168 Page Notes

07 Surah Al-Araf (continued)

Page 168 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

7:144

7:145

7:146

7:147

7:148

7:149

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 168 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 168 of the Quran covers Surah Al-A'raf (The Heights), verses 144 through 149.

This page records a vital historical contrast: while Prophet Musa (Moses) is directly receiving the sacred Tablets containing the divine law, commandments, and structural guidance on Mount Sinai, his people down in the valley fall into spiritual ruin. Taking advantage of Musa's absence, a fraction of the community smelts their jewelry into a golden calf that makes a hollow, lowing sound. The page concludes with the people waking up to their massive error, feeling absolute remorse, and begging for divine mercy before Musa even returns.

The Sunnah and authentic Hadiths illuminate the writing of the Tablets, how Musa's immense cosmic status relates to our Prophet, and the psychology of falling into communal delusion.

1. The Elevation of Musa and the Writing of the Tablets

“[Allah] said, 'O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and with My speaking [to you]... And We wrote for him on the tablets of everything - an instruction and explanation for all things.'”

— Surah Al-A'raf (7:144–145)

Verse 145 establishes that the Tablets (Al-Alwah) were a comprehensive constitution for the Children of Israel. The Sunnah provides an incredible cosmic backstory regarding how these Tablets were physically crafted and a famous otherworldly debate that references them.

A. The Direct Writing by Allah

The Sunnah clarifies that the Tablets given to Musa hold a unique legal distinction because Allah wrote them directly, a rare honor among divine scriptures.

• Hadith: The Prophet Muhammad detailed a fascinating conversation that took place in the spiritual realm between Prophet Adam and Prophet Musa. Musa asks Adam why his initial mistake caused humanity to be sent to earth. Adam counters Musa by highlighting Musa's own elite privileges:
  Adam said, "O Moses, Allah chose you with His speech and wrote the Torah for you with His own Hand. How many years before my creation did you find it written about me that I would commit that mistake?" Musa replied, "Forty years."
  (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6614 / Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2652)

B. Balancing the Status of Prophets

Because Verse 144 mentions Allah choosing Musa "over the people," a companion once tried to declare Musa superior to the Prophet Muhammad during an argument. The Prophet's response establishes the foundational etiquette of treating all prophets with absolute respect.

• Hadith: A Muslim and a Jewish man had an argument in the marketplace, and the Jewish man swore, "By Him who chose Moses over all humanity!" The Muslim companion slapped him. When they came to the Prophet Muhammad to settle it, the Prophet corrected the companion:
  "Do not declare me better than Moses. For the people will fall unconscious on the Day of Judgment, and I will be the first to regain consciousness. Suddenly, I will see Moses standing there, holding onto one of the pillars of the Divine Throne (Arsh). I will not know whether he regained consciousness before me, or if he was spared because of his experience at Mount Sinai."
  (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2411 / Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2373)

2. The Delusion of the Golden Calf

“And the people of Moses made, after [his departure], from their ornaments a calf - an image having a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to a way? They took it [for worship], and they were wrongdoers.”

— Surah Al-A'raf (7:148)

While Musa was on the mountain, a man named As-Samiri used gold ornaments to create a hollow calf. The wind passing through it generated a lowing noise (Khuwar), which was enough to deceive people who valued flashy physical tricks over abstract truth.

A. Harun's Desperate Political Stance

Though this page shows the people regretting their actions in Verse 149, another part of the Quran notes that Musa's brother, Harun (Aaron), tried to stop them but was physically overpowered. The Sunnah uses Harun's protective stance to explain healthy communal leadership.

• Hadith: When the Prophet Muhammad was leaving for the expedition of Tabuk, he left his cousin Ali bin Abi Talib behind to govern Medina. Ali felt left out of the battle and expressed sadness. To reassure him of his leadership status, the Prophet drew a direct parallel to the events on this page:
  "Are you not pleased that your position to me is like the position of Harun to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me?"
  (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4416)
  Context: Just as Harun was trusted to protect the core community while Musa ascended the mountain, Ali was trusted to protect the capital while the Prophet was away.