Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 67-71
وَاِذۡ قَالَ مُوۡسٰى لِقَوۡمِهٖۤ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَاۡمُرُكُمۡ اَنۡ تَذۡبَحُوۡا بَقَرَةً ؕ قَالُوۡآ اَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًۡا ؕ قَالَ اَعُوۡذُ بِاللّٰهِ اَنۡ اَكُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡجٰـهِلِيۡنَ
﴿2:67﴾
قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا هِىَؕ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَّلَا بِكۡرٌؕ عَوَانٌۢ بَيۡنَ ذٰلِكَؕ فَافۡعَلُوۡا مَا تُؤۡمَرُوۡنَ
﴿2:68﴾
قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا لَوۡنُهَا ؕ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفۡرَآءُۙ فَاقِعٌ لَّوۡنُهَا تَسُرُّ النّٰظِرِيۡنَ
﴿2:69﴾
قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا هِىَۙ اِنَّ الۡبَقَرَ تَشٰبَهَ عَلَيۡنَا ؕ وَاِنَّـآ اِنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ لَمُهۡتَدُوۡنَ
﴿2:70﴾
قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُوۡلٌ تُثِيۡرُ الۡاَرۡضَ وَلَا تَسۡقِى الۡحَـرۡثَ ۚ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيۡهَا ؕ قَالُوا الۡـٰٔـنَ جِئۡتَ بِالۡحَـقِّؕ فَذَبَحُوۡهَا وَمَا كَادُوۡا يَفۡعَلُوۡنَ
﴿2:71﴾
(2:67) And then recall when Moses said to his people: “Behold, Allah commands
you to slaughter a cow.” They said: “Are you jesting with us?” Moses answered:
“I seek refuge in Allah that I should behave in the manner of the ignorant.”
(2:68) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us what she is
like.” Moses answered: “He says, she is a cow, neither old nor immature, but
of an age in between the two. Do, then, what you have been commanded.” (2:69) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us of what colour
she is.” Moses answered: “He says, she is a yellow cow, with a bright colour
which is pleasing to those who see!” (2:70) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us what cow she
is. Cows seem much alike to us, and if Allah wills, we shall be guided.”84
(2:71) Moses answered: “Lo! He says, she is a cow unyoked to plough the earth
or to water the tillage, one that has been kept secure, with no blemish on her!”
Thereupon they cried out: “Now you have come forth with the information that
will direct us aright.” And they slaughtered her although they scarcely seemed
to do so.
Notes
84. Through contact with neighbouring peoples, the Israelites had become
infested with the attitude of sanctifying the cow, in fact they had even become
accustomed to cow-worship. In order to disabuse the Jews of this, they were
ordered to slaughter the cow. Their professed belief that God alone was worthy
of worship could be tested only by making them slaughter with their own hands
what they had formerly worshipped. This test was indeed a hard one since their
hearts were not fully imbued with faith. Hence, they tried to shelve the issue
by resorting to enquiries about the kind of animal they were required to slaughter.
But the more they enquired, the narrower the strait became for them, until the
indications were as obvious as if someone had put his finger precisely on the
particular animal they were required to slaughter - the animal which had for
so long been an object of their worship. The Old Testament also mentions the
incident, but there is no reference to the manner in which the Jews tried to
evade the matter. (See Numbers 19: 1-10.)