Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 93

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And when We took a pledge from you, and raised high the (mount of) Tūr above you: “Hold fast to what We have given you, and listen”! They said, “We have heard and disobeyed.” And, on account of their denial, they were soaked with love for the calf in their hearts. Say: “Evil is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you are believers.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And when We took your covenant and raised the mountain above you ˹saying˺, “Hold firmly to that ˹Scripture˺ which We have given you and obey,” they answered, “We hear and disobey.” The love of the calf was rooted in their hearts because of their disbelief. Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “How evil is what your ˹so-called˺ belief prompts you to do, if you ˹actually˺ believe ˹in the Torah˺!”

Ruwwad Translation Center

And [remember] when We took a covenant from you and We raised above you the mountain [saying], “Hold firmly to what We have given you and obey,” they said, “We hear and disobey.” The love of [worshiping] the calf was engraved in their hearts because of their disbelief. Say, “How wretched is what your faith enjoins you, if you are believers!”

A. J. Arberry

And when We took compact with you, and raised over you the Mount: 'Take forcefully what We have given you and give ear.' They said, 'We hear, and rebel'; and they were made to drink the Calf in their hearts for their unbelief. Say: 'Evil is the thing your faith bids you to, if you are believers.'

Abdul Haleem

Remember when We took your pledge, making the mountain tower above you, and said, ‘Hold on firmly to what We have given you, and listen to [what We say].’ They said, ‘We hear and we disobey,’ and through their disbelief they were made to drink [the love of] the calf deep into their hearts.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And recall what time We took your bond and raised over you the Tur, saying: hold fast to that which We have vouchsafed unto you and hearken. They said: we hear and we disobey. And into their hearts the calf was made to sink because of their infidelity. Say thou: vile is that which your belief commandeth you, if ye are believers.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you (the towering height) of Mount (Sinai); (Saying); "Hold firmly to what We have given you, and hearken (to the Law)"; They said;" We hear, and we disobey;" And they had to drink into their hearts (of the taint) of the calf because of their Faithlessness. Say; "Vile indeed are the behests of your Faith if ye have any faith!"

Abul Ala Maududi

Recall also to mind the Covenant We made with you while We raised the Tur over you: `Follow strictly the precepts We are giving you and give ear to Our Commandments.' Your forefathers replied, "We have heard but we will not obey." They were so prone to unbelief that they cherished the calf in their hearts. Tell them (O Muhammad). "If indeed you are believers, yours is a strange Faith that enjoins you to do such evil things."

Ahmed Ali

Remember when We took your pledge and exalted you on the Mount (saying:) "Hold fast to what We have given you, firmly, and pay heed," you said: "We have heard and will not obey." (The image of) the calf had sunk deep into their hearts on account of unbelief. Say: "Vile is your belief if you are believers indeed!"

Ahmed Raza Khan

And remember when We made a covenant with you and raised the Mount Tur (Sinai) above you; “Accept and hold fast to what We give you, and listen”; they said, “We hear and we disobey”; and the calf was still embedded in their hearts because of their disbelief; say (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “What an evil command is what your faith orders you, if you are believers!”

Ali Quli Qarai

And when We took covenant with you and raised the Mount above you, [declaring], ‘Hold on with power to what We have given you, and do listen!’ They said, ‘We hear, and disobey,’ and their hearts had been imbued with [the love of] the Calf, due to their unfaith. Say, ‘Evil is that to which your faith prompts you, should you be faithful!’

Ali Ünal

And (remember) when We took your promise (to keep Our covenant) and (in order to stress the importance of both the covenant and keeping it, and warn you against breaking it) We raised the Mount (and caused it to tower) above you: Hold firmly to what We haven given you (of the Book) and give ear (to Our commandments and obey Moses.) They replied: "We give ear," (but by doing the opposite of what they were commanded, they meant) "we disobey." Because of their unbelief, they were made to drink into their hearts (love of) the calf (with then no place left therein for faith). Say (to them): "How evil is that which your belief enjoins on you, if you are believers."

Amatul Rahman Omar

And (recall) when We took a covenant from you, (while you had encamped at the foot of Sinai) with (the summits of) the Mount towering above you, (and We had said,) `Hold fast to that which we have given you and obey.´ (But) those (of you who were given this commandment) said, `We hear and we disobey.´ Their hearts were, in fact, permeated with (the love of) the calf (worship) due to their disbelief. Say, `Evil is the way to which your faith leads you, if you are believers at all.´

English Literal

And when We took your promise/covenant and We raised the mountain above/over you. Take/receive what We brought (to) you with a strength/power and hear/listen. They said: "We heard and we disobeyed." And they were made to drink/mix/saturate in their hearts/minds the calf with their disbelief. Say: "How bad (is what) your faith/belief orders/commands you with it, if you were believing?"

