Quran Universe
7:154

وَلَمَّا سَكَتَ عَن مُّوسَى ٱلۡغَضَبُ أَخَذَ ٱلۡأَلۡوَاحَۖ وَفِي نُسۡخَتِهَا هُدٗى وَرَحۡمَةٞ لِّلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِرَبِّهِمۡ يَرۡهَبُونَ

Walamma sakata AAan moosa alghadabu akhatha alalwaha wafee nuskhatiha hudan warahmatun lillatheena hum lirabbihim yarhaboona

And when the anger subsided in Moses, he took up the tablets; and in their inscription was guidance and mercy for those who are fearful of their Lord.

Word by word
  1. وَلَمَّاAnd when
  2. سَكَتَwas calmed
  3. عَنfrom
  4. مُّوسَىMusa
  5. ٱلۡغَضَبُthe anger
  6. أَخَذَhe took (up)
  7. ٱلۡأَلۡوَاحَۖthe tablets
  8. وَفِيand in
  9. نُسۡخَتِهَاtheir inscription
  10. هُدٗى(was) guidance
  11. وَرَحۡمَةٞand mercy
  12. لِّلَّذِينَfor those who
  13. هُمۡ[they]
  14. لِرَبِّهِمۡof their Lord
  15. يَرۡهَبُونَ(are) fearful
Al-A'raf · 7:154Makkah

When his anger quieted, Musa picked the Tablets back up.

Guidance and mercy, waiting after the storm

After the anger
anger quietsit falls silent
he takes
the Tabletsthrown down before
in them
guidance and mercyfor those who fear Him
What to do after anger
stay in itkeep the fire going
pick up the guidancereturn to what matters

Musa had thrown the Tablets out of anger for Allah's sake. When the anger subsided, he took them up again. In them was guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord. Ibn Kathir mentions reports that they had broken, adding that only Allah knows if those reports are true.

You slammed the Quran app shut after a bad day, or stopped praying for a week after an argument. The anger has passed now. The guidance is still there, waiting for you to pick it up.

I dropped it in a bad moment, so I have lost it.

When the anger settles, I can pick up guidance again and find mercy in it.

Try this

If you put down a good habit in a hard moment, pick it back up today, in a small way.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And when the anger of Musa calmed, he took up the Tablets; and in their inscription was guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord (154)

Musa picked up the Tablets when His Anger subsided

Allah said next,

وَلَمَّا سَكَتَ

(And when calmed) and subsided,

عَن مُّوسَى الْغَضَبُ

(the anger of Musa) with his people,

أَخَذَ الْأَلْوَاحَ

(he took up the Tablets), which he had thrown out of jealousy for Allah and anger for His sake, because of his people worshipping the calf,

وَفِي نُسْخَتِهَا هُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِرَبِّهِمْ يَرْهَبُونَ

(and in their inscription was guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.)

Several scholars of Tafsir said that when Musa threw the Tablets on the ground they were shattered and he collected the pieces afterwards. Musa found in its inscription guidance and mercy, but the specific details of the Law was lost, so they said. They also claimed that the shattered pieces of the Tablets still remained in the treasury safes of some Israelite kings until the Islamic State came into existence. Only Allah knows if these statements are true.