The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 162
CH. 2 AL-BAQARAH PT. 1 وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِةٍ إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ And remember when Moses. 68 اَنْ تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً قَالُوا أَتَتَّخِذُنَا said to his people, ‘Allah commands you to slaughter a cow,' they said: 'Dost thou هُزُوًا قَالَ اَعُوذُ بِاللهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ make a jest of us? He said, I الجهلِينَ seek refuge with Allah from being one of the ignorant. '74 قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنُ أَنَا مَا هِيَ They said, Pray for us to. 69 قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةً لَّا فَارِضٌ وَلَا ,us what she is. He answered thy Lord that He make plain to 'God says, it is a cow, neither old nor between the two; now do what بِكْرُ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فَافْعَلُوا مَا ,young, full-grown تُؤْمَرُونَ you are commanded. '75 قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنُ لَنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا They said: Pray for us to. 70 thy Lord that He make plain to قَالَ اِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةً صَفْرَاءُ us what colour she is He They say i. e. he inflicted on him such a punishment as to make him an example for others (Aqrab). Commentary: All punishment, if wisely directed, should serve a twofold purpose: (1) to inflict pain on the offender so as to make him reform in future; (2) to make it a lesson for others so that they may beware of falling into a similar error. But, as the latter part of the verse points out, only such men benefit by punishment as are God- fearing. 74. Important Words: (a jest) means: (1) jest; (2) the object or butt of a joke (Lisān). See also 2:14. Commentary: Here begins an account of another Israelite wrong which was allied to their worship of the calf. Though the calf mentioned in 2:52 was destroyed, yet veneration for the cow lingered in their hearts. The verse, along with those that follow, will be explained under verse 72 below. 75. Important Words: They. فر. old is derived from) فارض say meaning, the cow became old (Lane). (full-grown) is derived from ie the woman. عانت المراة They say. عان الحرب one that has attained middle age 162 attained middle age. So is said of means, the hottest and bloodiest part of a battle (Aqrab).