وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوسَىٰ لِمِيقَـٰتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِىٓ أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ لَن تَرَىٰنِى وَلَـٰكِنِ ٱنظُرْ إِلَى ٱلْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ ٱسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُۥ فَسَوْفَ تَرَىٰنِى ۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّىٰ رَبُّهُۥ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُۥ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ مُوسَىٰ صَعِقًا ۚ فَلَمَّآ أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ 143
Translations
And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [Allāh] said, "You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first [among my people] of the believers."
Transliteration
Wa-lamma jaa'a Musa li-miqatina wa-kallamahu Rabbuhu qala Rabbi arini anzur ilayka qala lan tarani wa-lakin unzur ila-l-jabali fa-in istaqarra makanuhu fa-sawfa tarani fa-lamma tajalla Rabbuhu li-l-jabali ja'alahu dakkan wa-kharra Musa sa'iqan fa-lamma afaqa qala subhanaka tubtu ilayka wa-ana awwalu-l-mu'minin
Tafsir (Explanation)
When Musa (Moses) requested to see Allah directly, he was told that no created being can bear such a vision in this world. Allah instead showed the manifestation of His divine attributes to the mountain as a test, and the mountain was utterly destroyed, demonstrating the overwhelming nature of Allah's majesty. When Musa regained consciousness, he immediately repented and testified to Allah's transcendence, affirming his faith. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this ayah teaches the impossibility of seeing Allah in the dunya (worldly life) and confirms it as a gift reserved for the believers in Paradise.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative in Surah Al-A'raf describing Musa's journey and his encounter with Allah at Mount Sinai when he went to keep the appointment (miqat) for receiving the Torah. The context demonstrates Musa's deep desire for spiritual closeness to his Lord and Allah's mercy in guiding him toward understanding divine reality. This narrative follows Musa's call to prophethood and precedes the story of the golden calf.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'You will not see your Lord until you die.' Additionally, a hadith in Sahih Bukhari mentions that the people of Paradise will see Allah, contrasting the impossibility of seeing Him in this life. These traditions clarify that direct vision of Allah is exclusive to the Hereafter.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that our desire to draw closer to Allah must be tempered with understanding of His infinite transcendence and our finite human limitations. It encourages believers to show sincere repentance and humility when confronted with their weakness, while maintaining unwavering faith in Allah's existence and ultimate reward for the faithful.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَـٰهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ۚ ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا ۚ فَٱقْصُصِ ٱلْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
And if We had willed, We could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought.
إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةً مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفُونَ
Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people."
وَجَـٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ ۚ قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَى ٱجْعَل لَّنَآ إِلَـٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ
And We took the Children of Israel across the sea; then they came upon a people intent in devotion to [some] idols of theirs. They [the Children of Israel] said, "O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods." He said, "Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly.
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ
[Allāh] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" [Satan] said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay [i.e., earth]."