent you, and to listen and follow what was revealed to you, if not God would make the mountain fall upon you, you said that you heard with your ears and rebelled in your actions. The worship of the calf took hold of their hearts because of their denial and ingratitude. O Muhammad, what their faith commands them to do is evil: disbelieving and turning away from what Allah instructs them to do – if they have any faith at all – because if they truly had faith they would not disbelieve and turn away from it.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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. (93)
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,
قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا
(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,
وَأُشْرِبُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ
(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,
قُلْ بِئْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِهِ إِيمَانُكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
(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 ﷺ, 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?"