Transliteration:( Wa iz akhaznaa meesaaqakum wa rafa'naa fawqa kumut Toora khuzoo maaa aatainaakum biquwwatinw wasma'oo qaaloo sami'naa wa 'asainaa wa ushriboo fee quloobihimul 'ijla bikufrihim; qul bi'samaa yaamurukum biheee eemaanukum in kuntum mu'mineen )
"And (recall) when We took your covenant and raised above you the Mount Tur (saying): 'Hold firmly onto what We have given you and listen.' They said: 'We heard, but we disobeyed.' [177] And their hearts were absorbed (in the worship) of the calf because of their disbelief. [178] Say, 'How wretched is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you are indeed believers.' [179]"
This verse reveals several important rulings:
A believer cannot be permitted to return to apostasy. Either he remains firm in faith, or he is subject to divine justice. The Israelites attempted apostasy after accepting the Mosaic Law, and were thus condemned to death.
Shariah rules based on outward actions, not what lies deep within the heart. When the Israelites verbally said “we heard”, even though they disbelieved internally, the mountain was lifted. This shows the importance of verbal affirmation in Shariah.
Accepting faith under duress or fear—such as under a threat—is not a guarantee of salvation unless it is followed by true inner belief.
The Israelites’ love and obsession with the calf reveals their apostasy—their hearts were inclined toward evil because of their internal disbelief.
This teaches that a person’s desires and inclinations reflect the state of their faith.
Desire for sin and falsehood is a sign of infidelity.
Love for piety, good deeds, and the righteous is a sign of true faith.
Each person can self-assess the condition of their Imaan by examining their natural inclinations.
In this verse, the word “faith” is used sarcastically.
Allah is essentially saying: “If this is what your faith results in—worshipping a calf, rejecting prophets—then it is not faith at all, but utter disbelief.”
Such false claims of belief, when they lead to actions rooted in kufr, are no better than faithlessness.
93. And (remember) when We took your covenant and We raised above you the Mount (saying), “Hold firmly to what We have given you and hear (Our Word).” They said, “We have heard and disobeyed.” And their hearts absorbed (the worship of) the calf because of their disbelief. Say: “Worst indeed is that which your faith enjoins on you if you are believers.”
Allah reminded the Jews of their errors, breaking His covenant, transgression and defiance, when He raised Mount Tur above them so that they would believe and agree to the terms of the covenant. Yet, they broke it soon afterwards,
(They said, “We have heard and disobeyed.”) We have mentioned the Tafsir of this subject before. `Abdur-Razzaq said that Ma`mar narrated that Qatadah said that,
(And their hearts absorbed (the worship of) the calf) means, “They absorbed its love, until its love resided in their hearts.” This is also the opinion of Abu Al-`Aliyah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas. Allah’s statement,
(Say: “Worst indeed is that which your faith enjoins on you if you are believers.”) means, “Worse yet is the manner in which you behaved in the past and even now, disbelieving in Allah’s Ayat and defying the Prophets. You also disbelieved in Muhammad , which is the worst of your deeds and the harshest sin that you committed. You disbelieved in the Final Messenger and the master of all Prophets and Messengers, the one who was sent to all mankind. How can you then claim that you believe, while committing the evil of breaking Allah’s covenant, disbelieving in Allah’s Ayat and worshipping the calf instead of Allah”
(2:93) Recall the covenant We made with you and caused the Mount to tower above you, stressing: “Hold to what We have given you with full strength and give heed to it.” But their forefathers said: “We hear, but we disobey” – for their hearts were overflowing with love for the calf because of their unbelief. Say: “If you are people of faith, then evil are the things that your faith enjoins upon you.”
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
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