Surah 2. Al-Baqara

But We raised you again after you had been as dead,⁴¹ so that you might have cause to be grateful.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "after your death". The expression mawt does not always denote physical death. Arab philologists - e.g., Raghib - explain the verb mata (lit., "he died") as having, in certain contexts, the meaning of "he became deprived of sensation, dead as to the senses"; and occasionally as "deprived of the intellectual faculty, intellectually dead"; and sometimes even as "he slept" (see Lane VII, 2741).

Then We raised you up after your death; so that you might be grateful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then We brought you back to life after your death, so that perhaps you would be grateful.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then We revived you after your extinction, that ye might give thanks.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then We raised you up after your death; ye had the chance to be grateful.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And We caused the clouds to comfort you with their shade, and sent down unto you manna and quails, [saying,] "Partake of the good things which We have provided for you as sustenance." And [by all their sinning] they did no harm unto Us - but [only] against their own selves did they sin.

  - Mohammad Asad

And We even provided you the shade of clouds and sent down to you manna (sweet dish) and salva (quail meat) saying: "Eat of the good things We have provided for you;" in spite of these favors your forefathers violated our commandments. However, by violating our commandments they did not harm Us, but they harmed their own souls.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember when' We shaded you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails,¹ 'saying', 'Eat from the good things We have provided for you.' The evildoers 'certainly' did not wrong Us, but wronged themselves.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Manna (heavenly bread) and quails (chicken-like birds) sustained the children of Israel in the wilderness after they left Egypt.

And We caused the white cloud to overshadow you and sent down on you the manna and the quails, (saying): Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you. We wronged them not, but they did wrong themselves.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We gave You the shade of clouds and sent down to you manna and quails saying: "Eat of the good things We have provided for you"; (but they rebelled); to Us they did no harm but they harmed their own souls. ⁷¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Manna=Hebrew, Manhu: Arabic Mahuwa? - What is it? In Exod. xvi. 14 it is described as "a small round thing as small as the hoar frost on the ground." It usually rotted if left over till next day; it melted in the hot sun; the amount necessary for each man was about an Omer, a Hebrew measure of capacity equal to about 2| quarts. This is the Hebrew account, probably distorted by traditional exaggeration. The actual Manna found to this day in the Sinai region is a gummy saccharine secretion found on a species of Tamarisk. It is produced by the puncture of a species of insect like the cochineal, just as lac is produced by the puncture of the lac insect on certain trees in India. As to quails, large flights of them are driven by winds in the Eastern Mediterranean in certain seasons of the year, as was witnessed during the Great War of 1914-1918 by many Indian officers who campaigned between Egypt and Palestine.

And [remember the time] when We said: "Enter this land,⁴² and eat of its food as you may desire, abundantly; but enter the gate humbly and say, 'Remove Thou from us the burden of our sins',⁴³ [whereupon] We shall forgive you your sins, and shall amply reward the doers of good."

  - Mohammad Asad

The word qaryah primarily denotes a "village" or "town", but is also used in the sense of "land". Here it apparently refers to Palestine.

This interpretation of the word hittah is recorded by most of the lexicographers (cf. Lane II, 592) on the basis of what many Companions of the Prophet said about it (for the relevant quotations, see Ibn Kathir in his commentary on this verse). Thus, the children of Israel were admonished to take possession of the promised land ("enter the gate") in a spirit of humility (lit., "prostrating yourselves"), and not to regard it as something that was "due" to them.

Remember when We said: "Enter this town and eat whatever you wish to your hearts' content; make your way through the gates, with humility saying; 'we repent,' We shall forgive you your sins and We shall increase the provisions for the righteous among you.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when We said, 'Enter this city and eat freely from wherever you please; enter the gate with humility, saying, 'Absolve us.' We will forgive your sins and multiply the reward for the good-doers.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And when We said: Go into this township and eat freely of that which is therein, and enter the gate prostrate, and say: "Repentance." We will forgive you your sins and increase (reward) for the right-doers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And remember We said: "Enter this town and eat of the plenty therein as ye wish; but enter the gate with humility in posture and in words and We shall forgive you your faults and increase (the portion of) those who do good." ⁷²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This probably refers to Shittim. It was the "town of acacias," just east of the Jordan, where the Israelites were guilty of debauchery and the worship of and sacrifice to false gods (Num. xxv. 1-2, also 8-9); a terrible punishment ensued, including the plague of which 24,000 died. The word which the transgressors changed may have been a pass-word. In the Arabic text it is "Hittatun" which implies humility and a prayer of forgiveness, a fitting emblem to distinguish them from their enemies. From this particular incident a more general lesson may be drawn; in the hour of triumph we are to behave humbly as in God's sight, and our conduct should be exemplary according to God's word; otherwise our arrogance will draw its own punishment.

