What Was the Description of the Cow the Children of Israel Were Told to Slaughter?
ما هي صفة البقرة التي أُمر بنو إسرائيل بذبحها؟
1) Neither old nor young, but in between.
(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!’”) [Al-Baqarah 2:68]
2) Pure yellow in color, with no trace of any other color (without blemish) [Al-Baqarah 2:71].
(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.' ") [Al-Baqarah 2:69]
3) It should not be used to till the soil or water the fields, so that it is sound.
(He replied, “Allah says, ‘It should have been used neither to till the soil nor water the fields; wholesome and without blemish.’” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” Yet they still slaughtered it hesitantly!) [Al-Baqarah 2:71]
لا صغيرة (بكر) ولا كبيرة. أي وسط بين ذلك.
(قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَلَا بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَافْعَلُوا مَا تُؤْمَرُونَ) [البقرة 2: 68]
لونها أصفر خالص لا يخالطه لون آخر (لا شية فيها) [البقرة 2: 71].
(قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ فَاقِعٌ لَّوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ) [البقرة 2: 69]
لا تعمل في الأرض حتى تكون صحيحة.
(قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا الْآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ) [البقرة 2: 71]
1. They Made It Hard, So It Was Made Hard | شددوا فشدد الله عليهم
Musa said to his people: Allah commands you to slaughter a cow (2:67). Ibn Kathir explains that had they slaughtered any cow at all it would have been accepted from them, as Ibn Abbas, Ubaydah and others said, but they were hard on themselves, so it was made hard on them; Ibn Abbas said: had they taken the least of cows, it would have sufficed them, but they made it hard, so Allah made it hard on them, a report Ibn Kathir calls soundly transmitted. Why they were commanded to slaughter it is explained in why Allah ordered the Children of Israel to slaughter the cow. Why its description was made so specific is explained in why Allah made the cow so specific.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً (سورة البقرة: 67)
قال تعالى: (وإذ قال موسى لقومه إن الله يأمركم أن تذبحوا بقرة) (البقرة 2: 67)، قال ابن كثير: ولو أنهم ذبحوا أي بقرة كانت لوقعت الموقع عنهم، كما قال ابن عباس وعبيدة وغير واحد، ولكنهم شددوا فشدد عليهم، وعن ابن عباس قال: لو أخذوا أدنى بقرة اكتفوا بها، ولكنهم شددوا فشدد الله عليهم، وقال ابن كثير: إسناد صحيح.
2. Bright Yellow, Without a Mark | صفراء فاقع لونها لا شية فيها
Ibn Kathir says it was yellow, as Mujahid and Wahb ibn Munabbih said; he calls al-Hasan’s view that it was deep black strange and says the first is correct, which is why its yellow is stressed with fāqi’un lawnuhā; Sa’id ibn Jubayr said: pure in color. On 2:71 he explains: it was not broken in for ploughing or for drawing water, but honoured and fine, sound without a defect, with no color in it other than its own.
إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ فَاقِعٌ لَّوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ (سورة البقرة: 69)
قال تعالى: (إنها بقرة صفراء فاقع لونها تسر الناظرين) (البقرة 2: 69)، قال ابن كثير: وكذا قال مجاهد ووهب بن منبه أنها كانت صفراء، وذكر قول الحسن أنها سوداء شديدة السواد، وقال: وهذا غريب، والصحيح الأول، ولهذا أكد صفرتها بأنه (فاقع لونها)، وقال سعيد بن جبير: صافية اللون. وقال في قوله: (لا ذلول تثير الأرض ولا تسقي الحرث): أي إنها ليست مذللة بالحراثة ولا معدة للسقي في السانية، بل هي مكرمة حسنة صبيحة، (مسلمة) صحيحة لا عيب فيها، (لا شية فيها) أي: ليس فيها لون غير لونها.
3. Strike Him With Part of It | اضربوه ببعضها
The command came because a man had been killed and they disputed over it: so We said, strike him with part of it; thus Allah gives life to the dead (2:72-73). Ibn Kathir explains that whichever part of the cow it was, the miracle took place; it was a particular part, but had knowing it been of benefit to us in religion or worldly life Allah would have made it clear, and no sound report from the Prophet names it, so we leave it unnamed as Allah left it. The same description is given in the description of the cow in the prophets’ stories.
فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (سورة البقرة: 73)
قال تعالى: (وإذ قتلتم نفسا فادارأتم فيها والله مخرج ما كنتم تكتمون فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها كذلك يحيي الله الموتى ويريكم آياته لعلكم تعقلون) (البقرة 2: 72-73)، قال ابن كثير: هذا البعض أي شيء كان من أعضاء هذه البقرة فالمعجزة حاصلة به، وقد كان معينا في نفس الأمر، فلو كان في تعيينه لنا فائدة تعود علينا في أمر الدين أو الدنيا لبينه الله تعالى لنا، ولكن أبهمه، ولم يجئ من طريق صحيح عن معصوم بيانه، فنحن نبهمه كما أبهمه الله.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How old was the cow to be?
Neither old nor young, but in between (2:68).
What color was the cow?
Bright yellow, pleasing to those who see it (2:69), with no mark of another color (2:71).
Would any cow have been enough?
Yes. Ibn Abbas said that had they taken the least of cows it would have sufficed, but they made it hard, so Allah made it hard on them.
Why were they commanded to slaughter it?
A man had been killed and they disputed over it; they were told to strike him with part of the cow, and Allah gave him life (2:72-73).