Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:53-54

"And [recall] when We gave Moses the Book and the Criterion (al-Furqan)."

It means that which combines being a revealed Book and a Criterion that distinguishes between truth and falsehood—namely, the Torah. It is like your saying, "I saw the rain and the lion," intending the man who combines generosity and courage.

Similar to this is His saying: "And We had already given Moses and Aaron the Criterion and a light and a reminder" (Al-Anbiya: 48), meaning the Book that combines being a Criterion, a light, and a reminder—or the Torah.

• The Criterion (al-Furqan): It is the proof that distinguishes between disbelief and faith, such as the staff, the hand, and other signs.
• Or, it is the Law (Shar‘) that distinguishes between the lawful and the unlawful.
• It is also said: It refers to the parting of the sea.
• It is also said: It refers to the victory that separated him from his enemy, as in His saying: "On the day of the Criterion" (Al-Anfal: 41), referring to the Day of Badr.

"So kill yourselves."

• This is interpreted according to its literal meaning, which is self-slaughter (suicide).
• It is said: It means they killed one another.
• It is said: It was a command for those who did not worship the calf to kill those who did. It is narrated that a man would see his son, father, neighbor, or relative, and they could not proceed with the command of God. So, God sent a fog and a black cloud under which they could not see one another. They were commanded to sit in the courtyards of their houses, and those who did not worship the calf took their swords. It was said to them, "Be patient." God cursed anyone who cast a glance, loosened their posture, or defended themselves with a hand or foot, and they would say, "Amen." They killed them until evening, until Moses and Aaron prayed, saying, "O Lord, the Children of Israel are perishing; the remainder, the remainder!" The cloud was lifted, repentance was accepted, the blades fell from their hands, and the slain numbered seventy thousand.

"If you ask: What is the difference between the [three] 'fa's' (in the verse)?"

• The first: It is for causation only, because the injustice (wrongdoing) was the cause of the repentance.
• The second: It is for sequence (ta‘qib). The meaning is: "Resolve to repent, then kill yourselves," because God Almighty made their repentance the killing of themselves. It is also possible that the killing was the completion of their repentance; thus, the meaning is: "Repent, then follow up the repentance with the killing as a completion of your repentance."
• The third: It is connected to an omitted element. It either fits into the speech of Moses to them, thus connecting to an omitted condition—as if he said, "If you do so, then He has accepted your repentance"—or it is an address from God Almighty to them by way of iltifat (shifting of pronouns), in which case the estimation is: "If you do what Moses commanded you, then your Creator (al-Bari’) has accepted your repentance."

"If you ask: Why is this place distinguished by the mention of 'the Creator' (al-Bari’)?"

I say: The Creator (al-Bari’) is He who created the creation free from inconsistency ("You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency" [Al-Mulk: 3]), and distinguished one part from another by different shapes and contrasting forms. In this, there is a rebuke for their abandonment of the worship of the All-Knowing, the Wise—who created them with the subtlety of His wisdom in different shapes, free from inconsistency and discord—in favor of worshipping a calf, which is a proverb for stupidity and dullness (in Arab proverbs: "Duller than a bull"). They exposed themselves to the wrath of God and the descent of His command to dismantle what He had assembled of their creation and scatter what He had organized of their forms and shapes, since they did not thank Him for the blessing of that, but rather disparaged it by worshipping one who has no power over any of it.

"And [recall] when you said, 'O Moses, we will not believe you until we see Allah outright,' so the thunderbolt took you while you were looking on. Then We revived you after your death that perhaps you would be grateful. And We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails, [saying], 'Eat from the good things with which We have provided you.' And they wronged Us not - but they were [only] wronging themselves." (55–57)