They argued, “We did not break our promise to you of our own free will, but we were made to carry the burden of the people’s ˹golden˺ jewellery,1 then we threw it ˹into the fire˺, and so did the Sâmiri.”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
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."
— Saheeh International
Then he moulded for them an idol of a calf that made a lowing sound. They said, “This is your god and the god of Moses, but Moses forgot ˹where it was˺!”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
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."
— Saheeh International
Did they not see that it did not respond to them, nor could it protect or benefit them?
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
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?
— Saheeh International
Aaron had already warned them beforehand, “O my people! You are only being tested by this, for indeed your ˹one true˺ Lord is the Most Compassionate. So follow me and obey my orders.”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
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."
— Saheeh International
They replied, “We will not cease to worship it until Moses returns to us.”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
They said, "We will never cease being devoted to it [i.e., the calf] until Moses returns to us."
— Saheeh International
Moses scolded ˹his brother˺, “O Aaron! What prevented you, when you saw them going astray,
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
[Moses] said, "O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray,
— Saheeh International
from following after me? How could you disobey my orders?”1
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
From following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?"
— Saheeh International
Aaron pleaded, “O son of my mother! Do not seize me by my beard or ˹the hair of˺ my head. I really feared that you would say, ‘You have caused division among the Children of Israel, and did not observe my word.’”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
[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.'"
— Saheeh International
Moses then asked, “What did you think you were doing, O Sâmiri?”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
[Moses] said, "And what is your case, O Sāmirī?"
— Saheeh International
He said, “I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful ˹of dust˺ from the hoof-prints of ˹the horse of˺ the messenger-angel ˹Gabriel˺ then cast it ˹on the moulded calf˺. This is what my lower-self tempted me into.”1
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
He said, "I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the track of the messenger1 and threw it,2 and thus did my soul entice me."
— Saheeh International
Moses said, “Go away then! And for ˹the rest of your˺ life you will surely be crying, ‘Do not touch ˹me˺!’1 Then you will certainly have a fate2 that you cannot escape. Now look at your god to which you have been devoted: we will burn it up, then scatter it in the sea completely.”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.'1 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.
— Saheeh International