But those who were bent on evildoing substituted another saying for that which had been given them:⁴⁴ and so We sent down upon those evildoers a plague from heaven in requital for all their iniquity.

  - Mohammad Asad

According to several Traditions (extensively quoted by Ibn Kathir), they played, with a derisive intent, upon the word hittah, substituting for it something irrelevant or meaningless. Muhammad 'Abduh, however, is of the opinion that the "saying" referred to in verse {58} is merely a metaphor for an attitude of mind demanded of them, and that, correspondingly, the "substitution" signifies here a wilful display of arrogance in disregard of God's command (see Manar I,324 f.).

But the wrongdoers changed Our Words from that which they were asked to say, so We sent down a scourge from heaven as a punishment for their transgression.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But the wrongdoers changed the words they were commanded to say. So We sent down a punishment from the heavens upon them for their rebelliousness.

  - Mustafa Khattab

But those who did wrong changed the word which had been told them for another saying, and We sent down upon the evil-doers wrath from Heaven for their evil doing.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But the transgressors changed the word from that which had been given them; so We sent on the transgressors a plague from heaven for that they infringed (our command) repeatedly.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And [remember] when Moses prayed for water for his people and We replied, "Strike the rock with thy staff!" - whereupon twelve springs gushed forth from it, so that all the people knew whence to drink.⁴⁵ [And Moses said:] "Eat and drink the sustenance provided by God, and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption."

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., according to their tribal divisions.

Remember the time when Musa (Moses) prayed for water for his people; We said: "Strike the rock with your staff." Thereupon We caused twelve springs to come out of that rock. Each tribe was assigned its own drinking-place. Then they were commanded: "Eat and drink of what Allah has provided and do not create mischief in the land."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when Moses prayed for water for his people, We said, 'Strike the rock with your staff.' Then twelve springs gushed out, 'and' each tribe knew its drinking place. 'We then said,' 'Eat and drink of Allah's provisions, and do not go about spreading corruption in the land.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And when Moses asked for water for his people, We said: Smite with thy staff the rock. And there gushed out therefrom twelve springs (so that) each tribe knew their drinking place. Eat and drink of that which Allah hath provided, and do not act corruptly, making mischief in the earth.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And remember Moses prayed for water for his people; We said: "Strike the rock with thy staff." Then gushed forth therefrom twelve springs. Each group knew its own place for water. So eat and drink of the sustenance provided by Allah and do no evil nor mischief on the (face of the) earth. ⁷³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Here we have a reference to the tribal organization of the Jews, which played a great part in their forty years' march through the Arabian deserts (Num. i. and ii.) and their subsequent settlement in the land of Canaan (Josh. xxii. and xiv.). The twelve tribes were derived from the sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (soldier of God) after he had wrestled, says Jewish tradition, with God (Genesis xxxii. 28). Israel had twelve sons (Gen. xxxv. 22-26), including Levi and Joseph. The descendants of these twelve sons were the "Children of Israel." Levi's family got the priesthood and the care of the Tabernacle; they were exempted from military duties for which the census was taken (Nu. i. 47-53), and therefore from the distribution of Land in Canaan (Josh. xiv. 3); they were distributed among all the Tribes, and were really a privileged caste and not numbered among the Tribes; Moses and Aaron belonged to the house of Levi. On the other hand Joseph, on account of the high position to which he rose in Egypt as the Pharoah's minister, was the progenitor of two tribes, one in the name of each of his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus there were twelve Tribes in all, as Levi was cut out and Joseph represented two tribes. Their having fixed stations and watering places in camp and fixed territorial areas later in the Promised Land prevented confusion and mutual jealousies and is pointed to as an evidence of the Providence of God acting through His prophet Moses. Cf. also vii. 160.

