سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 67
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تَذْبَحُوا۟ بَقَرَةً ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا ۖ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِٱللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ ﴿67﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when Mûsâ (Moses) said to his people: "Verily, Allâh commands you that you slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you make fun of us?" He said, "I take Allâh’s Refuge from being among Al-Jâhilûn (the ignorant or the foolish)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَ
qāla
said
مُوسَىٰ
mūsā
Musa
لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ
liqawmihi
to his people
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
يَأْمُرُكُمْ
yamurukum
commands you
أَن
an
that
تَذْبَحُوا۟
tadhbaḥū
you slaughter
بَقَرَةًۭ ۖ
baqaratan
a cow
قَالُوٓا۟
qālū
They said
أَتَتَّخِذُنَا
atattakhidhunā
Do you take us
هُزُوًۭا ۖ
huzuwan
(in) ridicule
قَالَ
qāla
He said
أَعُوذُ
aʿūdhu
I seek refuge
بِٱللَّهِ
bil-lahi
in Allah
أَنْ
an
that
أَكُونَ
akūna
I be
مِنَ
mina
among
ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ
l-jāhilīna
the ignorant
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
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.
67. And when Musa (Moses) ؑ said to his people, "Allah commands you to sacrifice a cow," they said, "Do you make fun of us?" Musa replied, "I seek refuge with Allah from being among the ignorant [84]."
[84]
The Objections of Bani Israel Regarding the Command to Slaughter a Cow:
A wealthy man among Bani Israel was killed; his nephews found an opportunity in the wilderness and murdered him, then in the darkness of night threw his body in front of another person's house. There was no clue about his killer. Allah revealed to Musaؑ to command his people to slaughter a cow. Then, a piece of its meat should be struck upon the corpse, and the murdered man would speak himself and reveal the name and identity of his killer. When Musaؑ conveyed Allah's command to his people, they said, "Are you making fun of us?" The command to slaughter a cow was, in fact, akin to touching a raw nerve of Bani Israel. The germs of calf-worship, love for cows and oxen, and the belief of considering them as deities still existed among them. Therefore, one distress for them was that the very thing they considered worthy of worship, Allah commanded them to slaughter. Secondly, they did not believe that by striking a piece of cow's meat, the dead body would come to life and reveal the killer. Therefore, they said to Musaؑ, "Are you making fun of us?" Musaؑ replied, "I am conveying to you Allah's command, I am not making fun. Such jesting is the work of the ignorant."
If Bani Israel had been an obedient nation and had slaughtered any cow, the command would have been fulfilled. But stubbornness, procrastination, and even disobedience were ingrained in their very being. They said, "Alright, ask your Lord and tell us what kind of cow it should be." The answer came from Allah: "It should be a mature cow, neither old nor very young." Then, for the second time, they asked, "Ask Allah and tell us what its color should be." The answer from Allah was: "It should be of a deep yellow color, pleasing to the beholder." Even now, their nature was not inclined to obey, so for the third time, they asked, "There are many cows of such qualities among us; ask and tell us what further qualities it should have, so that we may know the specific cow whose sacrifice Allah desires." The answer from Allah was: "It should be a cow that has not yet been used for farming, that is, neither yoked to the plow nor to the well. It should be healthy and sound. It should not be that due to some illness or weakness it has not been used for work, and it should have no blemish."
[84]
The Objections of Bani Israel Regarding the Command to Slaughter a Cow:
A wealthy man among Bani Israel was killed; his nephews found an opportunity in the wilderness and murdered him, then in the darkness of night threw his body in front of another person's house. There was no clue about his killer. Allah revealed to Musaؑ to command his people to slaughter a cow. Then, a piece of its meat should be struck upon the corpse, and the murdered man would speak himself and reveal the name and identity of his killer. When Musaؑ conveyed Allah's command to his people, they said, "Are you making fun of us?" The command to slaughter a cow was, in fact, akin to touching a raw nerve of Bani Israel. The germs of calf-worship, love for cows and oxen, and the belief of considering them as deities still existed among them. Therefore, one distress for them was that the very thing they considered worthy of worship, Allah commanded them to slaughter. Secondly, they did not believe that by striking a piece of cow's meat, the dead body would come to life and reveal the killer. Therefore, they said to Musaؑ, "Are you making fun of us?" Musaؑ replied, "I am conveying to you Allah's command, I am not making fun. Such jesting is the work of the ignorant."
If Bani Israel had been an obedient nation and had slaughtered any cow, the command would have been fulfilled. But stubbornness, procrastination, and even disobedience were ingrained in their very being. They said, "Alright, ask your Lord and tell us what kind of cow it should be." The answer came from Allah: "It should be a mature cow, neither old nor very young." Then, for the second time, they asked, "Ask Allah and tell us what its color should be." The answer from Allah was: "It should be of a deep yellow color, pleasing to the beholder." Even now, their nature was not inclined to obey, so for the third time, they asked, "There are many cows of such qualities among us; ask and tell us what further qualities it should have, so that we may know the specific cow whose sacrifice Allah desires." The answer from Allah was: "It should be a cow that has not yet been used for farming, that is, neither yoked to the plow nor to the well. It should be healthy and sound. It should not be that due to some illness or weakness it has not been used for work, and it should have no blemish."
