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Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

Verse 61of 286

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَٰمُوسَىٰ لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍۢ وَٰحِدٍۢ فَٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنۢبِتُ ٱلْأَرْضُ مِنۢ بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّآئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا ۖ قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ ٱلَّذِى هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِٱلَّذِى هُوَ خَيْرٌ ۚ ٱهْبِطُوا۟ مِصْرًۭا فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ ۗ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَعْتَدُونَ﴿٦١

Translation (Sahih International)

And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.

Word-by-word meaning

وَإِذْwa-idhAnd when
قُلْتُمْqul'tumyou said
يَـٰمُوسَىٰyāmūsāO Musa
لَنlanNever (will)
نَّصْبِرَnaṣbirawe endure
عَلَىٰʿalā[on]
طَعَامٍۢṭaʿāminfood
وَٰحِدٍۢwāḥidin(of) one (kind)
فَٱدْعُfa-ud'ʿuso pray
لَنَاlanāfor us
رَبَّكَrabbaka(to) your Lord
يُخْرِجْyukh'rijto bring forth
لَنَاlanāfor us
مِمَّاmimmāout of what
تُنۢبِتُtunbitugrows
ٱلْأَرْضُl-arḍuthe earth
مِنۢminof
بَقْلِهَاbaqlihāits herbs
وَقِثَّآئِهَاwaqithāihā[and] its cucumbers
وَفُومِهَاwafūmihā[and] its garlic
وَعَدَسِهَاwaʿadasihā[and] its lentils
وَبَصَلِهَا ۖwabaṣalihāand its onions
قَالَqālaHe said
أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَatastabdilūnaWould you exchange
ٱلَّذِىalladhīthat which
هُوَhuwa[it]
أَدْنَىٰadnā(is) inferior
بِٱلَّذِىbi-alladhīfor that which
هُوَhuwa[it]
خَيْرٌ ۚkhayrun(is) better
ٱهْبِطُوا۟ih'biṭūGo down
مِصْرًۭاmiṣ'ran(to) a city
فَإِنَّfa-innaso indeed
لَكُمlakumfor you
مَّا(is) what
سَأَلْتُمْ ۗsa-altumyou have asked (for)
وَضُرِبَتْwaḍuribatAnd were struck
عَلَيْهِمُʿalayhimuon them
ٱلذِّلَّةُl-dhilatuthe humiliation
وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُwal-maskanatuand the misery
وَبَآءُوwabāūand they drew on themselves
بِغَضَبٍۢbighaḍabinwrath
مِّنَminaof
ٱللَّهِ ۗl-lahiAllah
ذَٰلِكَdhālikaThat (was)
بِأَنَّهُمْbi-annahumbecause they
كَانُوا۟kānūused to
يَكْفُرُونَyakfurūnadisbelieve
بِـَٔايَـٰتِbiāyātiin (the) Signs
ٱللَّهِl-lahi(of) Allah
وَيَقْتُلُونَwayaqtulūnaand kill
ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَl-nabiyīnathe Prophets
بِغَيْرِbighayriwithout (any)
ٱلْحَقِّ ۗl-ḥaqi[the] right
ذَٰلِكَdhālikaThat
بِمَاbimā(was) because
عَصَوا۟ʿaṣawthey disobeyed
وَّكَانُوا۟wakānūand they were
يَعْتَدُونَyaʿtadūnatransgressing

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Children of Israel preferred Foods inferior to Manna and QuailsAllah said, "And remember My favor on you when I sent down the manna and quails to you, a good, pure, beneficial, easily acquired food. And remember your ungratefulness for what We granted you. Remember how you asked Musa to exchange this type of food for an inferior type that consists of vegetation, and so forth.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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