۞ 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 During the appointment, the Lord spoke to Moses. He asked the Lord to show Himself so that he could look at Him. The Lord replied, "You can never see Me. But look at the mountain. If the mountain remains firm only then will you see Me." When the Lord manifested His Glory to the mountain, He turned it into dust and Moses fell down upon his face senseless. After regaining his senses, Moses said, "Lord, You are all Holy. I repent for what I asked you to do and I am the first to believe in You." 143 [Allah] said, "O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My words [to you]. So take what I have given you and be among the grateful." 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 signs those who, without any right, behaved haughtily in the earth, even if they may witness each and every sign, they shall not believe therein. And even if they see the right path, they shall still not follow it; but if they see the path of error, they shall choose it for their path. This is because they rejected Our signs as false and were heedless to them. 146 Vain are the deeds of those who belie Our signs and the Everlasting Life. Shall they not be recompensed except for what they used to do? 147