سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ

Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 71

The Cow · Medinan · Juz 1 · Page 11

قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِى ٱلْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ جِئْتَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا۟ يَفْعَلُونَ ﴿71﴾
He [Mûsâ (Moses)] said, "He says, ‘It is a cow neither trained to till the soil nor water the fields, sound, having no other colour except bright yellow.’ " They said, "Now you have brought the truth." So they slaughtered it though they were near to not doing it.
قَالَ qāla He said
إِنَّهُۥ innahu Indeed, He
يَقُولُ yaqūlu says
إِنَّهَا innahā [Indeed] it
بَقَرَةٌۭ baqaratun (is) a cow
لَّا not
ذَلُولٌۭ dhalūlun trained
تُثِيرُ tuthīru to plough
ٱلْأَرْضَ l-arḍa the earth
وَلَا walā and not
تَسْقِى tasqī water
ٱلْحَرْثَ l-ḥartha the field
مُسَلَّمَةٌۭ musallamatun sound
لَّا no
شِيَةَ shiyata blemish
فِيهَا ۚ fīhā in it
قَالُوا۟ qālū They said
ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ l-āna Now
جِئْتَ ji'ta you have come
بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ bil-ḥaqi with the truth
فَذَبَحُوهَا fadhabaḥūhā So they slaughtered it
وَمَا wamā and not
كَادُوا۟ kādū they were near
يَفْعَلُونَ yafʿalūna (to) doing (it)

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

The tafsir of this verse may be read with the following verses.

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

71. 1 They were commanded only to slaughter a cow. If they had slaughtered any cow, the command of Allah would have been fulfilled, but instead of acting straightforwardly on the command of Allah, they began to nitpick and started asking all sorts of questions, upon which Allah also kept making it stricter for them. That is why making things difficult in religion has been prohibited.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

Moses said, "It should be a cow that has not been used for work, neither plowing the earth nor watering the fields, sound and without any blemish." They said, "Now you have brought the truth." (After so much hesitation) they slaughtered the cow, though it seemed they would not do it. [85]

[85]
The Punishment for Quibbling in the Matter of Slaughtering the Cow:

In short, the more questions this nation asked, the more restrictions were imposed. After all these restrictions, only one cow remained with them, which was almost golden in color, flawless, and young, and it was such a cow that was chosen for worship rituals. Now, on one hand, they suffered mental anguish for having to slaughter their object of worship. On the other hand, the person who owned this cow was a fortunate man who served his mother greatly. When he realized its importance, he demanded a hefty price for the cow; its price was set as the amount of gold that would fill the cow’s hide after it was slaughtered. Thus, they had to pay that price. After so many questions and answers, it was impossible to refuse or to quibble further, and in the end, they had to slaughter that cow. Whereas, if they had been willing to slaughter a cow at Allah Almighty’s first command, they could have slaughtered any cow.