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
حَقِيقٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَن لَّآ أَقُولَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْحَقَّ ۚ قَدْ جِئْتُكُم بِبَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعِىَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
[Who is] obligated not to say about Allāh except the truth. I have come to you with clear evidence from your Lord, so send with me the Children of Israel."
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
And to Allāh belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
أَوَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا ضُحًى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ
Or did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were at play?
وَقَطَّعْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أُمَمًا ۖ مِّنْهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُونَ وَمِنْهُمْ دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ وَبَلَوْنَـٰهُم بِٱلْحَسَنَـٰتِ وَٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
And We divided them throughout the earth into nations. Of them some were righteous, and of them some were otherwise. And We tested them with good [times] and bad that perhaps they would return [to obedience].