Samiri
Samiri or the Samiri is a phrase used by the Quran to refer to a rebellious follower of Moses who created the golden calf and attempted to lead the Hebrews into idolatry. According to the twentieth chapter of the Quran, Samiri created the calf while Moses was away for 40 days on Mount Sinai, receiving the Ten Commandments. In contrast to the account given in the Hebrew Bible, the Quran does not blame Aaron for the calf’s creation.
In the Quran
In Ta-Ha, the Quran’s twentieth surah, Moses is informed that Samiri has led his people astray in Moses’ absence. He returns to his people to berate them, and is informed of what Samiri has done.The Quran’s statement that Samiri’s calf made a "lowing" sound has resulted in much speculation. A number of Islamic traditions say that the calf was made with dust trodden upon by the horse of the angel Gabriel, which had mystical properties. Some traditions say that the calf could also move, a property granted to it by the dust of the “horse of life”. Other traditions suggest that Samiri made the sound himself, or that it was only the wind. Still others say that the calf was formed by God himself, as a test for the Hebrew people. Stories indicate that he was a magician
Later traditions expand upon the fate of those who worshiped the calf. Works by al-Tabari include a story in which Moses orders his people to drink from the water into which the calf had been flung; those guilty of worshiping it were revealed when they turned a golden hue.
Samiri's punishment has been interpreted as total social isolation by most scholars.