Quran Universe
7:150

وَلَمَّا رَجَعَ مُوسَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦ غَضۡبَٰنَ أَسِفٗا قَالَ بِئۡسَمَا خَلَفۡتُمُونِي مِنۢ بَعۡدِيٓۖ أَعَجِلۡتُمۡ أَمۡرَ رَبِّكُمۡۖ وَأَلۡقَى ٱلۡأَلۡوَاحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأۡسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُۥٓ إِلَيۡهِۚ قَالَ ٱبۡنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱسۡتَضۡعَفُونِي وَكَادُواْ يَقۡتُلُونَنِي فَلَا تُشۡمِتۡ بِيَ ٱلۡأَعۡدَآءَ وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡنِي مَعَ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

Walamma rajaAAa moosa ila qawmihi ghadbana asifan qala bisama khalaftumoonee min baAAdee aAAajiltum amra rabbikum waalqa alalwaha waakhatha birasi akheehi yajurruhu ilayhi qala ibna omma inna alqawma istadAAafoonee wakadoo yaqtuloonanee fala tushmit biya alaAAdaa wala tajAAalnee maAAa alqawmi alththalimeena

And when Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said, "How wretched is that by which you have replaced me after [my departure]. Were you impatient over the matter of your Lord?" And he threw down the tablets and seized his brother by [the hair of] his head, pulling him toward him. [Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, indeed the people oppressed me and were about to kill me, so let not the enemies rejoice over me and do not place me among the wrongdoing people."

Word by word
  1. وَلَمَّاAnd when
  2. رَجَعَreturned
  3. مُوسَىٰٓMusa
  4. إِلَىٰto
  5. قَوۡمِهِۦhis people
  6. غَضۡبَٰنَangry
  7. أَسِفٗاand grieved
  8. قَالَhe said
  9. بِئۡسَمَاEvil is what
  10. خَلَفۡتُمُونِيyou have done in my place
  11. مِنۢfrom
  12. بَعۡدِيٓۖafter me
  13. أَعَجِلۡتُمۡWere you impatient
  14. أَمۡرَ(over the) matter
  15. رَبِّكُمۡۖ(of) your Lord
  16. وَأَلۡقَىAnd he cast down
  17. ٱلۡأَلۡوَاحَthe tablets
  18. وَأَخَذَand seized
  19. بِرَأۡسِby head
  20. أَخِيهِhis brother
  21. يَجُرُّهُۥٓdragging him
  22. إِلَيۡهِۚto himself
  23. قَالَHe said
  24. ٱبۡنَO son
  25. أُمَّ(of) my mother
  26. إِنَّIndeed
  27. ٱلۡقَوۡمَthe people
  28. ٱسۡتَضۡعَفُونِيconsidered me weak
  29. وَكَادُواْand were about to
  30. يَقۡتُلُونَنِيkill me
  31. فَلَاSo (let) not
  32. تُشۡمِتۡrejoice
  33. بِيَover me
  34. ٱلۡأَعۡدَآءَthe enemies
  35. وَلَاand (do) not
  36. تَجۡعَلۡنِيplace me
  37. مَعَwith
  38. ٱلۡقَوۡمِthe people
  39. ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ(who are) wrongdoing
Al-A'raf · 7:150Makkah

Seeing it with his own eyes, Musa threw down the Tablets.

Anger for Allah's sake, and a brother's plea

Musa returns
the calfwhat he saw
brings
anger and griefTablets thrown down
he seizes
Harunson of my mother
Harun's answer
he did nothingwhat Musa feared
he triedthey nearly killed him

Musa returned angry and grieved. Ibn Kathir cites the Prophet ﷺ: information is not like seeing. Allah had told Musa about the calf, but he only threw the Tablets when he saw it. He grabbed Harun, fearing he had not tried hard enough. Harun said: the people overpowered me and almost killed me.

You come home and the kitchen is a mess, the kids are on screens, and you turn on your partner before asking a single question. Anger for the right reason can still land on the wrong person. Hear their side first.

When I am angry for a good reason, I am allowed to react.

Even righteous anger needs to listen before it blames.

Try this

Next time you walk into a situation that angers you, ask one question before you say anything else.

Related20:9220:9420:90
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

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. (150)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. (151)

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.

قَالَ بِئْسَمَا خَلَفْتُمُونِي مِن بَعْدِي

(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,

أَعَجِلْتُمْ أَمْرَ رَبِّكُمْ

(Did you hasten in the matter of your Lord?)

Musa said, 'You wanted me to rush back to you, even though [being there] this was Allah's decision?' Allah said next,

وَأَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ

(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,

لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَةِ

(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,

وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ

(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,

قَالَ يَا هَارُونُ مَا مَنَعَكَ إِذْ رَأَيْتَهُمْ ضَلُّوا - أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِ أَفَعَصَيْتَ أَمْرِي - قَالَ يَا ابْنَ أُمَّ لَا تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِي وَلَا بِرَأْسِي إِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَمْ تَرْقُبْ قَوْلِي

((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,

ابْنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُونِي وَكَادُوا يَقْتُلُونَنِي فَلَا تُشْمِتْ بِيَ الْأَعْدَاءَ وَلَا تَجْعَلْنِي مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

("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,

وَلَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُمْ هَارُونُ مِن قَبْلُ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ فَاتَّبِعُونِي وَأَطِيعُوا أَمْرِي

(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,

قَالَ 

(he said) Musa,

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِأَخِي وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِي رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

("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 ﷺ said,

يَرْحَمُ اللهُ مُوسَى لَيْسَ الْمُعَايِنُ كَالْمُخْبِرِ أَخْبَرَهُ رَبُّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّ قَوْمَهُ فُتِنُوا بَعْدَهُ فَلَمْ يَلْقَ الْأَلْوَاحَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُمْ وَعَايَنَهُمْ أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ

(May Allah grant His mercy to Musa! Surely, he who observes [something] 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.)