And [remember] when you said: "O Moses, indeed we cannot endure but one kind of food; pray, then, to thy Sustainer that He bring forth for us aught of what grows from the earth - of its herbs, its cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils, its onions." Said [Moses]: "Would you take a lesser thing in exchange for what is [so much] better?⁴⁶ Go back in shame to Egypt, and then you can have what you are asking for!"⁴⁷ And so, ignominy and humiliation overshadowed them, and they earned the burden of God's condemnation: all this, because they persisted in denying the truth of God's messages and in slaying the prophets against all right: all this, because they rebelled [against God], and persisted in transgressing the bounds of what is right.⁴⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "Would you exchange your freedom for the paltry comforts which you enjoyed in your Egyptian captivity?" In the course of their wanderings in the desert of Sinai, many Jews looked back with longing to the comparative security of their life in Egypt, as has been explicitly stated in the Bible (Numbers xi), and is, moreover, evident from Moses' allusion to it in the next sentence of the above Qur'anic passage.

The verb habata means, literally, "he went down a declivity"; it is also used figuratively in the sense of falling from dignity and becoming mean and abject (cf. Lane VIII, 2876). Since the bitter exclamation of Moses cannot be taken literally, both of the above meanings of the verb may be combined in this context and agreeably translated as "go back in shame to Egypt".

This passage obviously refers to a later phase of Jewish history. That the Jews actually did kill some of their prophets is evidenced, for instance, in the story of John the Baptist, as well as in the more general accusation uttered, according to the Gospel, by Jesus: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee" (Matthew xxiii, 37). See also Matthew xxiii, 34-35, Luke xi, 51 - both of which refer to the murder of Zachariah - and I Thessalonians ii, 15. The implication of continuity in, or persistent repetition of, their wrongdoing transpires from the use of the auxiliary verb kana in this context.

Remember when you said: "O Musa (Moses)! We cannot endure one kind of food; call on your Rabb to give us a variety of food which the earth produces, such as green-herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions. 'What?' Musa asked. 'Would you exchange the better for the worse? If that's what you want go back to some city; there you will find what you have asked for. Gradually they became so degraded that shame and misery were brought upon them and they drew upon themselves the wrath of Allah; this was because they went on rejecting the commandments of Allah and killed His prophets unjustly, furthermore, it was the consequence of their disobedience and transgression.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when you said, 'O Moses! We cannot endure the same meal 'every day'. So 'just' call upon your Lord on our behalf, He will bring forth for us some of what the earth produces of herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions.' Moses scolded 'them', 'Do you exchange what is better for what is worse? 'You can' go down to any village and you will find what you have asked for.' They were stricken with disgrace and misery, and they invited the displeasure of Allah for rejecting Allah's signs and unjustly killing the prophets. This is 'a fair reward' for their disobedience and violations.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that he bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And remember ye said: "O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth its pot-herbs and cucumbers its garlic lentils and onions." He said: "will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to any town and ye shall find what ye want!" They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah. This because they went on rejecting the signs of Allah and slaying His messengers without just cause. This because They rebelled and went on transgressing. ^{74 75}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The declension of the word Misr in the Arabic text here shows that it is treated as a common noun meaning any town, but this is not conclusive, and the reference may be to the Egypt of Pharoah. The Tanwin expressing indefiniteness may mean "any Egypt", i.e., any country as fertile as Egypt. There is here a subtle reminiscence as well as a severe reproach. The rebellious children of Israel murmured at the sameness of the food they got in the desert. They were evidently hankering after the delicacies of the Egypt which they had left, although they should have known that the only thing certain for them in Egypt was their bondage and harsh treatment. Moses's reproach to them was twofold: (1) Such variety of foods you can get in any town; would you, for their sake, sell your freedom? Is not freedom better than delicate food? (2) In front is the rich Promised Land, which you are reluctant to march to; behind is Egypt, the land of bondage. Which is better? Would you exchange the better for the worse?

From here the argument becomes more general. They got the Promished Land. But they continued to rebel against God. And their humiliation and misery became a national disaster. They were carried in captivity to Assyria. They were restored under the Persians, but still remained under the Persian yoke, and they were under the yoke of the Greeks, the Romans, and Araba. They were scattered all over the earth, and have been a wandering people ever since, because they rejected faith, slew God's messengers and went on transgressing.

VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians⁴⁹ - all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds - shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.⁵⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

The Sabians seem to have been a monotheistic religious group intermediate between Judaism and Christianity. Their name (probably derived from the Aramaic verb tsebha', "he immersed himself [in water]") would indicate that they were followers of John the Baptist - in which case they could be identified with the Mandaeans, a community which to this day is to be found in 'Iraq. They are not to be confused with the so-called "Sabians of Harran", a gnostic sect which still existed in the early centuries of Islam, and which may have deliberately adopted the name of the true Sabians in order to obtain the advantages accorded by the Muslims to the followers of every monotheistic faith.

The above passage - which recurs in the Qur'an several times - lays down a fundamental doctrine of Islam. With a breadth of vision unparalleled in any other religious faith, the idea of "salvation" is here made conditional upon three elements only: belief in God, belief in the Day of Judgment, and righteous action in life. The statement of this doctrine at this juncture - that is, in the midst of an appeal to the children of Israel - is warranted by the false Jewish belief that their descent from Abraham entitles them to be regarded as "God's chosen people".

Rest assured that Believers (Muslims), Jews, Christians and Sabians - whoever believes in Allah and the last day and perform good deeds - will be rewarded by their Rabb; they will have nothing to fear or to regret.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, the believers, Jews, Christians, and Sabians¹- whoever 'truly' believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good will have their reward with their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.²

  - Mustafa Khattab

 The Sabians are an indigenous group that believes in a supreme being and lives mostly in Iraq.

 This verse should be understood in light of 3:19 and 3:85. For more details, see the Introduction.

Lo! those who believe (in that which is revealed unto thee, Muhammad), and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabaeans whoever believeth in Allah and the Last Day and doeth right surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Those who believe (in the Qur'an) and those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures) and the Christians and the Sabians and who believe in Allah and the last day and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve. ^{76 77}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Latest researches have revealed a small remnant of a religious community numbering about 2,000 souls in Lower Iraq, near Basra. In Arabic they are called Subbi (plural Subba). They are also called Sabians and Nasoraeans; or Mandaeans, or Christians of St. John. They claim to be Gnostics, of Knowers of the Great Life. They dress in white, and believe in frequent immersions in water. Their Book Ginza is in a dialect of Aramaic. They have theories of Darkness and Light as in Zoroastrianism. They use the name Uardan (Jordan) for any river. They live in peace and harmony among their Muslim neighbors. They resemble the Sabi-un mentioned in the Qur-an but are not probably identical with them.

CF. ii. 38, where the same phrase occurs. And it recurs again and again afterwards. The point of the verse is that Islam does not teach an exclusive doctrine, and is not meant exclusively for one people. The Jews claimed this for themselves, and the Christians in their own origin were a sect of the Jews. Even the modern organized Christian churches, though they have been, consciously or unconsciously, influenced by the Time-spirit, including the historical fact of Islam, yet cling to the idea of Vicarious Atonement, which means that all who do not believe in it or who lived previously to the death of Christ are at a disadvantage spiritually before the Throne of God. The attitude of Islam is entirely different. Islam existed before the preaching of Muhammad on this earth: the Qur-an expressly calls Abraham a Muslim (iii. 67). Its teaching (submission to God's will) has been and will be the teaching of Religion for all time and for all peoples.

AND LO! We accepted your solemn pledge, raising Mount Sinai high above you,⁵¹ [and saying,] "Hold fast with [all your] strength unto what We have vouchsafed you, and bear in mind all that is therein, so that you might remain conscious of God!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "and We raised the mountain (at-tur) above you": i.e., letting the lofty mountain bear witness, as it were, to their solemn pledge, spelled out in verse {83} below. Throughout my translation of the Qur'an, I am rendering the expression at-tur as "Mount Sinai", since it is invariably used in this sense alone.

