📝 Footnotes
479) According to the majority of scholars, what is meant by the "trace of the messenger" is the hoofprint of the horse of Angel Jibril (Gabriel), peace be upon him. This opinion explains that Samiri took a handful of dust from that hoofprint and threw it toward the calf statue made from the melted gold jewelry, which then caused the statue to make a lowing sound. Meanwhile, a small group of commentators argue that the "trace of the messenger" here refers to his teachings. According to this understanding, Samiri adopted a part of Prophet Moses' teachings and then abandoned those teachings, thereby going astray.