They had said: "We will not abandon this cult, but we will devote ourselves to it until Moses returns to us."

(Moses) said: "O Aaron! what kept thee back, when thou sawest them going wrong,

"From following me? Didst thou then disobey my order?"

(Aaron) replied: "O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my beard nor by (the hair of) my head! Truly I feared lest thou shouldst say, 'Thou has caused a division among the children of Israel, and thou didst not respect my word!'"

(Moses) said: "What then is thy case, O Samiri?"

He replied: "I saw what they saw not: so I took a handful (of dust) from the footprint of the Messenger, and threw it (into the calf): thus did my soul suggest to me."

(Moses) said: "Get thee gone! but thy (punishment) in this life will be that thou wilt say, 'touch me not'; and moreover (for a future penalty) thou hast a promise that will not fail: Now look at thy god, of whom thou hast become a devoted worshipper: We will certainly (melt) it in a blazing fire and scatter it broadcast in the sea!"

But the god of you all is the One Allah: there is no god but He: all things He comprehends in His knowledge.

Thus do We relate to thee some stories of what happened before: for We have sent thee a Message from Our own Presence.

If any do turn away therefrom, verily they will bear a burden on the Day of judgment;

They will abide in this (state): and grievous will the burden be to them on that Day,-

The Day when the Trumpet will be sounded: that Day, We shall gather the sinful, blear-eyed (with terror).

In whispers will they consult each other: "Yet tarried not longer than ten (Days);

We know best what they will say, when their leader most eminent in conduct will say: "Ye tarried not longer than a day!"

They ask thee concerning the Mountains: say, "My Lord will uproot them and scatter them as dust;

"He will leave them as plains smooth and level;

"Nothing crooked or curved wilt thou see in their place."

On that Day will they follow the Caller (straight): no crookedness (can they show) him: all sounds shall humble themselves in the Presence of (Allah) Most Gracious: nothing shalt thou hear but the tramp of their feet (as they march).

On that Day shall no intercession avail except for those for whom permission has been granted by (Allah) Most Gracious and whose word is acceptable to Him.

He knows what (appears to His creatures as) before or after or behind them: but they shall not compass it with their knowledge.

(All) faces shall be humbled before (Him) - the Living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal: hopeless indeed will be the man that carries iniquity (on his back).

But he who works deeds of righteousness, and has faith, will have no fear of harm nor of any curtailment (of what is his due).

Thus have We sent this down - an arabic Qur'an - and explained therein in detail some of the warnings, in order that they may fear Allah, or that it may cause their remembrance (of Him).

High above all is Allah, the King, the Truth! Be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation to thee is completed, but say, "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge."

We had already, beforehand, taken the covenant of Adam, but he forgot: and We found on his part no firm resolve.

When We said to the angels, "Prostrate yourselves to Adam", they prostrated themselves, but not Iblis: he refused.

Then We said: "O Adam! verily, this is an enemy to thee and thy wife: so let him not get you both out of the Garden, so that thou art landed in misery.

"There is therein (enough provision) for thee not to go hungry nor to go naked,

"Nor to suffer from thirst, nor from the sun's heat."

But Satan whispered evil to him: he said, "O Adam! shall I lead thee to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?"