Overall meaning : Allah Almighty says, pointing out the honest and sincere advice Aaron, peace be upon him, had given such ignorant people who worshipped the calf: Aaron had already said to the children of Israel before Moses returned to them, ‘My people, this calf is but a test for you, so that the believers will be clearly distinguished from the unbelievers. Your only Lord is the All-Compassionate; therefore, follow me by worshipping Allah alone, and obey my command by desisting from worshipping other than Him.’ The calf worshipers replied, ‘We will not cease to worship it until Moses returns to us.’
The Almighty then mentions what Moses said to his brother Aaron and what he did when he came back and saw what had happened: Moses said, ‘Aaron, what prevented you from following me when you saw that they had strayed from the path of truth? Did you, then, disobey my command?’ Then, angry and sorrowful, Moses seized Aaron by his beard and his head, dragging him towards himself. ‘Son of my mother,’ Aaron pleaded, ‘do not seize me by the beard or by the hair of my head. I really feared that if I had left them and come after you, you might have said, “You have caused a split among the Children of Israel and have not obeyed my instructions!”’