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
وَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ كِتَـٰبَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَآءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And when a messenger from Allāh came to them confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been given the Scripture threw the Scripture of Allāh [i.e., the Torah] behind their backs as if they did not know [what it contained].
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ نَزَّلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَفِى شِقَاقٍۭ بَعِيدٍ
That is [deserved by them] because Allāh has sent down the Book in truth. And indeed, those who differ over the Book are in extreme dissension.
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۖ فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allāh," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ إِن تَرَكَ خَيْرًا ٱلْوَصِيَّةُ لِلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۖ حَقًّا عَلَى ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Prescribed for you when death approaches [any] one of you if he leaves wealth [is that he should make] a bequest for the parents and near relatives according to what is acceptable - a duty upon the righteous.