WORSHIPPING THE GOLD CALF (VERSE NO. 148 - 149)

      A deplorable and meanwhile amazing incident happened when Moses left his people for a short period of time that he had with our Lord. This event is so important in giving lessons, that it is cited in several places in Quran. (S 2: 51-54 - 92-93, S 4:153, S 7: 148-149 and S 20: 88)

      The object of Quran is not the story, but the lessons. Each point of the event has been narrated in its proper place, adding the touch that is necessary in each narration, to complete the spiritual picture.

      This incident did not happen by accident and at once. It rather had a good background, and an old record in the mythology of Egyptains, because they had already worshipped the image of a bull for a long time, and of old.

      In the absence of Moses, the gold calf was made by a man named Samaritan, but many of the Israelites took it for a god and began to worship it and give it sacrifices. It is said that Samaritan had installed several fine pipes and tubes inside the gold calf, so that when it was faced towards the wind it uttered a voice somehow like the lowing and mooing of a cow!

      Quran reproaches the Israelites in particular, and man in general, saying:

      ``Did they not see that the image of the calf could neither speak to them, nor guide them to a way.''

      Then why should a man worship such an inanimate and senseless body, and accept it for a god?!

      When Moses came back, the Israelites came back to themselves and repented and knew how bad, they had done; and that they had indeed oppressed themselves. So they said: ``If our Lord does not have Mercy upon us, and forgive us not, we shall indeed be lost.''

THE BULL GOD OSIRIS

      The ancient Egypt worshipped a god called OSIRIS the symbol of which was a calf- like idol. OSIRIS was the god of under world, and judge of the dead, and brother and husband of ISIS. In Egyptain mythology OSIRIS had a complex nature. He was a dead king and a royal god. In his symbolic shape of a bull, he was a nature and vegetation god and maker of corn, and was also god of the dead ones.

      According to Egyptain myths, OSIRIS at first was a good and beneficient king who had married his sister. He was then killed by his brother whose name was Seth. ISIS his sister wife found the mutilated corpse of her husband and with the help of Anubis mummified the body. ISIS conceived and bore a posthumous son, named HORUS who avenged his father, and was declared by the gods to be the legitimate king and heir of the OSIRIS. After that OSIRIS became king of the underworld and HORUS his son was king of the living. Worship of the Bull OSIRIS, whose central temple was in the city of Memphis may be traced back to the first dynasty of Egypt. Worship of OSIRIS became particularly popular in later dynasties. Therefore the Egyptain Israelites in Moses time, who lived under the influence of Egyptains and in their cult, had the grounds for accepting a god of gold calf or other sort of idols that easy!

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      It is indeed a shame for mankind to read in the old Testament, and accept it as the word of God (EXODUS 32) that Aaron the Messenger of God who was chosen by Moses (AS) the Arch Prophet of Allah, as his successor; made the gold bull, and the maker of the idol was not a Samaritan or else! Let us see what the Bible - the perverted and tampered with, Bible says in this case:

      ``Aaron said to the Israelites; `Take off the gold earrings which your wives, sons, and your daughters are wearing and bring them all to me! So all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. He melted them, poured the gold into a mould and made a gold bull!

      The people said: Israel! `This is our god who led us out of Egypt!''

      Then Aaron built an altar in front of the gold bull, and announced: ``Tomorrow there will be a festival to honour the Lord.''

      Next morning the people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex.

      I have quoted the above notes from the International Encyclopedia and the Old Testament EXODUS 32   TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)