Juz 16 — Qal Alam

They said, "We did not break our promise to you by our will, but we were made to carry burdens from the ornaments of the people [of Pharaoh], so we threw them [into the fire], and thus did the Sāmirī throw."

And he extracted for them [the statue of] a calf which had a lowing sound, and they said, "This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot."

Did they not see that it could not return to them any speech [i.e., response] and that it did not possess for them any harm or benefit?

And Aaron had already told them before [the return of Moses], "O my people, you are only being tested by it, and indeed, your Lord is the Most Merciful, so follow me and obey my order."

They said, "We will never cease being devoted to it [i.e., the calf] until Moses returns to us."

[Moses] said, "O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray,

From following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?"

[Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, 'You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.'"

[Moses] said, "And what is your case, O Sāmirī?"

He said, "I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the track of the messenger and threw it, and thus did my soul entice me."

[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.' And indeed, you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. And look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will surely burn it and blow it [i.e., its ashes] into the sea with a blast.

Your god is only Allāh, except for whom there is no deity. He has encompassed all things in knowledge."

Thus, [O Muḥammad], We relate to you from the news of what has preceded. And We have certainly given you from Us a message [i.e., the Qur’ān].

Whoever turns away from it - then indeed, he will bear on the Day of Resurrection a burden [i.e., great sin],

[Abiding] eternally therein, and evil it is for them on the Day of Resurrection as a load -

The Day the Horn will be blown. And We will gather the criminals, that Day, blue-eyed.

They will murmur among themselves, "You remained not but ten [days in the world]."

We are most knowing of what they say when the best of them in manner [i.e., wisdom or speech] will say, "You remained not but one day."

And they ask you about the mountains, so say, "My Lord will blow them away with a blast.

And He will leave it [i.e., the earth] a level plain;