Prophet Musa and the Bani Israel

When Prophet Musa(alayhis salam) and his people fled from the
Egyptians, their trialswere far from over. After they had safely
crossed the sea, they came upon some people who were worshiping idols.
The children of Israel asked Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) to make an
idol for them, and he had to remind them of all that Allahhad done for
them. How could he make another god for them when their Allah was the
only true god?
Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) was summoned byAllah to Mount Sinai and
he put his brother Harun(alayhis salam) in charge while he was gone.
When he arrived atthe appointed site, he asked to see Allah. Allah
said He could not show Himself directly to Prophet Musa (alayhis
salam), but Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) should look towards the
mountain, and if the mountain remained in one piece, then Musa would
see Allah. When Allah showed His glory onthe mountain, it became like
dust, and Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) fell down in a faint. When
hehad recovered his senses,he asked Allah's forgiveness and declared
his unquestioning belief in Allah. Then Allah spokewith Prophet Musa
(alayhis salam) and gave him tablets containing His commands and
explaining all things. Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) was to carry the
tablets back to his peopleand convey to them the words of Allah. He
spent forty days on the mount, communing with his Lord.
Meanwhile, the people ofProphet Musa (alayhis salam) gathered
togetherall their jewelry and gold which they had carried from Egypt.
They melted it down and made it into the form of a calf, which they
wished to worship. When Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) returned from the
mountain with his tablets, he was angry and grieved to see the golden
calf. Thinking thatHarun (alayhis salam) hadapproved the actions of
the Israelites, an angry Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) grabbed his
brother by the hair and dragged Harun towards him. Harun hastily
explained that the people had not listened to him and had even
threatened to kill him when he opposed their activities. At this
Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) prayed to Allah for forgiveness for both
himself and his brother. He also prayed for mercy for those who
repented of their evil deed in making the golden idol.
The ultimate destination of the people of Israel was the land of
Canaan. Continuously they rebelled against Allah, and continuously
Allah forgave them. When theywere thirsty, Allah commanded Prophet
Musa (alayhis salam) to strike a rock and from it sprang twelve
springs of water, one for each of the tribes of Israel. When they were
hot, Allah provided clouds to cover the sun. When they were hungry,
Allah provided manna and salwa. Yet they were never grateful.They even
complained about the sameness of the diet and asked for more variety.
At last they came to the land of Canaan. But because the people of
Canaan were very strong-looking, the Israelites were afraid to invade
their land. There were only two men who were willing to join Prophet
Musa (alayhis salam) and Harun (alayhis salam) in an attempt to drive
the Canaanites out. They counseled that if the proper gates were
attacked, they could easily gain entrance. And once they were inside,
they would easily be victorious if only they would put their trustin
Allah. But the people of Israel would not budge. They told Prophet
Musa (alayhis salam) and Harun(alayhis salam) to go withtheir Lord and
fight, while they, the people, would sit and watch. At this Prophet
Musa (alayhis salam) gave up trying to persuade his rebellious people.
And Allah decreed that because of their behavior, the children of
Israel would be condemned to wander inthe wilderness for forty more
years, before they would be allowed to enter the land of Canaan.
You can read about the story of Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) and his
people in the wilderness in al-Quran 2: 51-61; 5: 23-29; 7: 138-162;
and 20:80-98.