Surah Al-Baqarah (البقرة) • The Cow

Quran 2:68

2:68

قَالُوا۟ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِىَ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَلَا بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌۢ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَٱفْعَلُوا۟ مَا تُؤْمَرُونَ

qālū ud'ʿu lanā rabbaka yubayyin lanā mā hiya qāla innahu yaqūlu innahā baqaratun lā fāriḍun walā bik'run ʿawānun bayna dhālika fa-if'ʿalū mā tu'marūna

They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is." [Moses] said, "[Allāh] says, 'It is a cow which is neither old nor virgin, but median between that,' so do what you are commanded."

— Saheeh International

They said, ‘Call on your Lord for us, to show us what sort of cow it should be.’ He answered, ‘God says it should be neither too old nor too young, but in between, so do as you are commanded.’

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

They said, "Call upon your Lord for us that He may make plain to us what it is!" He said, "He says, ‘Verily, it is a cow neither too old nor too young, but (it is) between the two conditions’, so do what you are commanded."

— Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

Juz 1Page 10medinan

Word by Word

قَالُوا۟qālūThey said
ٱدْعُud'ʿuPray
لَنَاlanāfor us
رَبَّكَrabbaka(to) your Lord
يُبَيِّنyubayyinto make clear
لَّنَاlanāto us
مَاmāwhat
هِىَۚhiyait (is)
قَالَqālaHe said
إِنَّهُۥinnahuIndeed, He
يَقُولُyaqūlusays
إِنَّهَاinnahā[Indeed] it
بَقَرَةٌۭbaqaratun(is) a cow
لَّاlānot
فَارِضٌۭfāriḍunold
وَلَاwalāand not
بِكْرٌbik'runyoung
عَوَانٌۢʿawānunmiddle aged
بَيْنَbaynabetween
ذَٰلِكَۖdhālikathat
فَٱفْعَلُوا۟fa-if'ʿalūso do
مَاmāwhat
تُؤْمَرُونَtu'marūnayou are commanded