قَالُواْ لَن نَّبۡرَحَ عَلَيۡهِ عَٰكِفِينَ حَتَّىٰ يَرۡجِعَ إِلَيۡنَا مُوسَىٰ
They said: "We will not stop worshipping it (i.e. the calf), until Musa (Moses) returns to us."
قَالَ يَٰهَٰرُونُ مَا مَنَعَكَ إِذۡ رَأَيۡتَهُمۡ ضَلُّوٓاْ
[Musa (Moses)] said: "O Harun (Aaron)! What stopped you when you saw them going astray;
أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِۖ أَفَعَصَيۡتَ أَمۡرِي
"That you followed me not (according to my advice to you)? Have you then disobeyed my order?"
قَالَ يَبۡنَؤُمَّ لَا تَأۡخُذۡ بِلِحۡيَتِي وَلَا بِرَأۡسِيٓۖ إِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقۡتَ بَيۡنَ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَـٰٓءِيلَ وَلَمۡ تَرۡقُبۡ قَوۡلِي
He [Harun (Aaron)] said: "O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my beard, nor by my head! Verily, I feared lest you should say: 'You have caused a division among the Children of Israel, and you have not respected my word!' "
قَالَ فَمَا خَطۡبُكَ يَٰسَٰمِرِيُّ
[Musa (Moses)] said: "And what is the matter with you. O Samiri? (i.e. why did you do so?)"
قَالَ بَصُرۡتُ بِمَا لَمۡ يَبۡصُرُواْ بِهِۦ فَقَبَضۡتُ قَبۡضَةٗ مِّنۡ أَثَرِ ٱلرَّسُولِ فَنَبَذۡتُهَا وَكَذَٰلِكَ سَوَّلَتۡ لِي نَفۡسِي
(Samiri) said: "I saw what they saw not, so I took a handful (of dust) from the hoof print of the messenger [Jibrael's (Gabriel) horse] and threw it [into the fire in which were put the ornaments of the Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people, or into the calf]. Thus my inner-self suggested to me."