[20].Surah Taha [Tâ-Hâ]: Ayat 89-91

Ayat 89. Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good?

Ayat 90. And Harun (Aaron) indeed had said to them beforehand: "O my people! You are being tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allah) the Most Beneficent, so follow me and obey my order."

Ayat 91. They said: "We will not stop worshipping it (i.e. the calf), until Mûsa (Moses) returns to us." 

[Tafseer] This is a parenthetical comment. How blind the people were! They had seen Signs of the True Living God, and yet they were willing to worship a dead image! The True Living God had spoken in definite words of command, while this calf could only emit some sounds of lowing, which were themselves contrived by the fraud of the priests. This image could do neither good nor harm, while Allah was the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Universe, Whose Mercy was unbounded and Whose Wrath was terrible. "Resist this temptation: you are being tested in this. Do not follow after the semi-Egyptian Samiri, but obey me." The Bible story makes Aaron the culprit, which is inconsistent with his office as the high priest of Allah and the right hand of Moses. Our version is more consistent, and explains, through the example of the Samiri, the lingering influences of the Egyptian cult of Osiris the bull-god.  They had said: "We will not abandon this cult, but we will devote ourselves to it until Moses returns to us." Obviously Aaron's speech in the last verse, and the rebels' defiance in this verse, were spoken before the return of Moses from the Mount. The rebels had so little faith that they had given Moses up for lost, and never expected to see him again.

Hazrat Maaqil bin Yasar (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) said, "The reward of worship performed at a time of trials is equal in reward to an emigration to me.''

[Muslim Book 41, Chapter 24, Hadith # 7042] 

Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Taha Ayat 90.""O my people! You are being tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allah) the Most Beneficent, so follow me and obey my order." When turmoil is rampant and society is plagued with evils, the worship and obedience of Allah becomes very difficult. The reason being that in such a situation evils are widespread and therefore everyone easily inclines to them. In such circumstances, worship of Allah and compliance of His Orders are merits of great eminence and their reward have been likened to the reward of going for Hijrah (Emigration) to Al-Madinah at that time when this migration was Wajib (obligatory). Emigration was at that time obligatory and to bid farewell to home, property, business and homeland was sacrifice of the highest order. But this sacrifice was worth its reward. A similar reward is promised to those who will be obedient to Allah and worship Him in an age of mischief. A believer should avoid taking part in turmoil and occupy himself worshipping Allah instead.