سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 71
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﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
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.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed, He
يَقُولُ
yaqūlu
says
إِنَّهَا
innahā
[Indeed] it
بَقَرَةٌۭ
baqaratun
(is) a cow
لَّا
lā
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
lā
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 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.
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.
[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.