Faridul Haque

And remember when We made a covenant with you and raised the Mount Tur (Sinai) above you; "Accept and hold fast to what We give you, and listen"; they said, "We hear and we disobey"; and the calf was still embedded in their hearts because of their disbelief; say (O dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him), "What an evil command is what your faith orders you, if you are believers!"

Hamid S. Aziz

And remember when We took a covenant with you and raised the mountain (Sinai) over you, "Take what We have given you with resolution and hear (the Law);" they said, "We hear but disobey;" and they were made to drink (the sin of) the calf down into their heart for their faithlessness. Say, "A vile thing is it which your faith bids you do, if you have any faith."

Hilali & Khan

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."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when We made a covenant with you and raised the mountain above you: Take hold of that which We have given you with firmness and obey. They said: We hear and disobey. And they were made to imbibe (the love of) the calf into their hearts on account of their disbelief. Say: Evil is that which your faith bids you if you are believers.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And when We made a covenant with you and raised the mountain over you: Take hold of what We have given you with firmness and be obedient. They said: We hear and disobey. And they were made to imbibe (the love of) the calf into their hearts on account of their unbelief. Say: Evil is that which your belief bids you if you are believers.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And when We made with you a covenant and caused the Mount to tower above you, (saying): Hold fast by that which We have given you, and hear (Our Word), they said: We hear and we rebel. And (worship of) the calf was made to sink into their hearts because of their rejection (of the covenant). Say (unto them): Evil is that which your belief enjoineth on you, if ye are believers.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Children of Israel) when We made a covenant with you, raised Mount Tur (Sinai) above you, and told you to receive devotedly what We had revealed to you and to listen to it, you said that you had listened but you disobeyed. They denied the truth and became totally devoted and full of love for the calf. (Muhammad) tell these people, "If, in fact, you are true believers, then what your faith commands you to do is evil."

Qaribullah & Darwish

When We made a covenant with you and raised the Mount above you (saying): 'Take what We have given you forcefully and hear' they replied: 'We hear, but disobey' For their disbelief, they were made to drink the calf into their very hearts. Say: 'Evil is your belief that orders you to (worship the calf), if you are indeed believers'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

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."

Wahiduddin Khan

When We made a covenant with you and raised the mountain above you saying, "Hold firmly to what We have given you and listen," you said, "We hear, but we disobey," and their hearts were filled with the love of the calf, because of their refusal to acknowledge the truth. Say, "Evil is that to which your faith enjoins you if you are indeed believers."

Talal Itani

And We made a covenant with you, and raised the Mount above you: “Take what We have given you firmly, and listen.” They said, “We hear and disobey.” And their hearts became filled with the love of the calf because of their disbelief. Say, “Wretched is what your faith commands you to do, if you are believers.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And when We made a covenant with you, to act according to what is in the Torah, and raised over you the Mount, to drop it on you, when you had refused to accept it; We said, `Take forcefully, seriously and with effort, what We have given you, and listen', to what you have been commanded, and be prepared to accept it, They said, `We hear, your words, and disobey', your command; and they were made to drink the calf in their hearts, that is to say, the love of it [the golden calf] intoxicated their hearts in the way that wine does, on account of their unbelief. Say, to them; `Evil is that, thing, which your belief, in the Torah, enjoins on you, [in the way of] the worship of the [golden] calf, if you are believers', in it, as you claim; meaning, you are not believers, for faith does not command that you worship the calf -- their forefathers are meant here. Likewise, you do not believe in the Torah, because you have denied [the prophethood of] Muhammad (s), whereas faith in it does not command you to reject him.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Jews rebel after Allah took Their Covenant and raised the Mountain above Their Heads

Allah says;

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَا اتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاسْمَعُواْ



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)."

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.

قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا

They said, "We have heard and disobeyed."

We have mentioned the Tafsir of this subject before.

وَأُشْرِبُواْ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ

And their hearts absorbed (the worship of) the calf,

Abdur-Razzaq said that Ma`mar narrated that Qatadah said that it,

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,

قُلْ بِيْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِهِ إِيمَانُكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ مُّوْمِنِينَ



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