Tafseer Ibn Kathir of AL A'RAAF [150]

150. And when Musa returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said: ”What an evil thing is that which you have done during my absence. Did you hasten in matter of your Lord'' And he threw down the Tablets and seized his brother by (the hair of) his head and dragged him towards him. He (Harun) said: ”O son of my mother! Indeed the people judged me weak and were about to kill me, so make not the enemies rejoice over me, nor put me among the people who are wrongdoers.'' 151. He (Musa) said: ”O my Lord! Forgive me and my brother, and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.'') Allah states that when Musa returned to his people after conversation with his Lord, he became angry and full of regret. Abu Ad-Darda' said that Asif, or regret, is the severest type of anger.

(He (Musa) said: ”What an evil thing is that which you have done during my absence.'') evil it is that which you committed after I departed and left you, by worshiping the calf,

(Did you hasten in the matter of your Lord) Musa said, `You wanted me to rush back to you, even though ï´¿being thereï´¾ this was Allah's decision' Allah said next,

(And he threw down the Tablets and seized his brother by his head and dragged him towards him.) This Ayah demonstrates the meaning of the Hadith,

(Information is not the same as observation.) It indicates that Musa threw down the Tablets because he was angry at his people, according to the majority of scholars of early and latter times. Allah said,

(and seized his brother by (the hair of) his head and dragged him towards him.) for Musa feared that Harun might have not tried hard enough to forbid them from their evil action. In another Ayah, Allah said,

.(He ﴿Musa﴾ said: ”O Harun ! What prevented you when you saw them going astray. That you followed me not (according to my advice to you) Have you then disobeyed my order'' He ﴿Harun﴾ said: ”O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my beard, nor by my head! Verily, I feared lest you should say: `You have caused a division among the Children of Israel, and you have not respected (waited or observed) my word!''') ﴿20:92-94﴾. Here, Allah said that Harun said,

(”O son of my mother! Indeed the people judged me weak and were about to kill me, so make not the enemies rejoice over me, nor put me among the people who are wrongdoers.'') Harun said, `Do not place me on the same level as they are, as if I was one of them.' Further, Harun said, `O son of my mother', so that Musa would feel more mercy and leniency towards him, even though Harun was also the son of Musa's father. When Musa was satisfied that his brother was innocent,

(And Harun indeed had said to them beforehand: ”O my people! You are being tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allah) the Most Gracious, so follow me and obey my order.'') ﴿20:90﴾, this is when,

(he said) Musa,

(”O my Lord! Forgive me and my brother, and admit us into Your mercy, for you are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.'') Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(May Allah grant His mercy to Musa! Surely, he who observes ï´¿somethingï´¾ is nothing like he who is informed about it. His Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored, told him that his people were tested after him, but he did not throw the Tablets. When he saw them with his eyes, then he threw the Tablets.)