Overview (Verses 67 - 74)

The Episode of the Cow

The present passage is rounded off by the story of the cow, told here in full since it is not mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’ān. The story depicts the Israelites as shifty and stubborn people, ever looking for excuses and justification for their failures.

When Moses said to his people, ‘God commands you to sacrifice a cow, ‘ they said, Are you mocking at us?’ He said, ‘God forbid that I should be so ignorant.’ They said, ‘Pray on our behalf to your Lord to make plain to us what kind of cow she should be.’ He said, ‘He says let her be neither an old cow nor a young heifer, but of an age in between. Do, then, as you are commanded.’ They said, Tray on our behalf to your Lord to make clear to us of what colour she should be.’ [Moses] replied, ‘He says let her be a yellow cow, bright of hue, pleasing to the beholder.’ They said, Tray on our behalf to your Lord to make plain to us of what exact type she should be, for to us cows are much alike. We shall, God willing, be guided aright.’ [Moses] answered, ‘He says let her be a cow, not broken-in to plough the earth or water the tillage, free of all fault, without markings of any other colour.’ Said they, ‘Now you have given the right description.’ They sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone. Having slain a human being, you cast the blame on one another for this [murder]. God would definitely reveal what you have concealed. We said, ‘Strike him with a piece of it. Thus God brings the dead back to life and shows you His signs, so that you may use your reason.’ (Verses 67-73)

This brief account highlights a number of issues, including the nature and disposition of the Israelite mentality, God’s power, life after death, and the nature of life and death. Moreover, we may reflect on the stylistic touches in the way the story is told, which fit it perfectly into the context of the sūrah.

The Israelite character comes through very clearly in this story, reflecting lack of faith or trust in God, reluctance to believe their Prophets and hesitation in responding to them, and a tendency to mock and ridicule what they are told, coupled with impertinence.

God’s directive, as conveyed to them by Moses was clear and simple: “sacrifice a cow”. It hardly needed elaboration, nor was it difficult to carry out. Moses, after all, was the man who had led them out of Egypt and, by the grace of God, brought them to safety. He made it clear that he was simply conveying a commandment from God. Not only was their response insolent and brazen, but they also accused Moses of jesting and making fun of them.

Moses was clearly perturbed and made it immediately clear that he entertained no such idea: “He said: ‘God forbid that I should be so ignorant.’“ (Verse 67) His gentle, polite response was sufficient to prompt them to reconsider and act upon God’s order. He makes it clear to them that mocking at others is unbecoming of anyone other than a person who does not know recognize God’s position.

Up to that point, it was still possible for them to sacrifice any cow to fulfil God’s order as given to them by His Messenger, but their devious and hesitant nature got the better of them and they came up with an unnecessary demand: “They said: ‘Pray on our behalf to your Lord to make plain to us what kind of cow she should be.’“ (Verse 68)

The way this question is phrased suggests that they still suspected Moses of making fun of them. Their use of the phrase ‘your Lord’ when addressing Moses also indicates their indifference towards the whole affair which, they inferred, concerned only Moses and his Lord. Moreover, their question regarding the type of cow to be sacrificed is also indicative of their total lack of interest and their tendency to ridicule. Moses had already told them to sacrifice a cow, and any cow would have sufficed.

Moses persisted with his patient approach and tried to steer the dialogue back to a sensible level and away from argument on formality and technicality. He gives them another straight and clear answer: “He says let her be neither an old cow nor a young heifer, but of an age in between.” (Verse 68) He follows that with a clear, authoritative advice: “Do, then, as you are commanded.” (Verse 68)

That should have been more than adequate for them to choose a cow and carry out the order, discharging their obligation and sparing themselves further complication by narrowing their choices even further. Nevertheless, they insisted on asking more questions: “They said: ‘Pray on our behalf to your Lord to make clear to us of what colour she should be.’“ (Verse 69) Since they asked, they received an answer: “[Moses] replied: ‘He says let her be a yellow cow, bright of hue, pleasing to the beholder.’“ (Verse 69)

The choices are narrowing and the task of finding the right kind of beast that would meet this now elaborate description has become more difficult than ever. It is no longer simply the first available cow, but it has to be one of middle years, neither very old nor very young, of bright yellow colour, not too fat nor too lean, and, most difficult of all, ‘pleasing to the beholder’. This means that the cow must be bright, lively and vigorous; because such are the qualities that people are pleased to see. On the other hand, people dislike to look at a thin, weak or deformed animal.

