سورة الاٴعرَاف
Surah Al-A‘râf 7:148
The Elevated Places · Verse 148 of 206
وَاتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَىٰ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا لَهُ خُوَارٌ ۚ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّهُ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلًا ۘ اتَّخَذُوهُ وَكَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ
Abdul Mannan Omar
And the people of Moses in his absence, made out of their ornaments a calf; a mere frame (of saffron hue), with a lowing sound. Could they not see that it neither spoke to them, nor guided them to any way? Yet they took it (for god to worship) and became wrongdoers.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
The people of Moses made, in his absence, out of their ornaments, the image of calf, (for worship): it seemed to low: did they not see that it could neither speak to them, nor show them the way? They took it for worship and they did wrong.
Ahmed Ali
In the absence of Moses his people prepared the image of a calf from their ornaments, which gave out the mooing of a cow. Yet they did not see it could neither speak to them nor guide them to the right path. Even then they took it (for a deity) and did wrong.
12 more translations
Ali Unal
The people of Moses, after he (had left them to meet with his Lord), adopted for worship a calf (in effigy, made) of their ornaments, which gave out a lowing sound. Did they not see that it neither spoke to them nor guided them to a way? They adopted it for worship and so became wrongdoers (acting contrary to all the truths of creation and Divine commandments, and thereby wronging their very selves).
Daryabadi
And ehe people of Musa, after him, took of their trinkets a calf: a body with a low. Saw they not that it spake nor unto them nor could guide them to a way? They took it, and became wrong-doers.
Faridul Haque
And behind Moosa, his people moulded a calf from their ornaments - a lifeless body making sounds like a cow; did they not see that it neither speaks to them nor guides them in any way? They chose it (for worship), and were unjust.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
And Moses
Maulvi Sher Ali
And the people of Moses made, in his absence, out of their ornaments, a calf - a lifeless body, producing a lowing sound. Did they not see that it spoke not to them, nor guided them to any way? They took it for worship and they were transgressors.
Muhammad Asad
AND IN his absence the people of Moses took to worshipping the effigy of a calf [made] of their ornaments, which gave forth a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak unto them nor guide them in any way? [And yet] they took to worshipping it, for they were evildoers:
Muhammad Musin Khan
And the people of Musa (Moses) made in his absence, out of their ornaments, the image of a calf (for worship). It had a sound (as if it was mooing). Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to the way? They took it for worship and they were Zalimun (wrong- doers).
Muhammad Pickthall
And the folk of Moses, after (he left them), chose a calf (for worship), (made) out of their ornaments, of saffron hue, which gave a lowing sound. Saw they not that it spake not unto them nor guided them to any way? They chose it, and became wrong-doers.
Muhammad Sarwar
In Moses' absence, his people manufactured a hollow sounding calf out of their ornaments. Could they not see that it could not speak to them or provide them with any guidance? They gained only evil by worshipping the calf.
Muhammed ali Shakir
And Musa's people made of their ornaments a calf after him, a (mere) body, which gave a mooing sound. What! could they not see that it did not speak to them nor guide them m the way? They took it (for worship) and they were unjust.
Rashad Khalifa
During his absence, Moses' people made from their jewelry the statue of a calf, complete with the sound of a calf. Did they not see that it could not speak to them, or guide them in any path? They worshipped it, and thus turned wicked.
Shabbir Ahmed
The people of Moses made up a calf out of their ornaments while Moses was at the Mount Sinai. They made it such that blowing into it produced a lowing sound. They did not even see that it could not talk to them or show them any path. Still they chose it as a god, and thus wronged their own ‘self’.
Commentary 7:148 The calf is condemned as a deity unable to speak or answer the supplications. The criteria of a true deity are that it must be able to speak to its…
وَاتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَىٰ مِن بَعْدِهِ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا لَّهُ خُوَارٌ ۚ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّهُ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلًا ۘ
7:148 The calf is condemned as a deity unable to speak or answer the supplications. The criteria of a true deity are that it must be able to speak to its servants and respond to their supplications. A deity that cannot speak is no better than a mute and useless calf. Therefore, it is wrong to think that, whereas Allâh used to speak in the past, He has ceased to do so now. No attribute of Allâh can cease to operate or become extinct. The gift of Divine Revelation (wahî وحي and mukâshifât مُكاشفات) is attainable even now, as it was attainable in the past. This was the message of all Mujaddadîn (Reformers), Muhaddathîn (Recipients of Divine Revelation), Auliyâ (Saints) and other spiritual Imâms of the era after the Prophet Muhammad, and we have several examples of such people.