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Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

Verse 71of 286

قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌۭ لَّا ذَلُولٌۭ تُثِيرُ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِى ٱلْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌۭ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْـَٰٔنَ جِئْتَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا۟ يَفْعَلُونَ﴿٧١

Translation (Sahih International)

He said, "He says, 'It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot upon her.' " They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So they slaughtered her, but they could hardly do it.

Word-by-word meaning

قَالَqālaHe said
إِنَّهُۥinnahuIndeed, He
يَقُولُyaqūlusays
إِنَّهَاinnahā[Indeed] it
بَقَرَةٌۭbaqaratun(is) a cow
لَّاnot
ذَلُولٌۭdhalūluntrained
تُثِيرُtuthīruto plough
ٱلْأَرْضَl-arḍathe earth
وَلَاwalāand not
تَسْقِىtasqīwater
ٱلْحَرْثَl-ḥarthathe field
مُسَلَّمَةٌۭmusallamatunsound
لَّاno
شِيَةَshiyatablemish
فِيهَا ۚfīhāin it
قَالُوا۟qālūThey said
ٱلْـَٔـٰنَl-ānaNow
جِئْتَji'tayou have come
بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚbil-ḥaqiwith the truth
فَذَبَحُوهَاfadhabaḥūhāSo they slaughtered it
وَمَاwamāand not
كَادُوا۟kādūthey were near
يَفْعَلُونَyafʿalūna(to) doing (it)

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Stubbornness of the Jews regarding the Cow; Allah made the Matter difficult for ThemAllah mentioned the stubbornness of the Children of Israel and the many unnecessary questions they asked their Messengers. This is why when they were stubborn, Allah made the decisions difficult for them. Had they slaughtered a cow, any cow, it would have been sufficient for them, as Ibn `Abbas and `Ubaydah have said.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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