Yet those Jews were not finished. They continued to make matters difficult for themselves. Once again they ask about the type of cow they should sacrifice, justifying their new request on grounds that they had a problem of choice: “They said: ‘Pray on our behalf to your Lord to make plain to us of what exact type she should be, for to us cows are much alike. We shall, God willing, be guided aright.’” (Verse 70)

There was now no escaping severe complication and restriction of choice, as more and more features were specified: “[Moses] answered: ‘He says let her be a cow, not broken-in to plough the earth or water the tillage, free of all fault, without markings of any other colour.’“ (Verse 71)

It was no longer an ordinary, average cow that could be easily found anywhere, but one with a specific description and an unusual combination of features. Then, just as the matter became unduly complicated and the choice really hard, the people relented: “Said they: ‘Now you have given the right description.’ They sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone.” (Verse 71)

It was as though Moses had not, up to that point, been telling them the truth, or they had not been disposed to believe him.

A Murdered Man Brought Back to Life

As soon as they carried out the command, God revealed to them its purpose: “Having slain a human being, you cast the blame on one another for this [murder]. God would definitely reveal what you have concealed. We said, ‘Strike him with a piece of it. Thus God brings the dead back to life and shows you His signs, so that you may use your reason.’“ (Verses 72-73)

This is the second aspect of the story, which highlights God’s power, the reality of resurrection and the nature of life and death. The mode changes from narration to direct speech. God has revealed to the Israelites under Moses the wisdom behind asking them to slaughter a cow. A man had been murdered and, with no witnesses available, they were blaming one another for his murder. God wanted to demonstrate to them that He could bring the victim back to life to identify his killer or killers. This was achieved by striking the dead man’s body with a piece of the sacrificial cow. The mystery was solved and justice was done.

The question here is why this approach should be necessary when God can restore the dead to life without the need for anything in particular. What possible relationship could there be between the sacrificed cow and the murdered person being restored to life?

The Jews were accustomed to sacrificing cows, but why should a piece of meat restore life to a dead body when it had no life and no ability to give life? The logical answer is that the whole event was symbolic, intended to demonstrate God’s power, the workings of which human beings cannot comprehend. We see the effects of God’s power around us all the time, but we are not able to grasp its reality or the way it works.

“Thus God brings the dead back to life... “— just as effortlessly and readily as they had seen, though they could not understand how it happened.

To the human mind, the contrast between the reality of life and the mystery of death cannot be more bewildering, but to God Almighty the matter poses no problem whatsoever. But, how is that so? This is the greatest mystery that no creature can, or ever will, unravel. It is the secret that only the Supreme Being knows, but whose significance and outcome the human mind is able to appreciate and comprehend, because God “shows you His signs, so that you may use your reason.” (Verse 73)

As given in the Qur’ānic superior style, the narrative takes us on a short mystery tour with a story that begins with a command from God to the Israelites to sacrifice a cow, without at first telling them, or the reader, of the purpose behind it. It was simply a test of faith and obedience.

We are only given the dialogue that takes place between Moses and his people. At no time is the story interrupted to tell us what words were exchanged between God and Moses. We only know that every time the Israelites asked Moses to refer to “his Lord”, he did so and came back to them with an answer. We are not told how that communication was conducted or what was said by either God or Moses. This omission is most befitting of God’s greatness, who should be revered and not insulted with pointless arguments such as those Jews were making.

The story concludes with an event as astounding for us as it was for the Israelites themselves: a dead man brought back to life simply by striking his corpse with a piece of a dead cow. That is most amazing!

The artistic method employed here combines with the purpose of the narration to a most significant and successful effect in one of the shortest and finest stories told in the Qur’ān.

The final scene in the story should have been awesome enough to inspire faith, submission and fear of God in the hearts of the Children of Israel. But despite all the lessons they might have learnt from earlier encounters related in the sūrah, there is a gloomy, disappointing conclusion that comes as a complete surprise: “Yet after all this, your hearts hardened until they were as hard as rocks or even harder; for there are rocks from which rivers gush forth; others split so that water flows through them, and some other rocks fall down for fear of God. Indeed, God is not unaware of what you do.” (Verse 74)

Their hearts are compared here to hard rocks, but even more difficult to subdue. The similes given were not altogether unfamiliar to the Israelites, for when they needed water they had seen it gush forth from one solid rock, in twelve springs. They had witnessed how a Mountain crashed down when God revealed His glory there, as told in Sūrah 7, Verse 143. Their hearts, however, remained rigid and inflexible, totally devoid of faith and fear of God, harsh, barren and unbending. But they are warned that “God is not unaware of what you do.” (Verse 74)

This concludes an episode of the Israelites’ rich and chequered history; a history fraught with denials, deviousness, scheming, stubbornness, corruption and flagrant rebellion.