RENAISSANCE MAY 2023

Qur’ ā nic Exegesis 13 | Monthly Renaissance May 2023 jewellery to the elders of the nation, which they accepted as a service to them. The Torah contains conflicting statements regarding the ownership of the jewellery – whether it belonged to the Israelites or to the Egyptians. It is evident from chapter 35 of the book of Exodus that it belonged to the Israelites; however, another narrative from this book shows that while leaving the country, the Israelites had borrowed it from the Egyptians. This second account appears to be illogical. In the first place, the Israelites never had the status that they could borrow jewellery from the Egyptians and the latter agree to this settlement especially when, for years, a very grave conflict existed between the two. Also, the Egyptians thought that the Israelites were preparing to leave the country. Secondly, how could Moses (sws) morally and religiously tolerate the fact that he allow his people to own something they had actually borrowed? Thus this view is untenable. The correct view in this regard is that the jewellery belonged to the Israelites. In verse 148 of S ū rah al- A‘r ā f, the words used are ْﻣﻦ ﺣﻠﻴﻬﻢ ) ' ) ) &ْ ) (from their jewellery), which corroborate this view. The word ﻗﺬف $ $ means to “to cast down or to throw up.” The chiefs said that they had carried the burden of the people entrusted to them even though they did not like it. The purpose was to be of service to them; however, the fact that they had been pushed to the limit, they had cast down the burden. Those who have a flair for the Arabic language know that all the three words ۤﺣﻤﻠﻨﺎ $ۡ ) ' & , وز ر $ۡ $ and ۡﻗﺬف $ $ allude to heaviness of the burden those chiefs felt. When Moses (sws) scolded them, they thought they since the calf had been made from jewellery, he must have thought that they too had a hand in it. In order to remove this doubt from his mind, they said these words to clarify their own position. Also evident from their word ﺑﻤﻠﻜﻨﺎ $ )ۡ $ ) is the fact they tried their best to save people from the mischief worked by S ā mir ī . However, circumstances worsened beyond their control. Since their helplessness was evident, it seems that Moses (sws) accepted their excuse. Consider next the expression: ﻟﺴﺎﻣﺮي h~ ﻟ & $ ' ) ) $ 'ْ $ . The verb h~ ْٰﻟ $ in Arabic has a wide connotation. Just as it means to place something on the ground, it also means to throw dice and show a trick or stunt. In S ū rah al- Ḥ ajj, this word will be extensively researched. Here it is in exactly the same meaning as in verse 65 of this s ū rah ۡﻣﺎ ن $ۤ $ ' )