"And Moses chose seventy men from his people" (Qur'an 7:155), to the end of the verse.
Muhammad said: It is a common expression in the speech of the Arabs to say, 'I chose you from the people' (ikhtartuka al-qawm), meaning: from among the people.
Al-Kalbi said: When his Lord spoke to him, the seventy said to Moses: 'O Moses, we have a right over you; we were your companions and did not differ (from you), and we did not do what our people did. So show us Allah openly just as you saw Him.' Moses said: 'No, by Allah, I did not see Him. I requested that of Him, but He refused, and He manifested Himself to the mountain, so it crumbled, and it was stronger than I am, and I fell down unconscious. When I recovered, I asked Allah for forgiveness and acknowledged the sin.' They replied: 'We will not believe you until we see Allah openly.' So the thunderbolt seized them, and they were consumed by fire, every one of them. Moses thought that they had only been consumed because of the sin of the companions of the calf. So Moses said: 'My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before, and me as well. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done?' (Qur'an 7:155), meaning: the companions of the calf. 'It is not but Your trial' (Qur'an 7:155), to the end of the verse. Then Allah raised them from the dead after their death.
Surat al-A'raf from verse 156 to verse 159.
﴿وَاخْتَارَ مُوسَى قَوْمَهُ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلا﴾ الآيَةَ.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: مِنْ كَلامِ الْعَرَب: اخْتَرْتُك (ل ١١١) الْقَوْمَ؛ أَيْ: مِنَ الْقَوْمِ.
قَالَ الْكَلْبِيّ:
إِن السّبْعين قَالَ لِمُوسَى حِينَ كَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ: يَا مُوسَى لَنَا عَلَيْكَ حَقٌّ كُنَّا أَصْحَابَكَ وَلَمْ نَخْتَلِفْ، وَلَمْ نَصْنَعِ الَّذِي صَنَعَ قَوْمُنَا؛ فَأَرِنَا اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً كَمَا رَأَيْتَهُ، فَقَالَ مُوسَى: لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ، وَلَقَدْ أَرَدْتُهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَأَبَى وَتَجَلَّى لِلْجَبَلِ فَكَانَ دَكًّا وَهُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنِّي، وَخَرَرْتُ صَعِقًا، فَلَمَّا أَفَقْتُ سَأَلْتُ اللَّهَ وَاعْتَرَفْتُ بِالْخَطِيئَةِ. فَقَالُوا: إِنَّا لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ؛ فَاحْتَرَقُوا مِنْ آخِرِهِمْ، فَظَنَّ مُوسَى أَنَّهُمْ إِنَّمَا احْتَرَقُوا بِخَطِيئَةِ أَصْحَابِ الْعِجْلِ، فَقَالَ مُوسَى: ﴿رَبِّ لَوْ شِئْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَإِيَّايَ أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَّا﴾ يَعْنِي: أَصْحَابَ الْعِجْلِ ﴿إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا فتنتك﴾ إِلَى آخِرِ الآيَةِ، ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُمُ الله من بعد مَوْتهمْ.
سُورَة الْأَعْرَاف من الْآيَة (١٥٦) إِلَى الْآيَة (١٥٩).
