Page 54 - The Worst Slander: Idolatry

52 THE WORST SLANDER: IDOLATRY

tence, but had descended into idolatry because they had
wrongfully deified various concepts by attaching greater
importance to them (Surely Allah is beyond that) than they
did to Allah.
Another example concerns some of the Israelites. Freed
from Pharaoh's control, they encountered an idol-worship-
ping people on their journey and some of them asked the
Prophet Moses (pbuh) to make one for them. In the Qur'an
Allah reveals:
We conveyed the tribe of Israel across the sea, and they
came upon some people who were devoting them-
selves to some idols that they had. They said: "O Moses,
give us a deity just as these people have deities." He
said: "You are indeed an ignorant people. What these
people are doing is destined for destruction. What they
are doing is in vain." (Surat al-A'raf: 138-139)
Such ignorant behavior shows that this group of
Israelites could not appreciate and comprehend Allah's
might. Instead, they wanted a false deity that they could see
with their own eyes, bow down to, and perhaps "persuade"
to fulfill their desires with showy rituals. Although the
Prophet Moses (pbuh) explained the truth to them, they
immediately adopted their own supposed deities once he
had left for Mt. Sinai. In the Qur'an Allah states that they
later regretted this heinous sin:
After he left, Moses' people adopted a calf made from
their ornaments, a form that made a lowing sound. Did
they not see that it could not speak to them or guide
them to any way? They adopted it and so they were