Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalaam Aleikum.

I was listening to a cd of the Lives of the Prophets & I came across this incident of Mosa(a.s.), when the Bani Israel worship the calf & than ask for forgiveness from Allah(s.w.t.) Allah accepts their taw bah but asks them "to kill yourself"!!!!!!!

As per the narrator he recites an ayah from the Quran & translates it this way. Do you know of anything like this happening?? Basically he(narrator) explains that Allah(s.w.t.) wants the Bani Israel Who did not worship the calf, but who also did not stop the others worshipping, to kill the ones who worshipped it.

Also the narrator says that on that day 70,000 lives were take – massacre!!!

Please shed some light on this issue & if you have the time send me the Surah/Ayat number.

Thanks & Fee amanillah.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Kill yourselves in Surah Baqarah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 54:And remember Moses said to his people: "O my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf, so turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker." Then He (Allah) turned toward you (in forgiveness); for He is Oft-returning Most Merciful.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 153:The people of the Book ask thee to cause a book to descend to them from heaven: indeed they asked Moses for an even greater (miracle) for they said: "Show us Allah in public" but they were dazed for their presumption with thunder and lightning. Yet they worshipped the calf even after clear signs had come to them; even so We forgave them; and gave Moses manifest proofs of authority.

In the particular episode of the people of Prophet Musa (a.s.) who worshipped the calf, the only knowledge we have for surety is the Aayahs of the Glorious Quran.

From the Aayah of Surah Baqarah quoted above, it is evident that the verdict of Prophet Musa (a.s.) was that he ordered the guilty ones to be killed as a form of penitence to the Merciful Lord for their heinous act of shirk!

From the same Aayah it can be taken that Allah Subhanah turned towards them in forgiveness after they had slayed the guilty ones amongst them; or it could also be that Allah Subhanah accepted the repentance of the people of Prophet Musa (a.s.) and forgave even the guilty ones. Allah Alone Knows Best.

There is of course a mention of this incident in the Old Testament; but we can neither confirm its authenticity, nor deny it.

"Go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man, his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor... and there fell of the people that day 3,000 men."

Old Testament, The Book of Exodus xxxii 27-28

Your Statement: Basically he(narrator) explains that Allah(s.w.t.) wants the Bani Israelwho did not worship the calf, but who also did not stop the others worshipping, to kill the ones who worshipped it. Also the narrator says that on that day 70,000 lives were take -massacre!!!

The Quran and the Sunnah are silent regarding the exact nature of the proceedings that took place, beyond what is specifically stated in the Glorious Quran. Thus, it is probable that the details the narrator related, was from sources other than the Quran and Sunnah when he states who exactly were killed, and that 70,000 people were killed on that occasion.

As quoted above from the Old Testament, there is indeed a mention of the killing of 3,000 men amongst the guilty ones!

Because there are no specific details in the Quran and Sunnah, we can neither say for sure that the reports of the Old Testament are absolutely true; nor can we deny them with certainty!

Allah Subhanah gives a very detailed account of the incident of the people of Prophet Musa (a.s.) making and worshipping the image of the calf when he (a.s.) went to the Mount for forty nights as commanded by Allah Subhanah; but Allah Subhanah, in His Absolute and Perfect Wisdom has not given the details of who and how many were killed (if any) in the Glorious Quran. The reason for not stating the exact details of who and how many were killed (if any) is not because (Audobillah) Allah Subhanah forgot or did not know…but because the reason of relating this incident is not to figure out the exact physical details, but its main reason is so that the believers may take a lesson from what transpired to the people of Prophet Moses (a.s.) and not repeat the same mistakes and errors made by those people!

And that is the prime reason why Allah Subhanah mentions and lists the various transgression of the people of Prophet Musa (a.s.) in many Surahs of the Quran; thereby warning the believers that if they too did the same things, they too would be cursed by Allah Subhanah!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan