Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 150

Moses returned to his people from his meeting with His Lord full of anger and sadness upon finding them worshipping the calf. He said: 'What an evil condition you have fallen into after me O people, which leads only to ruin and misery! Were you tired of waiting for the appointed time of your Lord assigned for me – the forty nights – so you started to worship the calf!' Moses threw the Tablets down because of his extreme anger and sadness, and took his brother Aaron by the head and beard and dragged him, because he had been with them and had not been able to stop them from worshipping the calf. Aaron said to his brother Moses: 'O son of my mother, indeed the people considered me to be weak, not respecting me, and they had almost killed me; so do not punish me in a way that would make my enemies rejoice, and do not to include me out of your anger among the people who had done wrong by worshipping other than Allah.'

And when Musa returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said: "What an evil thing is that which you have done during my absence. Did you hasten in matter of your Lord?" And he threw down the Tablets and seized his brother by (the hair of) his head and dragged him towards him. He (Harun) said: "O son of my mother! Indeed the people judged me weak and were about to kill me, so make not the enemies rejoice over me, nor put me among the people who are wrongdoers. (150)He (Musa) said: "O my Lord! Forgive me and my brother, and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. (151)

Allah states that when Musa returned to his people after conversation with his Lord, he became angry and full of regret. Abu Ad-Darda' said that Asif, or regret, is the severest type of anger.

قَالَ بِئْسَمَا خَلَفْتُمُونِي مِن بَعْدِي

(He (Musa) said: "What an evil thing is that which you have done during my absence.") evil it is that which you committed after I departed and left you, by worshiping the calf,

أَعَجِلْتُمْ أَمْرَ رَبِّكُمْ

(Did you hasten in the matter of your Lord?)

Musa said, 'You wanted me to rush back to you, even though [being there] this was Allah's decision?' Allah said next,

وَأَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ

(And he threw down the Tablets and seized his brother by his head and dragged him towards him.)

This Ayah demonstrates the meaning of the Hadith,

لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَةِ

(Information is not the same as observation.)

It indicates that Musa threw down the Tablets because he was angry at his people, according to the majority of scholars of early and latter times. Allah said,

وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ

(and seized his brother by (the hair of) his head and dragged him towards him.) for Musa feared that Harun might have not tried hard enough to forbid them from their evil action. In another Ayah, Allah said,

قَالَ يَا هَارُونُ مَا مَنَعَكَ إِذْ رَأَيْتَهُمْ ضَلُّوا - أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِ أَفَعَصَيْتَ أَمْرِي - قَالَ يَا ابْنَ أُمَّ لَا تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِي وَلَا بِرَأْسِي إِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَمْ تَرْقُبْ قَوْلِي

((He [Musa] said: "O Harun ! What prevented you when you saw them going astray. That you followed me not (according to my advice to you)? Have you then disobeyed my order?" He [Harun] said: "O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my beard, nor by my head! Verily, I feared lest you should say: 'You have caused a division among the Children of Israel, and you have not respected (waited or observed) my word!'")[20:92-94].

Here, Allah said that Harun said,

ابْنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُونِي وَكَادُوا يَقْتُلُونَنِي فَلَا تُشْمِتْ بِيَ الْأَعْدَاءَ وَلَا تَجْعَلْنِي مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

("O son of my mother! Indeed the people judged me weak and were about to kill me, so make not the enemies rejoice over me, nor put me among the people who are wrongdoers.")

Harun said, 'Do not place me on the same level as they are, as if I was one of them.' Further, Harun said, 'O son of my mother', so that Musa would feel more mercy and leniency towards him, even though Harun was also the son of Musa's father. When Musa was satisfied that his brother was innocent,

وَلَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُمْ هَارُونُ مِن قَبْلُ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ فَاتَّبِعُونِي وَأَطِيعُوا أَمْرِي

(And Harun indeed had said to them beforehand: "O my people! You are being tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allah) the Most Gracious, so follow me and obey my order.")[20:90], this is when,

قَالَ

(he said) Musa,

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِأَخِي وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِي رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

("O my Lord! Forgive me and my brother, and admit us into Your mercy, for you are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.")

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn 'Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

يَرْحَمُ اللهُ مُوسَى لَيْسَ الْمُعَايِنُ كَالْمُخْبِرِ أَخْبَرَهُ رَبُّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّ قَوْمَهُ فُتِنُوا بَعْدَهُ فَلَمْ يَلْقَ الْأَلْوَاحَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُمْ وَعَايَنَهُمْ أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ

(May Allah grant His mercy to Musa! Surely, he who observes [something] is nothing like he who is informed about it. His Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored, told him that his people were tested after him, but he did not throw the Tablets. When he saw them with his eyes, then he threw the Tablets.)