Quran 20:94 — Surah Taa-Haa Ayah 94 | Arabic, Translation & Tafsir

أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِ ۖ أَفَعَصَيْتَ أَمْرِى...

20:94

Taa-Haa

قَالَ يَبْنَؤُمَّ لَا تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِى وَلَا بِرَأْسِىٓ ۖ إِنِّى خَشِيتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَلَمْ تَرْقُبْ قَوْلِى

Qaala yabna'umma laa taakhuz bilihyatee wa laa biraasee innee khashetu an taqoola farraqta baina Baneee Israaa'eela wa lam tarqub qawlee

[Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, 'You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.' "

Related Tafsir

Ibn Kathir

What happened between Musa and Harun after Musa returned

Allah informs of what happened when Musa returned to his people and saw the great matter that had taken place among them. With this he became filled with anger and he threw down the Divine Tablets that he had in his hand. Then, he grabbed his brother Harun by his head and pulled him towards himself. We expounded upon this previously in Surat Al-A`raf, where we mentioned the Hadith,

«لَيْسَ الْخَبَرُ كَالْمُعَايَنَة»

(Information is not the same as observation.) Then, he began to blame his brother, Harun, by saying,

مَا مَنَعَكَ إِذْ رَأَيْتَهُمْ ضَلُّواْأَلاَّ تَتَّبِعَنِ

(What prevented you when you saw them going astray; that you followed me not) meaning, "You should have informed me of this matter as soon as it happened."

أَفَعَصَيْتَ أَمْرِى

(Have you then disobeyed my order) "In that which I entrusted to you," referring to Musa's statement,

اخْلُفْنِى فِى قَوْمِى وَأَصْلِحْ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

(Replace me among my people, act in the right way and follow not the way of the mischief-makers.)7:142

قَالَ يَبْنَؤُمَّ

(He (Harun) said: "O son of my mother!") This mentioning of the mother was Harun's attempt to soften Musa's anger, because he was Musa's biological brother and they had the same parents. The mentioning of the mother here is more delicate and profound in bringing about gentleness and mildness. This is why he said,

يَبْنَؤُمَّ لاَ تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِى وَلاَ بِرَأْسِى

(O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my beard, nor by my head!) This was Harun's excuse to Musa for being delayed from coming to him and informing him of the great mishap that took place. He said,

إِنِّى خَشِيتُ

(Verily, I feared) meaning, "I was afraid to come after you and inform you of this, because I thought you might accuse me of leaving them alone and causing division between them."

وَلَمْ تَرْقُبْ قَوْلِى

(and you have not respected my word!) This means, "And you did not take care of what I commanded you to do when I left you in charge of them." Ibn `Abbas said, "Harun was respectful and obedient to Musa."

View Full Tafsir: What happened between Musa and Harun after Musa returnedAyahs 92–94

You are in the same position with relation to me as Aaron (Harun) was in relation to Moses but with (this explicit difference) that there is no prophet after me. Sa'd said: I had an earnest desire to hear it directly from Sa'd, so I met him and narrated to him what (his son) Amir had narrated to me, whereupon he said: Yes, I did hear it. I said: Did you hear it yourself? Thereupon he placed his fingers upon his ears and said: Yes, and if not, let both my ears become deaf.

Sahih Muslim #6063Sa'd reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying to 'Ali:

Aren't you satisfied with being unto me what Aaron was unto Moses?

Sunan Abu Dawud #4209Narrated AbuRimthah:

I and my father came to the Prophet (ﷺ). He said to a man or to my father: Who is this? He replied: He is my son. He said: Do not commit a crime on him. He had stained his beard with henna.

Sahih al-Bukhari #3548

And narrated Sad that the Prophet (ﷺ) said to 'Ali, "Will you not be pleased from this that you are to me like Aaron was to Moses?"

Sahih Muslim #4183Al-Ma'rur b. Suwaid said:

We went to Abu Dharr (Ghifari) in Rabadha and he had a mantle over him, and his slave had one like it. We said: Abu Dharr, had you joined them together, it would have been a complete garment. Thereupon he said: There was an altercation between me and one of the persons among my brothers. His mother was a non-Arab. I reproached him for his mother. He complained against me to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ). As I met Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) he said: Abu Dharr, you are a person who still has (in him the remnants) of the days (of Ignorance). Thereupon I said: Allah's Messenger, he who abuses (other) persons, they abuse (in return) his father and mother. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Abu Dharr, you are a person who still has (the remnants) of Ignorance in him They (your servants and slaves) are your brothers. Allah has put them in your care, so feed them with what you eat, clothe them with what you wear. and do not burden them beyond their capacities; but if you burden them (with an unbearable burden), then help them (by sharing their extra burden).