Remember O Children of Israel when We took a covenant from you and when We lifted the Mount (Tur) over your heads saying: "Hold firmly to what We have given you (Torah) and follow the commandments therein, so that you may guard yourself against evil."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when We took a covenant from you and raised the mountain above you 'saying', 'Hold firmly to that 'Scripture' which We have given you and observe its teachings so perhaps you will become mindful 'of Allah'.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And (remember, O children of Israel) when We made a covenant with you and caused the Mount to tower above you, (saying): Hold fast that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein, that ye may ward off (evil).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you (the towering height) of Mount (Sinai) (saying): "Hold firmly to what We have given you and bring (ever) to remembrance what is therein perchance ye may fear Allah." ⁷⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Mountain of Sinai (Tur-u-Sinin) a prominent mountain in the Arabian desert, in the peninsula between the two arms of the Red Sea. Here the Ten Commandments and the Law were given to Moses. Hence it is now called the Mountain of Moses (Jabal Musa). The Israelites encamped at the foot of it for nearly a year. The Covenant was taken from them under many portents (Exod. xix. 5,8,16,18), which are described in Jewish tradition in great detail. Under thunder and lightening the mountain must indeed have appeared an awe-inspiring sight above to the Camp at its foot. And the people solemnly entered into the Covenant: all the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do."

And you turned away after that! And had it not been for God's favour upon you and His grace, you would surely have found yourselves among the lost;

  - Mohammad Asad

But even after that you backed out; if there would not have been the grace and mercy of Allah upon you, you surely would have been among the losers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Yet you turned away afterwards. Had it not been for Allah's grace and mercy upon you, you would have certainly been of the losers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then, even after that, ye turned away, and if it had not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy ye had been among the losers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But ye turned back thereafter had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah to you ye had surely been among the lost.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

for you are well aware of those from among you who profaned the Sabbath, whereupon We said unto them, "Be as apes despicable!" -

  - Mohammad Asad

You very well know the story of those of you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath; We ordered them: "Be detested apes".

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

You are already aware of those of you who broke the Sabbath. We said to them, 'Be disgraced apes!'¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Although many scholars believe that these individuals were turned into real apes, others interpret this verse in a metaphorical sense. This style is not uncommon in the Quran. See 62:5 regarding the donkey that carries books and 2:18 regarding the deaf, dumb, and blind.

And ye know of those of you who broke the Sabbath, bow We said unto them: Be ye apes, despised and hated!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath; We said to them: "Be ye apes despised and rejected." ⁷⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The punishment for breach of the Sabbath under the Mosaic law was death. "Every one that defieth it (the Sabbath) shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people." (Exod. xxxi. 14). There must have been a Jewish tradition about a whole fishing community in a seaside town, which persisted in breaking the Sabbath and were turned into apes; cf. vii. 163-166. Or should we translate in both these passages. "Be as apes", instead of "Be apes"? This is the suggestion of Maulvi Muhammad Ali on this passage, on the authority of Mujabid and Ibn Jarir Tabari. The punishment would be, not for the breach of the Sabbath in itself, but for their contumacious defiance of the Law.

and set them up as a warning example for their time and for all times to come, as well as an admonition to all who are conscious of God.⁵²

  - Mohammad Asad

For the full story of the Sabbath-breakers, and the metaphorical allusion to "apes", see {7:163-166}. The expression ma bayna yadayha, rendered here as "their time", is explained in surah {3}, note [3].

Thus, We made their fate an example to their own people and to succeeding generations, and a lesson to those who are God-conscious.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So We made their fate an example to present and future generations, and a lesson to the God-fearing.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We made it an example to their own and to succeeding generations, and an admonition to the God fearing.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So We made it an example to their own time and to their posterity and a lesson to those who fear Allah.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

AND LO! Moses said unto his people: "Behold, God bids you to sacrifice a cow."⁵³ They said: "Dost thou mock at us?" He answered: "I seek refuge with God against being so ignorant!"⁵⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

As is evident from verse {72}, the story related in this and the subsequent passages almost certainly refers to the Mosaic law which ordains that in certain cases of unresolved murder a cow should be sacrificed, and the elders of the town or village nearest to the place of the murder should wash their hands over it and declare, "Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it" - whereupon the community would be absolved of collective responsibility. For the details of this Old Testament ordinance, see Deuteronomy xxi, 1-9.

Lit., "lest I be one of the ignorant". The imputation of mockery was obviously due to the fact that Moses promulgated the above ordinance in very general terms, without specifying any details.

