Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 70 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:70

قَالُوا۟ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِىَ إِنَّ ٱلْبَقَرَ تَشَـٰبَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّآ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ

“They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is. Indeed, [all] cows look alike to us. And indeed we, if Allāh wills, will be guided."”

Saheeh International

Essence

A third question, the excuse that all cows look alike, and then, at last, 'if Allah wills': the first small sign of a turning heart.

A reflection

All cows look alike to us

A man looking for a used car has spent three weeks on listings. By now every silver hatchback blurs into one. He knows more than ever about mileage and engine sizes, and he is further from buying than on the first day.

'All cows look alike to us.' The verb is tashābaha, from the root of likeness. Its root picture is brass dyed until it shines like gold: it looks the same, but it is not the same. The people meant that many cows now fitted the description. Middle-aged, deep yellow: how could they tell which one was meant?

The concise commentaries explain what they were asking now. Was it a cow left to graze, or one put to work? One commentary counts this as their fourth question, adding that they still had not obeyed after the explanation. Another reads it as continued stubbornness, not a genuine difficulty.

The excuse has a shape worth seeing. The more they were told, the more alike the cows seemed. That is often how it goes when we are reluctant. Each new detail becomes another reason the choice is unclear. The fog was not in the cows; it was in the will.

It is fair to ask whether their question was reasonable. Perhaps there really were many yellow cows. But the passage has already given its verdict: 'so do what you are commanded' (2:68). They had enough to act on. What they lacked was not information. It was the readiness to begin.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.