How As-Samiri made the Calf

Musa said to As-Samiri, "What caused you to do what you did What presented such an idea to you causing you to do this" Muhammad bin Ishaq reported from Ibn `Abbas that he said, "As-Samiri was a man from the people of Bajarma, a people who worshipped cows. He still had the love of cow worshipping in his soul. However, he acted as though he had accepted Islam with the Children of Israel. His name was Musa bin Zafar." Qatadah said, "He was from the village of Samarra."

قَالَ بَصُرْتُ بِمَا لَمْ يَبْصُرُواْ بِهِ

Commentary

بَصُرْ‌تُ بِمَا لَمْ يَبْصُرُ‌وا بِهِ (I perceived something they perceived not - 20:96) The reference here is to Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) . There is a tradition that he was present on his horse at the river crossing when, the Bani Isra'il having crossed it safely to the other side, the Pharaoh and his army entered the river in pursuit of the fugitives. There is another tradition that after Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had crossed the river Sayyidna Jibra'il came to him riding a horse to invite him to go to the Tur mountain. At that time Samiri alone, and no one else, saw him and the reason, according to a tradition of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، was that he was nourished by Jibra'il when his mother had left him in the cave, and knew him well. (Bayan ul-Qur’ an)