RENAISSANCE MAY 2023

Qur’ ā nic Exegesis 19 | Monthly Renaissance May 2023 must live outside the camp. (13:45-46) Moses (sws) administered the same punishment to S ā mir ī . The only difference is that for lepers this punishment remains as long as they are inflicted with this disease but for S ā mir ī it was a life- long punishment since he was afflicted with the leprosy of hypocrisy. Moral leprosy is filthier than physical leprosy. Moreover, Moses (sws) gave him the punishment of cursing him which is the harshest punishment in religion. If the Qur’ ā nic words ” ن $ۡ $ ﻘﻮل ﻵﻹ ﻣﺴﺎس $ $ ) $ $ۡ & are placed in parallel with the words of the Torah: “and cry out, ‘unclean! unclean!’” only then the real emphasis of the Qur’ ā nic words can be understood. It should be kept in mind that declaring oneself to be unclean is the ultimate extent of humiliation. The last part of the verse portrays the fate of the calf. Moses (sws) mentioned it in this way because not only was it essential to wipe out polytheism, it was also essential to destroy all its manifestations so that all the viruses of that creed were totally uprooted. At the time of the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet (sws) too had destroyed all the idols forthwith. Here it is possible that a question arise in the minds of some people: why was S ā mir ī not put by death by Moses (sws) since many perpetrators of this crime were executed by him, as is mentioned in the tafs ī r of S ū rah al-Baqarah? The answer to this question in my opinion is that this curse is more harsh and exemplary a punishment than execution, as I have mentioned in the case of those who had violated he command about the sabt . When a person is executed, the punishment finishes the matter immediately and the lesson other people receive from it is also temporary. However, the curse-punishment sticks to a person both in this world and in the Hereafter. Imagine the extent of the wretchedness of a person who calls out with his own tongue that he is unclean and that no one should touch him. It should be kept in mind that the curse of a messenger is a punishment from which none can escape. Such a person will remain accursed wherever he goes – both in this world and in the next. The Qur’ ā n has specified here that the statue of the calf was burnt and crushed to bits and its ashes were scattered in the sea. However, the account in the Torah says that Moses (sws)