Surah 2

Surah 2:67

"(Remember) when Moses said to his people, ‘Surely God commands you to slaughter a cow.’ They said, ‘Do you take us in mockery?’ He said, ‘I take refuge with God from being one of the ignorant.’"
The Story of the murdered Israeli Man and the Cow Verses 2:67
Show Full Scripture Context (2:67) — 1 Verse
Verse 67

وَإِذۡ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوۡمِهِۦٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأۡمُرُكُمۡ أَن تَذۡبَحُواْ بَقَرَةٗۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوٗاۖ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِٱللَّهِ أَنۡ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِينَ

(Remember) when Moses said to his people, ‘Surely God commands you to slaughter a cow.’ They said, ‘Do you take us in mockery?’ He said, ‘I take refuge with God from being one of the ignorant.’

Quoted Scripture
"67. And (remember) when Musa said to his people: "Verily, Allah commands you that you slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you make fun of us?" He said, "I take Allah's refuge from being among Al-Jahilin (the ignorant or the foolish).""

Allah said, 'O Children of Israel! Remember how I blessed you with miracle of the cow that was the means for discovering the identity of the murderer, when the murdered man was brought back to life.'

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded 'Ubaydah As-Salmani saying, “There was a man from among the Children of Israel who was impotent. He had substantial wealth, and only a nephew who would inherit from him. So his nephew killed him and moved his body at night, placing it at the doorstep of a certain man. The next morning, the nephew cried out for revenge, and the people took up their weapons and almost fought each other. The wise men among them said, 'Why would you kill each other, while the Messenger of Allah is still among you?' So they went to Musa and mentioned the matter to him and Musa said, {"Verily, Allah commands you that you slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you make fun of us?" He said, "I take Allah's refuge from being among Al-Jahilin (the ignorant or the foolish)}."

“Had they not disputed, it would have been sufficient for them to slaughter any cow. However, they disputed, and the matter was made more difficult for them, until they ended up looking for the specific cow that they were later ordered to slaughter. They found the designated cow with a man, only who owned that cow. He said, “By Allah! I will only sell it for its skin's fill of gold.' So they paid the cow's fill of its skin in gold, slaughtered it and touched the dead man with a part of it. He stood up, and they asked him, 'Who killed you?' He said, 'That man,' and pointed to his nephew. He died again, and his nephew was not allowed to inherit him. Thereafter, whoever committed murder for the purpose of gaining inheritance was not allowed to inherit.” Ibn Jarir reported something similar to that. Allah knows best.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 1, Pages 255-257)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.