Transliteration:( Faraja'a Moosaaa ilaa qawmihee ghadbaana asifaa; qaala yaa qawmi alam ya'idkum Rabbukum wa'dan hasanaa; afataala 'alaikumul 'ahdu am arattum ai yahilla 'alaikum ghadabum mir Rabbikum fa akhlaftum maw'idee )
Then Musa returned full of anger and sorrowful [116] to his people. He said, “O my people! Did your Lord not promise [117] a fair promise to you? Did a long time [118] pass on you or did you desire that the anger of your Lord should descend on you, so that you did against my promise?” [119]
This verse shows that expressing righteous anger and grief for Allah’s sake is the way of the Prophets and is rewardable.
In fact, failing to show disapproval when witnessing evil is itself blameworthy. Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) was deeply saddened and enraged at their turn toward idolatry.
The “fair promise” refers to the blessed Torah, which was to be revealed to Hazrat Musa.
It contained a thousand chapters, each with a thousand verses, filled with light, guidance, honour, and dignity for the Israelites.
Hazrat Musa reminded them: “I was only gone for forty days!”
In such a short absence, they had abandoned Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah) and fallen into polytheism.
He warned them:
“If you’ve done this now, what will happen after I’m gone?”
If this sin was committed intentionally, then they had indeed invited Divine wrath.
They were guilty of breaking their covenant, having promised to uphold faith, yet failing to remain firm.
This shows that betraying religious vows is a serious offense that leads to Divine punishment.
The tafsir of Surah Ta-Ha verse 86 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Taha ayat 83 which provides the complete commentary from verse 83 through 89.
(20:86) Moses returned to his people full of wrath and grief, and said: “My people! Has your Lord not made good an excellent promise He made to you?[64] And has a long time passed since those promises were fulfilled?[65] Or was it to incur the wrath of your Lord that you broke your promise with me?”[66]
64. That is, did not Allah fulfill the promises He made with you of showing His favors to you? For instance, He safely brought you out of Egypt and not only freed you from the slavery of your enemy but also destroyed him totally. He provided you with provisions in the desert and in the mountainous regions. It may also be translated like this: Did not Allah make a good promise with you? In that case, it will mean: He made a promise that he will give you the law and guidance. Was this not a good promise for your well being and betterment?
65. That is, had a long time passed since those great favors were done to you that you forgot them? Had long ages passed since you were afflicted with persecution by your enemy that you committed such a blasphemy? It may also be translated like this: Had you to wait for a long time for the fulfillment of God’s promise that you became so impatient? In that case, the meaning is obvious: You had not to wait for a long time to see the fulfillment of the promise of guidance. Therefore there was no excuse for what you did.
66. This covenant was the one which every community makes with its Prophet and promises that it will steadfastly follow the guidance brought by him and will not worship anyone except Allah.
[848]- The meaning may also be "angry and enraged." [849]- That He would send down the Torah, containing guidance for you.
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