Remember the incident when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "Allah commands you to sacrifice a cow," they replied, "do you ridicule us?" Musa answered, "I seek the protection of Allah from being one of the ignorant."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when Moses said to his people, 'Allah commands you to sacrifice a cow.'¹ They replied, 'Are you mocking us?' Moses responded, 'I seek refuge in Allah from acting foolishly!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This sûrah is named after the cow in this story, which happened at the time of Moses (ﷺ). A rich man was killed by his nephew, his only heir, and the body was thrown at the door of an innocent man. After a long investigation, no one was identified as the killer. Moses (ﷺ) prayed for guidance and was told that the only way to find the killer was to sacrifice a cow and strike the victim with a piece of it. When this was done, the victim spoke miraculously and said who the killer was.

And when Moses said unto his people: Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye sacrifice a cow, they said: Dost thou make game of us? He answered: Allah forbid that I should be among the foolish!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And remember Moses said to his people: "Allah commands that ye sacrifice a heifer." They said: "Makest thou a laughing-stock of us?" He said: "Allah save me from being an ignorant (fool)!" ⁸⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This story or parable of the heifer in ii. 67-71 should be read with the parable of the dead man brought to life in ii. 72-73. The stories were accepted in Jewish traditions, which are themselves based on certain sacrificial directions in the Old Testament. The heifer story of Jewish tradition is based on Num. xix. 1-10, in which Moses and Aaron ordered the Israelites to sacrifice a red heifer without spot or blemish; her body was to be burnt and the ashes were to be kept for the purification of the congregation from sin. The parable of the dead man we shall refer to later. The lesson of the heifer parable is plain. Moses announced the sacrifice the the Israelites, and they treated it as a jest. When Moses continued solemnly to ask fo the sacrifice, they put him off on one pretext and another, asking a number of questions which they could have answered themeselves if they had listened to Moses's directions. Their questions were carping criticisms rather than the result of a desire for information. It was a mere thin pretence that they were genuinely seeking for guidance. When at last they were driven into a corner, they made the sacrifice, but the will was wanting, which would have made the sacrifice efficacious for purification from sin. The real reason for their prevarications was their guilty conscience, as we see in the parable of the dead man (ii. 72-73).

Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like." [Moses] replied: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow neither old nor immature, but of an age in-between. Do, then, what you have been bidden!"

  - Mohammad Asad

"Request your Rabb," they said, "to give us some details of that cow". Musa replied: "Allah says, the cow should neither be too old nor too young but of middle age;" do, therefore, what you are commanded!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They said, 'Call upon your Lord to clarify for us what type 'of cow' it should be!' He replied, 'Allah says, 'The cow should neither be old nor young but in between. So do as you are commanded!''

  - Mustafa Khattab

They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith, Verily she is a cow neither with calf nor immature; (she is) between the two conditions; so do that which ye are commanded.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

They said: "Beseech on our behalf thy Lord to make plain to us what (heifer) it is! He said: "He says: The heifer should be neither too old nor too young but of middling age; now do what ye are commanded!.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what her colour should be." [Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a yellow cow, bright of hue, pleasing to the beholder."

  - Mohammad Asad

"Request your Rabb again" they said, "to clarify for us her color." Musa replied: "Allah says, the said cow should be of a rich and deep yellow color pleasing to the eyes."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They said, 'Call upon your Lord to specify for us its colour.' He replied, 'Allah says, 'It should be a bright yellow cow- pleasant to see.''

  - Mustafa Khattab

They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us of what color she is. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a yellow cow. Bright is her color, gladdening beholders.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

They said: "Beseech on our behalf thy Lord to make plain to us her color." He said: " He says a fawn-colored heifer pure and rich in tone the admiration of beholders!"

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like, for to us all cows resemble one another; and then, if God so wills, we shall truly be guided aright!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Again they said: "Request your Rabb to clarify for us the exact type of cow she should be, for to us all cows look alike; if Allah wills, we shall be rightly guided."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Again they said, 'Call upon your Lord so that He may make clear to us which cow, for all cows look the same to us. Then, Allah willing, we will be guided 'to the right one'.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. Lo! cows are much alike to us; and lo! if Allah wills, we may be led aright.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

They said "Beseech on our behalf thy Lord to make plain to us what she is to us are all heifers alike; we wish indeed for guidance if Allah wills."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali