قَالُوا۟ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَآءُ فَاقِعٌ لَّوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ ٱلنَّـٰظِرِينَ 69
Translations
They said, "Call upon your Lord to show us what is her color." He said, "He says, 'It is a yellow cow, bright in color - pleasing to the observers.'"
Transliteration
Qalū id'u lanā rabbaka yubayyinun lanā mā lawnuhā qāla innahu yaqūlu innaha baqaratun safraāu fāqiun lawnuhā tasurru an-nāzirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Israelites ask Musa (Moses) to supplicate to Allah for clarification regarding the color of the cow they are commanded to sacrifice, and Allah responds through Musa that it is a yellow cow with a bright, distinctive color that pleases those who see it. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this response is intentionally specific yet still somewhat ambiguous in order to further test the Israelites' obedience and patience, as the color description (bright yellow) would help narrow down the cow but still leave room for further questioning, which indeed follows in the subsequent ayah.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the famous story of the yellow cow (al-baqarah al-safra) in Surah Al-Baqarah, which was revealed in Medina. It addresses the Israelites' detailed questioning about the specifications of the cow they were commanded to sacrifice as expiation. The narrative illustrates the pattern of the Bani Isra'il asking increasingly specific questions, testing the boundaries of their obligation.
Related Hadiths
The story of the cow is referenced in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) mentions that if the Israelites had taken any cow and slaughtered it, it would have sufficed for them, but their excessive questioning made the matter difficult for them (Sahih Bukhari 3397). This hadith clarifies that Allah's mercy is often obscured by human over-questioning.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that while seeking clarification in religious matters is permissible, excessive questioning and demanding ever-more specific details can complicate what Allah intends to be simple. It reminds believers to balance intellectual inquiry with humble acceptance of Divine commands, trusting that Allah's guidance is complete even when not exhaustively detailed.
Related Ayahs
۞ مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ ءَايَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِّنْهَآ أَوْ مِثْلِهَآ ۗ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allāh is over all things competent?
فَتَلَقَّىٰٓ ءَادَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ كَلِمَـٰتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ نُؤْمِنُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرُونَ بِمَا وَرَآءَهُۥ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ ۗ قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنۢبِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
And when it is said to them, "Believe in what Allāh has revealed," they say, "We believe [only] in what was revealed to us." And they disbelieve in what came after it, while it is the truth confirming that which is with them. Say, "Then why did you kill the prophets of Allāh before, if you are [indeed] believers?"
يَكَادُ ٱلْبَرْقُ يَخْطَفُ أَبْصَـٰرَهُمْ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَضَآءَ لَهُم مَّشَوْا۟ فِيهِ وَإِذَآ أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قَامُوا۟ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
The lightning almost snatches away their sight. Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk therein; but when darkness comes over them, they stand [still]. And if Allāh had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allāh is over all things competent.