Prophet Mūsā: Part 4 — Banū Isrāʾīl at the Gates and the Golden Calf
Section 13 of 25 · Lives of the Prophets
Forty Years in the Wilderness
Allah (swt) punished Banū Isrāʾīl because of that.
قَالَ فَإِنَّهَا مُحَرَّمَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ ۛ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً ۛ يَتِيهُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ
“He (Allah) said, “This (land) is prohibited to them for forty years. They shall be wandering around the earth. So, do not grieve for the sinning people.”” (5:26)
Allah said: therefore the Holy Land is forbidden to them for forty years; in distraction they will wander through the land. So do not be sorrowful over the people who are disobedient. Allah (swt) made them wander in the desert for forty years because of this sin of refusing to fight for the sake of Allah. They were in a small area, Sinai, and they were going around in circles trying to find a way out of a very small area. Sinai is not very big, but Allah (swt) made them lose their direction. So they were going around in circles, travelling in Sinai for forty years.