7:152 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

قال اللّه تعالى مبينا حال أهل العجل الذين عبدوه: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ أي: إلها سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كما أغضبوا ربهم واستهانوا بأمره. وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُفْتَرِينَ فكل مفتر على اللّه، كاذب على شرعه، متقول عليه ما لم يقل، فإن له نصيبا من الغضب من اللّه، والذل في الحياة الدنيا، وقد نالهم غضب اللّه، حيث أمرهم أن يقتلوا أنفسهم، وأنه لا يرضى اللّه عنهم إلا بذلك، فقتل بعضهم بعضا، وانجلت المعركة عن كثير من القتلى ثم تاب اللّه عليهم بعد ذلك.

أما الغضب الذي نال بني إسرائيل في عبادة العجل فهو أن الله تعالى لم يقبل لهم توبة حتى قتل بعضهم بعضا كما تقدم في سورة البقرة "فتوبوا إلى بارئكم فاقتلوا أنفسكم ذلكم خير لكم عند بارئكم فتاب عليكم إنه هو التواب الرحيم" وأما الذلة فأعقبهم ذلك ذلة وصغارا في الحياة الدنيا وقوله "وكذلك نجزي المفترين" نائلة لكل من افترى بدعة فإن ذل البدعة ومخالفة الرشاد متصلة من قلبه على كتفيه كما قال الحسن البصري: إن ذل البدعة على أكتافهم وإن هملجت بهم البغلات وطقطقت بهم البراذين. وهكذا روى أيوب السختياني عن أبي قلابة الجرمي أنه قرأ هذه الآية "وكذلك نجزي المفترين" فقال هي والله لكل مفتر إلى يوم القيامة. وقال سفيان بن عيينة كل صاحب بدعة ذليل ثم نبه تعالى عباده وأرشدهم إلى أنه يقبل توبة عباده من أي ذنب كان حتى ولو كان من كفر أو شرك أو نفاق أو شقاق ولهذا عقب هذه القصة.

فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

(So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (the guilty), that will be better for you before your Creator." Then He accepted your repentance. Truly, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.) 2:54 As for the humiliation mentioned in the Ayah, it pertains to the disgrace and humiliation that the Jews suffered in the life of this world. Allah's statement,

وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُفْتَرِينَ

(Thus do We recompense those who invent lies) is for all those who invent an innovation (in religion). Surely, the disgrace resulting from inventing an innovation (in religion) and defying Allah's Message, will be placed in the heart and from there on to the shoulders. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said; "The disgrace of innovation will weigh on their shoulders even if they were to gallop on their mules or trot on their work horses." Ayyub As-Sakhtiyani narrated from Abu Qilabah Al-Jarmi that he commented on this Ayah,

وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُفْتَرِينَ

(Thus do We recompense those who invent lies.) "By Allah! This Ayah is for all those who invent a lie, until the Day of Resurrection." Also, Sufyan bin `Uyaynah said, "Every person who invents a Bid`ah (innovation in the religion) will taste disgrace."Allah tells His servants that He accepts repentance from His servants for any sin, even Shirk, Kufr, hypocrisy and disobedience. Allah said:

وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُواْ السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِهَا وَءَامَنُواْ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ

(But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterwards and believed, verily, your Lord) O Muhammad, Messenger of Repentance and Prophet of Mercy,

مِن بَعْدِهَا

(after that) after committing that evil action,

لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) Ibn Abi Hatim reported that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud was asked about a man committing fornication with a woman and then marrying her, and Ibn Mas`ud recited this Ayah,

وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُواْ السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِهَا وَءَامَنُواْ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterwards and believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) `Abdullah recited this Ayah ten times, neither allowing nor disallowing it.

God exalted be He says ‘Surely those who chose the calf as a god. wrath chastisement and abasement shall come upon them from their Lord in the life of this world and so they were punished for this deed by the command to slay themselves and abasement was stamped upon them until the Day of Resurrection. Even as We have requited them so We requite those who invent lies against God by way of idolatry and otherwise.

The first verse (152) has warned those who took to the worship of the calf and persisted in it, of their sad fate in the Hereafter, and of disgraceful life in this world.

The worldly life is also affected by the sinful deeds

A part of punishment of some sins is also given in this life. This is what happened to Samiri. The Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) commanded him to live apart from the people not touching any one with his hand nor is he touched by any one of the people. Consequently for the rest of his life he lived a deserted life of seclusion, walking about with animals. No human did come near him.

Al-Qurtubi has reported on the authority of the Companion Qatadah ؓ that his punishment from Allah was that whenever he touched someone or was touched by anyone of the people both suffered from fever. The author of Ruh al-Bayan has observed that the symptoms of this disease are still inherited by his generations. This verse has ended with this sentence. وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُفْتَرِ‌ينَ "And this is how we recompense the fabricators." The Sheikh Sufyan ibn ` Uyainah has said that those who invent new things in the Shari'ah (take to Bid'ah) also commit the sin of fabrication and deserve such punishment. (Mazhari)

Imam Malik (رح) has also inferred from this verse that those who invent new practices in the Shari'ah deserve the same punishment of Allah's wrath in the Hereafter and disgrace in this life. (Qurtubi)