SAMIRI AND THE CALF
ALLAH says in the quran in surah ta ha, verses 83 to 85:
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“And what has made you hasten from your people, o musa?” he said, “they are close upon my track, and I hastened on to you, my lord, that you might be pleased. “He said, “surely, we have temped your people after you, and the samiri has ied them astray
After Allah brought the banu isra’il to the other side of the sea safely and rescued them from to Sinai, the desert, a total wilderness. There was not even a tree to provide them shadi, and no food whatsoever. They began to die from hunger, thirst and heat. Then Allah had mercy on them and sent the cloud to provide shade to them and he sent down to them mana and salwa to eat. Then Allah revealed to sayyidina musa (……………….) that he should strike his staff at the rock opposite to him so that if would emit twelve springs for the twelve tribes of the banu isra’il Allah told him that he would reveal to him the torah for the banu isra’il to receive guidance from it and succeed in world and the next. He appointed for him forty nights in which to worship Allah and keep fast to gain nearness to Allah. So, sayyidina musa (…………………..) spent these night on the mount tur in the sacred valley. He left behind his brother sayyidina haron (……………………) to look after the banu isra;il during his absence so that they may not go astray.
There, he got the torah inscribed on the tablets. Allah told him afterwards that his people were subjected to a trial. Samiri had misled them by making a golden calf and fooling them into worship of it. People no longer worshiped Allah, but they worshiped the calf.
Dear children! Samiri waited for sayyidina musa (………….) to go. Then he, took from the banisra’il their gold, melted it and molded it into a calf in which he made two holes, one behind it and one at its nose. When wind went through one hole out of the other, it made a sound resembling a calf’s moo. This contraption fooled the banu isra’il who began to prostrate to the calf. Hazrat harun (…………….) told them that they were misled while their lord was ar-rahman (the compassionate) but they asserted that they would not abandon their ways till sayyidina musa (……………) came to them.
Allah permitted sayyidina musa (…………..) to return. When he found them in their evil ways, he flew into a terrible rage. He put aside the tablets and held sayyidina harun (……………….) by the hair on his head and beard asking him why he did not stop them. He said that he was afraid lest they divide into two groups, one flowing him and the other following samiri. Sayyidina musa (……………..) then turned to samiri and took him to task for doing as he did.
Samiri said that his self had made it seem good to him. He had no regrets whatsoever. So, sayyidina musa (………………..)Expelled him from the banuisra’il and told the people that they should severe ties with him and never speak to him till death. As for the calf, sayyidina musa (………………….) put in the fire to burn down to ashes which he threw in the sea. In this way He impressed upon the calf-worshippers that their god could not defend itself, how could it be expected to help others As a result, they repented and came back to the straight path. However, Allah did not forgive them merely because of their regret. He said that his with would overtake them and they would suffer humiliation in this world. Allah decreed that they should kill each other to qualify for forgiveness from Allah. So, sayyidina musa (……) announced to them that since they had done the wrong, they must kill each other to earn Allah’s forgiveness.
So, they began to kill each other and a large number of them were slain. This was punishment that they had invited on themselves. Allah says:
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‘And Allah wronged them not, but they used to wrong themselves.”(surah an-nahal, verse 33)
{THIS NARRATIVE IS ALSO FOUND IN STORIES. Of haddith p. 100
Darul isha’at Karachi}