۞ We told Moses to stay with Us for thirty nights (in the mountains) but added ten nights more so his appointment with his Lord came to an end after forty nights. Moses had appointed his brother Aaron as his deputy among his people during his absence saying, "Try to reform them and do not follow the way of the evil-doers." 142 When Moses arrived at the appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: "O Lord, reveal Yourself to me that I may behold You." "You cannot behold Me," He said. "But look at the mountain: If it remains firm in its place you may then behold Me." But when his Lord appeared on the mountain in His effulgence, it crumbled to a heap of dust, and Moses fell unconscious. When he came to, he said: "All glory to You. I turn to You in repentance, and I am the first to believe." 143 He said: O Musa! surely I have chosen you above the people with My messages and with My words, therefore take hold of what I give to you and be of the grateful ones. 144 And We wrote for him in the tablets of everything an exhortation and a detail of everything. So hold thou fast with firmness and bid thy people to follow the best thereof. Anon I will shew you the dwelling of the ungodly people. 145 I shall turn away from My Ayat (verses of the Quran) those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right, and (even) if they see all the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they will not believe in them. And if they see the way of righteousness (monotheism, piety, and good deeds), they will not adopt it as the Way, but if they see the way of error (polytheism, crimes and evil deeds), they will adopt that way, that is because they have rejected Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and were heedless (to learn a lesson) from them. 146 The deeds of those who have called Our revelations and belief in the Day of Judgment mere lies, will be turned devoid of all virtue. Can they expect to receive a reward for their deeds other than that which is the result of their deeds? 147