قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِأَخِي وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِي رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ ﴿۱۵۱﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُفْتَرِينَ ﴿۱۵۲﴾ وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهَا وَآمَنُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنْ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۱۵۳﴾
﴾151﴿ Qaala Rabbighfirlee wa li akhee wa adkhilnaa fee rahmatika wa Anta arhamur raahimeen
﴾152﴿ Innal lazeenat takhazul 'ijla-sa yanaaluhum ghadabum mir Rabbihim wa zillatun fil hayaatid dunyaa; wa kazaalika najzil muftareen
﴾153﴿ Wallazeena 'amilus saiyiaati summa taaboo min ba'dihaa wa aamanooo inna Rabbaka min ba'dihaa la Ghafoorur Raheem
﴾151﴿ Musa (peace be upon him) said, “O my Lord! Forgive me and my brother, and admit us into Your special mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.”
﴾152﴿ Indeed, those who took the calf as a god—soon a wrath from their Lord and disgrace in the life of this world will reach them. And thus do We recompense those who fabricate lies.
﴾153﴿ And those who did evil deeds, then repented afterwards and believed—surely your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.
[151] This supplication is not because Musa (peace be upon him) fell short due to anger, nor because Harun (peace be upon him) failed in reforming the people, such that he would be seeking pardon for him. Rather, this does not imply that they committed any sin.
[152] In this verse, there is a warning directed at those among the Children of Israel who did not repent from worshipping the calf—like Samiri and his followers, as well as the descendants of the Israelites who were pleased with this act.
(وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُفْتَرِينَ) – According to a narration from Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), the term "those who fabricate (al-muf'tarīn)" refers to innovators in religion (those who introduce religious innovations), and disgrace accompanies every innovation.
Ibn Kathir also reports from Hasan al-Basri that the disgrace of innovation rests upon their shoulders—even if they ride on fine mules and Turkish horses.
[153] This verse is an encouragement to repent after committing shirk (polytheism).
Within this encouragement lies an emphasis on the nearness or urgency of repentance—that it should be done before death.