وَإِذْ وَٰعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰٓ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً
ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذْتُمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ
وَأَنتُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
وَإِذْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ
وَٱلْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
And (remember) when We appointed
for Musa forty nights,
and (in his absence) you took the calf
(for worship), and you were Zalimun
(polytheists and wrongdoers).
Then after that We forgave you
so that you might be grateful.
And (remember) when We gave Musa
the Scripture (the Tawrah)
and the criterion (of right and wrong)
so that you may be guided aright.
The Children of Israil worshipped the Calf
Allah then said, “Remember My favor on you when I forgave you for worshipping the calf.” This happened after Musa went to the meeting place with his Lord at the end of that period which was forty days. These forty days were mentioned in Surat Al-A`raf, when Allah said,
وَوَعَدْنَا مُوسَى ثَلَـثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَاهَا بِعَشْرٍ
And We appointed for Musa thirty nights and added (to the period) ten (more) (Al-A’raf 142).
It was said that these days were during the month of Dhul-Qa`dah plus the first ten days in Dhul-Hijjah, after the Children of Israil were delivered from Fir`awn and they safely crossed the sea. Allah’s statement,
وَإِذْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَـبَ
And (remember) when We gave Musa the Scripture
means, the Tawrah,
وَالْفُرْقَانِ
And the criterion
that is that which differentiates between truth and falsehood, guidance and deviation.
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
So that you may be guided aright
after escaping the sea, as another Ayat in Surat Al-A`raf clearly stated,
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَـبَ مِن بَعْدِ مَآ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ الاٍّولَى بَصَآئِرَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
And indeed We gave Musa ـ after We had destroyed the generations of old ـ the Scripture (the Tawrah) as an enlightenment for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy, that they might remember (or receive admonition) (Al-Qasas 43).