God’s Command: Sacrifice a Cow. And Objections
Surah ‘Al-Baqarah (The Cow) – Chapter – 2)
Stage – 1, Verses – 67 to 71 of 286, Section – 8
of 40 (Part - 1)
BisMIllaahir-Rahmaanir-Rahiim
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
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And when Moses said
unto his people: Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye sacrifice a cow, they said:
Dost thou make fun of us? He answered: Allah forbid that I should be among
the foolish.
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Wa ‘iz qaala Muusaa li-qawmihiii
‘innallaaha ya’-mu-rukum ‘an- tazbahuu BAQARAH. Qaaluuu
‘a-tattakhi-zunaa huzuwaa Qaala ‘a-uuzu bil-laahi ‘an ‘akuuna
minal-jaahiliin.
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Lesson
The cow was very sacred near Children
of Israel. When Moses (peace be upon Him) caused to hear them command of
God Almighty, they remained aghast. They did not believe that it was really
commanded to sacrifice such sacred animal like this. They supposed that Prophet
Moses (peace be upon Him) was mocking.
Al-jaahiliin – (the foolish, the ignorant, the illiterates) this word has
been derived from jahal. Literal
meaning of it is “to do any work contrary to its prescribed and correct method”.
If it is due to ignorance then the stupidity is simple and if it is done
intentionally then the stupidity is compound. Moses (peace be upon Him) asks God
Almighty for refuge from the both kinds of foolishness. An individual, who
wishes to command over the people, at the name of God, either he is careless
from God or foolish, and is unaware of the results of mocking in the religious
matters.
A person from the Children
of Israel was killed but the killer was not traceable. God Almighty
commanded Moses (peace be upon Him) to order the Children
of Israel for sacrificing a cow and beat a piece of its flesh at the
dead body of the killed. With it the murdered person will come back to life and
will tell the name of his killer.
Due to dwelling many
centuries in the Egypt, the Children of Israel had begun to
deem the cow very sacred, so they supposed that perhaps Moses (peace be upon
Him) was mocking with them. Prophet Moses (peace be upon Him) removed their
doubt and made them to understand that the Prophets (peace be upon Them) mock never
in the religious matters and in the commands of God Almighty. Mocking others is
a job of the stupid. Wise people do never commit the acts like this which are
contrary to the dignity, honor and glory, and which becomes cause of disgrace
of the religion.
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68. They said:
Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. (Moses)
answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a cow neither with calf nor immature.
(She is) between the two conditions. So do that which ye are
commanded.
69. They said:
Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us of what colour she is.
(Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a yellow cow, bright is her colour,
gladdening beholders.
70. They said:
Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. Lo!
Cows are much alike to us. And Lo! If Allah wills, we may be led aright.
71. (Moses)
answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a cow unyoked; she plougheth not the
soil nor watereth the tilth; whole and without mark. They said: Now thou
bringest the truth. So they sacrificed her, though they has not the mind to
do (it).
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68. Qaalud-‘u lanaa Rabbaka yubayyil-lanaa maa hii. Qaala ‘innaHuu
yaquulu ‘innahaa baqaratul-laa faarizunw-wa laa bikr. ‘Awaanum- bayna
zaalik. Faf-‘aluu maa tu’-maruun.
69. Qaalud-‘u lanaa Rabbaka Yubayyil-lanaa maa
law-nuhaa. Qaala ‘innaHuu yaquulu ‘in-nahaa baqaratun-
saf-raaa-‘u, faaqi-‘ul-lawnuhaa tasurrun-naaziriin.
70. Qaalud-‘u lanaa Rabbaka yubayyil-lanaa
maa hiya. ‘In-nal-baqara tashaabaha ‘alayna. Wa
‘innaaa ‘in-shaaa-‘Allaahu la-muhtaduun.
71. Qaala ‘innaHuu yaquulu ‘innahaa
baqaratul-laa- zaluu-lun-tusiirul-‘arza wa laa tasqil-hars. Musallama-tul-laa
shiyata fiihaa. Qaalul-‘aana ji’-ta bil-haqq.
Fazabahuuhaa wa maa kaaduu yaf-‘aluun.
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Lesson
Commands of God Almighty
and His Prophets (peace be upon Them) are not without wisdom and philosophy.
However it is not necessary that every person may understand them. So nobody
should argue or hesitate obeying Them and each individual should act upon Their
orders/instructions.
In the beginning, every
order/instruction/law is simple and easy but due to making differences too
small to be important, the orders and laws become difficult and complicated.
God Almighty commanded
through Moses (peace be upon Him) to sacrifice a cow. It was entirely a
straight and simple order. The Children of Israel had to sacrifice
any cow. But they argued and kept on asking question over questions, so they
created difficulties for themselves. After asking first question they became
bound about the age of the cow. Then they asked second question’ “what would be
color of the cow”. Now they raised some other difficulty for themselves.
Actually they were trying to evade the order. But as they were trying to evade,
they were drowning in the more difficult situation. They did not understand
that how much expedience and secrets are hidden in His orders.
Then they asked again,
“What (cow) she is. Lo! Cows are much alike to us. And Lo! If Allah wills, we
may be led aright.” Now some other restriction was composed upon them, “Verily
she is a cow unyoked; she plougheth not the soil, nor watereth the tilth; whole
and without mark”.
Then they said, “Yes!
Now you have told us the right”. In short after a lot of arguments they
sacrificed the cow. Even now it was being felt from their behavior that they had
not mind to do so. Though, even now they obeyed the command of God Almighty
unavoidably.
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