A common understanding among many Muslims is that God commanded the Children of Israel to kill themselves (by slaying the wrongdoers among themselves) for their worship of the calf. This understanding comes from the following verse in 2:54.
The verse has been translated by several scholars. Below are the renderings often cited in discussions about this passage:
Muhammad Asad
2:54 and when Moses said unto his people: “O my people! Verily, you have sinned against yourselves by worshipping the calf; turn, then. in repentance to your Maker and mortify yourselves; this will be the best for you in your Maker’s sight”. And thereupon He accepted your repentance: for, behold, He alone is the Acceptor of Repentance, the Dispenser of Grace
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab
2:54 And ˹remember˺ when Moses said to his people, “O my people! Surely you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf, so turn in repentance to your Creator and execute (the calf-worshippers among) yourselves. That is best for you in the sight of your Creator.” Then He accepted your repentance. Surely He is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.
M. M. Pickthall
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
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
2:54 And remember Moses said to his people: “O my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf: So turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker.” Then He turned towards you (in forgiveness): For He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful
Safi Kaskas
2:54 Then Moses told his people, “My people, you have sinned against yourselves by worshipping the calf, so repent to your Creator and then kill yourselves. That would be better for you in your Creator’s sight. Then He turned to you, accepting your repentance. He is always forgiving, the Mercy Giver.
Shakir
2:54 And when Musa said to his people: O my people! you have surely been unjust to yourselves by taking the calf (for a god), therefore turn to your Creator (penitently), so kill your people, that is best for you with your Creator: so He turned to you (mercifully), for surely He is the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful
The reason behind this understanding
There are several reasons translators came to this understanding, with the most common appealing to the linguistic and the understanding of the word “ anfusakum” ( أَنفُسَكُم). This word can be broken into two parts “ nafs” which can be translated as “soul” or “self,” and “kum,” which is the plural form of “your.” So the term “ anfusakum” ( أَنفُسَكُم) can be translated as “yourselves” or “your souls.”
This word is used twice in the verse. Below is a word-by-word breakdown of the verse. So, based on this interpretation, if we apply the meaning of “yourselves” in both instances, this would imply that God commanded the Children of Israel to kill themselves for their worship of the calf.
The expression “kill yourself” is used elsewhere in the Quran towards the Children of Israel killing each other. This is why some of the translations, rather than saying the literal “kill yourselves,” translate this as “kill the wrongdoers” instead of a command for the Children of Israel to commit suicide.
2:84 We made a covenant with you, that you shall not shed your blood, nor shall you evict each other from your homes. You agreed and bore witness.
2:85 Yet, here you are killing each other, and evicting some of you from their homes, banding against them sinfully and maliciously. Even when they surrendered, you demanded ransom from them. Evicting them was prohibited for you in the first place. Do you believe in part of the scripture and disbelieve in part? What should be the retribution for those among you who do this, except humiliation in this life, and a far worse retribution on the Day of Resurrection? GOD is never unaware of anything you do.
The last typical reason for this interpretation comes from the incident, according to the Bible, where the Children of Israel killed the worshipers of the calf among themselves.
Exodus 32
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. 27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
The Criteria
Before addressing the issues with this understanding, it is worth laying the groundwork for how we understand the Quran within itself and in conjunction with previous scriptures.
Multimeaning words
The Quran informs us that the majority of its verses are straightforward and constitute the foundation of the message, while it also contains verses with multiple meanings. The rule is that we can never use something that is multi-meaning to supersede the foundational understandings of the Quran. Therefore, if a verse has multiple possible interpretations, we must pick the one that aligns with the foundational understandings of the Quran that can be found in the verses that are not multi-meaning.
3:7 He sent down to you this scripture, containing straightforward verses—which constitute the essence of the scripture—as well as multiple-meaning or allegorical verses. Those who harbor doubts in their hearts will pursue the multiple-meaning verses to create confusion, and to extricate a certain meaning. None knows the true meaning thereof except GOD and those well founded in knowledge. They say, “We believe in this—all of it comes from our Lord.” Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.
No Contradictions
The Quran also informs us that it has no contradictions. Therefore, if we have an understanding that creates a contradiction, then we must reevaluate our understanding so we view the verses of the Quran in the correct light.
4:82 Why do they not study the Quran carefully? If it were from other than GOD, they would have found in it numerous contradictions.
The Quran Supersedes the Bible
The function of the Quran is to correct and supersede what we find written in the previous scriptures. So we should always take the Quran’s statements over those of any previous scripture, because the latter, despite originally being the word of God, have been distorted over the years.
5:48 Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them. You shall rule among them in accordance with GOD’s revelations, and do not follow their wishes if they differ from the truth that came to you. For each of you, we have decreed laws and different rites. Had GOD willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the test through the revelations He has given each of you. You shall compete in righteousness. To GOD is your final destiny—all of you—then He will inform you of everything you had disputed.
5:49 You shall rule among them in accordance with GOD’s revelations to you. Do not follow their wishes, and beware lest they divert you from some of GOD’s revelations to you. If they turn away, then know that GOD wills to punish them for some of their sins. Indeed, many people are wicked.
5:50 Is it the law of the days of ignorance that they seek to uphold? Whose law is better than GOD’s for those who have attained certainty?
Quran Advocates the Non-Aggression Principle
An umbrella rule in the Quran is that aggression is only permitted against aggressors in self-defense or to fight oppression. The Quran states that God does not love the aggressors.
2:190 You may fight in the cause of GOD against those who attack you, but do not aggress. GOD does not love the aggressors.
2:191 You may kill those who wage war against you, and you may evict them whence they evicted you. Oppression is worse than murder. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque (Masjid), unless they attack you therein. If they attack you, you may kill them. This is the just retribution for those disbelievers.
2:192 If they refrain, then GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
2:193 You may also fight them to eliminate oppression, and to worship GOD freely. If they refrain, you shall not aggress; aggression is permitted only against the aggressors.
The Quran condemns force and compulsion
2:256 There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.
There is no legal punishment for idol worship
Nowhere in the Quran is there a legal punishment to be carried out against those who choose to disbelieve or commit idol worship. The only requirement from the believers towards such people is to live and let live and not befriend them if they are hostile.
109:1 Say, “O you disbelievers.
109:2 “I do not worship what you worship.
109:3 “Nor do you worship what I worship.
109:4 “Nor will I ever worship what you worship.
109:5 “Nor will you ever worship what I worship.
109:6 “To you is your religion, and to me is my religion.”
60:8 GOD does not enjoin you from befriending those who do not fight you because of religion, and do not evict you from your homes. You may befriend them and be equitable towards them. GOD loves the equitable.
60:9 GOD enjoins you only from befriending those who fight you because of religion, evict you from your homes, and band together with others to banish you. You shall not befriend them. Those who befriend them are the transgressors.
60:13 O you who believe, do not befriend people with whom GOD is angry, and who are hopelessly stuck in disbelief; they are just as hopeless as the disbelievers who are already in the graves.
The Samarian
Based on these facts, it would be inconsistent if God commanded the Children of Israel to kill themselves or the wrongdoers among themselves, as this would be an act of aggression for idol worship, which we do not have precedent for in the Quran.
If this was the case, the person who instigated the whole matter would have also been killed. Yet, we see that the Samarian who created the calf and sent the people astray was only banished from the community and not only not killed but was not allowed to be touched.
20:95 He said, “What is the matter with you, O Samarian?”
20:96 He said, “I saw what they could not see. I grabbed a fistful (of dust) from the place where the messenger stood, and used it (to mix into the golden calf). This is what my mind inspired me to do.”
20:97 He (Moses) said, “ Then go, and, throughout your life, do not even come close. You have an appointed time (for your final judgment) that you can never evade. Look at your god that you used to worship; we will burn it and throw it into the sea, to stay down there forever.”
So, if the verse does not state for the Children of Israel to kill themselves, how should we understand this verse? The word “ nafs” is multi-meaning. In addition to “self” “soul” it can also mean “ego” or “inner desire.”
We see an example of this in the following verses.
2:87 We gave Moses the scripture, and subsequent to him we sent other messengers, and we gave Jesus, son of Mary, profound miracles and supported him with the Holy Spirit. Is it not a fact that every time a messenger went to you with anything you disliked, your ego caused you to be arrogant? Some of them you rejected, and some of them you killed.
Similarly, we see that their egos caused the Children of Israel to go astray, which caused them to fill their hearts with love for the calf.
2:93 We made a covenant with you, as we raised Mount Sinai above you, saying, “You shall uphold the commandments we have given you, strongly, and listen.” They said, “We hear, but we disobey.” Their hearts became filled with adoration for the calf, due to their disbelief. Say, “Miserable indeed is what your faith dictates upon you, if you do have any faith.”
Also, when the Samarian was questioned by Moses regarding why he built the calf, he confessed that it was his ego (nafs) that caused him to do what he did.
20:96 He said, “I saw what they could not see. I grabbed a fistful (of dust) from the place where the messenger stood, and used it (to mix into the golden calf). This is what my ego inspired me to do.”
Therefore, the proper way to understand this verse is that the Children of Israel were commanded to “kill their egos” from being in defiance to God rather than “kill themselves.” This understanding also aligns with the fact that God redeemed them for carrying through with the action, indicating that the command was to humble themselves, but it wouldn’t make sense if the command was to kill themselves.
2:54 Recall that Moses said to his people, “O my people, you have wronged your souls by worshiping the calf. You must repent to your Creator. You shall kill your egos. This is better for you in the sight of your Creator.” He did redeem you. He is the Redeemer, Most Merciful.