Quran Universe
2:93

وَإِذۡ أَخَذۡنَا مِيثَٰقَكُمۡ وَرَفَعۡنَا فَوۡقَكُمُ ٱلطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَآ ءَاتَيۡنَٰكُم بِقُوَّةٖ وَٱسۡمَعُواْۖ قَالُواْ سَمِعۡنَا وَعَصَيۡنَا وَأُشۡرِبُواْ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلۡعِجۡلَ بِكُفۡرِهِمۡۚ قُلۡ بِئۡسَمَا يَأۡمُرُكُم بِهِۦٓ إِيمَٰنُكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ

Waith akhathna meethaqakum warafaAAna fawqakumu alttoora khuthoo ma ataynakum biquwwatin waismaAAoo qaloo samiAAna waAAasayna waoshriboo fee quloobihimu alAAijla bikufrihim qul bisama yamurukum bihi eemanukum in kuntum mumineena

And [recall] when We took your covenant and raised over you the mount, [saying], "Take what We have given you with determination and listen." They said [instead], "We hear and disobey." And their hearts absorbed [the worship of] the calf because of their disbelief. Say, "How wretched is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if you should be believers."

Word by word
  1. وَإِذۡAnd when
  2. أَخَذۡنَاWe took
  3. مِيثَٰقَكُمۡyour covenant
  4. وَرَفَعۡنَاand We raised
  5. فَوۡقَكُمُover you
  6. ٱلطُّورَthe mount
  7. خُذُواْHold
  8. مَآwhat
  9. ءَاتَيۡنَٰكُمWe gave you
  10. بِقُوَّةٖwith firmness
  11. وَٱسۡمَعُواْۖand listen
  12. قَالُواْThey said
  13. سَمِعۡنَاWe heard
  14. وَعَصَيۡنَاand we disobeyed
  15. وَأُشۡرِبُواْAnd they were made to drink
  16. فِيin
  17. قُلُوبِهِمُtheir hearts
  18. ٱلۡعِجۡلَ(love of) the calf
  19. بِكُفۡرِهِمۡۚbecause of their disbelief
  20. قُلۡSay
  21. بِئۡسَمَاEvil (is) that
  22. يَأۡمُرُكُمorders you (to do) it
  23. بِهِۦٓwith
  24. إِيمَٰنُكُمۡyour faith
  25. إِنif
  26. كُنتُمyou are
  27. مُّؤۡمِنِينَbelievers
Al-Baqarah · 2:93Madinah

We hear and we disobey. The calf had soaked into their hearts.

When love of a thing drinks up the heart

Under the mountain
hold it firmly, listenthe covenant
they said
we hear and disobey
because
love of the calfabsorbed in their hearts
What their faith was doing
we are believers
what does it tell you to do?look at the result

Allah raised the mountain over them and said: hold firmly to what We gave you, and listen. They said: we hear and we disobey. Qatadah said love of the calf soaked into their hearts until it lived there. The verse asks: how bad is what your faith tells you to do?

You know the verse. You can recite it. And yet the thing you love more, the habit, the screen, the money, wins every time. Love that soaks in quietly can outvote what you know. What a heart drinks, it starts to obey.

I know what is right, so I must be fine.

What my heart loves most decides what I do, more than what I know.

Try this

Notice one thing you reach for automatically today. Ask if it has soaked too deep.

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

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. (93)

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

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,

قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا

(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,

وَأُشْرِبُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ

(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,

قُلْ بِئْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِهِ إِيمَانُكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

(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 ﷺ, 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?"