Page 36 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

34 THE DEBASED CULTURE OF SUPERFICIALITY

As plainly said in this verse, Samaritan urged the people
to throw their jewelry into the fire, throwing his own into
the flames to prove that he was sincere. He persuaded the
people with this insidious ploy. Those who were weak in
faith or willpower were open to his rebellious suggestions;
their moral character made them susceptible to abandoning
the way of Allah, and they did not hesitate to do what
Samaritan told them to. Despite the truths they had learned
from Musa (as) and the miracles he had performed, they had
no compunction in following the perverse suggestions of
one of their own who had no power or authority. Then,
using those molten ornaments, Samaritan made a statue of a
calf. After that, he depicted this calf as (Allah forbid) their
true deity. At the same time, in order to destroy the influ-
ence of Musa (as) over the people, he began to make some
negative insinuations about him:
Then he produced a calf for them, a physical form which
made a lowing sound. So they said, “This is your deity—
and Musa’s deity as well, but he forgot.” (Surah Ta Ha: 88)

Allah reveals in the Qur’an that the idol made by
Samaritan had no power; it had no strength or will to speak
to them, to answer their questions or to do anything good or
evil. But the people pretended not to recognize these plain
facts and heeded Samaritan’s call:
Could they not see that it did not reply to them and that
it possessed no power to either harm or benefit them?
(Surah Ta Ha: 89)
Besides Musa (as), the people also had his brother Harun
(as) as a prophet among them. When Musa (as) went up