وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَٰقَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُم بِٱتِّخَاذِكُمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ بَارِئِكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
“And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves. That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.” — M. M. Pickthall
According to this exegete, the text indicates that the expression mentioned in the verse carries the meaning of a permission regarding the abandonment of the (night) prayer that was predetermined beforehand. In other words, since there is a difficulty in implementing the originally determined amount, it is stated that permission was given to refrain from it.
عبارة عن الترخيص في ترك القيام المقدرAccording to this exegete, the verse demonstrates that the acceptance of repentance is not rationally necessary; because Allah forgave the Israelites who committed shirk, and this is contrary to the Mutazilite view. Furthermore, the 'killing of oneself' command in the verse does not mean in its literal sense that every repentant person should kill themselves, but rather it is a conditional statement indicating that repentance is only complete through this way. Râzî reports that this command was not applied in its literal sense and that exegetes unanimously agree that it was not actually carried out.
دلت هذه الآية على أن قبول التوبة غير واجب عقلا ، وإذا ثبت ذلك ثبت أيضا أنه تعالى قد أسقط عقاب من يجوز عقابه عقلا وشرعا ، وذلك أيضا خلاف قول المعتزلةAccording to Ibn Kesîr, the expression 'it is better for you' in this verse shows that this command is a two-sided good for both those who repent and their families, and it draws attention to the magnitude of the sin committed by the Israelites. The exegete reports through various narrations that the repentance of Moses' people from their sin of worshipping the calf was realized in the form of killing one another by sword at Allah's command; those killed were considered martyrs, and those who remained alive were considered forgiven.
فقال الله تعالى إن توبتهم أن يقتل كل واحد منهم من لقي من والد وولد فيقتله بالسيف ولا يبالي من قتل في ذلك المواطن فتاب أولئك الذين كانوا خفى على موسى وهارون ما أطلع الله على ذنوبهم فاعترفوا بها وفعلوا ما أمروا به فغفر الله للقاتل والمقتولTaberî explains various verses in the chapter of Bakara in this passage in sequence: that asking permission and giving greetings is better than entering homes, that the Israelites wronged themselves by worshipping the calf, that Moses' command to them to kill themselves was repentance from this sin, and that going out to jihad is better than staying. Furthermore, through narrations, it is recounted that Moses commanded his people to kill one another with daggers, that seventy thousand people were killed in this process, and that Allah accepted their repentance through this event.
فتكشف عن سبعين ألف قتيل، وإن الله أوحى إلى موسى أن حسبي قد اكتفيتKurtubî mentions that the expression 'fetâbe aleyküm' in the verse can mean both the acceptance of repentance from sins and an exemption/lightening. Furthermore, he reports that the command 'faktülû enfüseküm' (kill yourselves) is killing in its literal sense, and that the Israelites repented by those who worshipped the calf killing one another. He also conveys different narrations about how this event actually took place.
والصحيح أنه قتل على الحقيقة هنا والقتل : إماتة الحركةAccording to Beydâvî, the expression 'enfüsekum' refers to them wronging themselves by worshipping the calf; for this reason, they were commanded to repent to their Lord who is 'bâriü' and to kill themselves. The killing of souls was interpreted either as literal killing for the completion of repentance, or as cutting off desires, or as those who did not worship the calf killing those who did. As a result, it is stated that Allah granted them repentance and that He is the All-Pardoning and the All-Merciful.
وقيل أمر من لم يعبد العجل أن يقتل العبدة.Common ground
Most of the exegetes agree that the command 'kill yourselves' came in the context of the Israelites' repentance from their sin of worshipping the calf and that this was realized through Moses' people killing one another; furthermore, there is a common emphasis that the expression 'fetâbe aleyküm' is related to repentance/forgiveness and that the event is supported by narrations.
Differences
While Zemahşerî reads the expression as an exemption (abandonment of a difficult ruling) from a linguistic/rhetorical perspective, Râzî brings the matter to theological discussion (whether the acceptance of repentance is rationally necessary, refutation of the Mutazilites) and emphasizes that the command was not applied in its literal sense. Ibn Kesîr and Taberî rely predominantly on narration-based exegesis and convey the concrete details of the event (seventy thousand dead, being counted as martyrs, etc.). Kurtubî and Beydâvî combine linguistic analysis with narration, leaving open the door to both literal and figurative (cutting off desires, killing one another) interpretations of the command. These differences stem from the methodological differences between linguist/rhetorical scholars (Zemahşerî, Beydâvî), theological scholars (Râzî), and narration-focused scholars (Taberî, Ibn Kesîr).
Historical context
While Taberî, an early period exegete, prioritized collecting and conveying narrations, in later periods Zemahşerî and Beydâvî gave more emphasis to linguistic/rhetorical refinement, and Râzî to theological discussion; Kurtubî and Ibn Kesîr followed a more synthesizing line by balancing narration with linguistic analysis. The basic narrative (repentance, the command to kill, forgiveness) remained constant throughout the period, while the interpretation method and emphasis points diversified over time.
This comparative reading reminds us that returning from error (repentance) must take place with sincerity and with a determination that may require a price; this can be associated with the themes of sincerity and patience. Furthermore, the multi-faceted approaches that different exegetes brought to the same verse remind us that in the scholarly tradition, various methods (language, narration, reason) can complement one another, and this can serve as an example of a tolerant effort to reading.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar