In the second verse God speak about the excuses the Jews made, “The people of the Book ask you to bring them a book from the heavens.” One group of scholars feels that their demand for a book was actually for something in writing even pages which they could see and touch. (1)Some say that they demanded why the full Qura’n was not reveled at one time. Qura’n expresses surprise, that they say so after testing the truth of the messenger’s message. This is an evil and rebellious group and such things are not unheard of from them, because their elders had asked Moses something greater, “Show us God face to face” The verse says, “indeed they demanded of Moses a greater thing that that, for they said, “Show us God”
This wrongful demand became a curse for them and they were caught by the lightning from the heavens. “” and the lightning struck them for their wickedness.”
So they were unjust on themselves and had incarcerated their intellect in the dungeon of sense and experience and never gave it a chance to fly out and explore the world beyond their limited society. This is why the lightning struck them and they were annihilated. It was only after the prayers of Moses that they were made to live again.
It is astonishing to note that even after being subjected to the lightning, a horrific punishment, there was no sign of awakening in their hearts and when Samiri invited them to worship the calf they readily accepted it. The verse says, “They then took a calf (as god) even after clear signs had come to them.”
They did not accept a god who could not be seen or sensed and they were so stuck in this material world that they could not reach out to the spiritual world. Even then God bestowed His beneficence and forgave them and gave Moses a clear authority. “We pardoned them for this, and We bestowed upon Moses a clear authority.”
The term “clear authority” is that leadership that God bestowed on Moses and this logically made him superior to his opponents. Some commentators have considered it to be just the success in his arguments (against the Pharaoh). Allama Tabrisi has adopted this view in his commentary Majmaul Bayan.(2)
1. This Tafsir has been adopted in the commentary Fi Zalal Al Qura’n Vol. 2 Page 586. Fakhruddin Razi has mentioned this as a quote and has termed it reasonable. Anywhere the other explanation inscribed here does not show incompatibility.
2. Tafsir Majmaul Bayan vol.3 page 134
