Where the story is told
The story is found in Surah al-Baqarah, verses 67 to 73 (Quran 2:67-73). It is one of the accounts in the surah that remind the Children of Israel (Bani Israil) of Allah's favours and of how they responded to them.
Musa (Moses) is the messenger who speaks to his people in these verses. Each time they ask something, the verses report that they said "call upon your Lord for us" and Musa then conveyed Allah's answer.
The command to slaughter a cow (verse 67)
Musa told his people that Allah commands them to slaughter a cow. They replied: "Do you take us in ridicule?"
Musa answered that he sought refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant. The verse does not yet say why the cow was to be slaughtered; the reason appears in the last verses of the passage.
The questions that made it harder (verses 68-71)
Instead of carrying out the command, the people asked for more details, three times in all. Each answer from Allah narrowed the command further.
- First they asked what the cow was. The answer: neither old nor young, but between the two, "so do what you are commanded".
- Then they asked about its colour. The answer: a yellow cow, bright in colour, pleasing to those who look at it.
- Then they said that all cows look alike to them and that, if Allah willed, they would be guided. The answer: a cow not trained to plough the earth or to water the field, sound and free of any blemish.
After this they said, "Now you have come with the truth", and they slaughtered the cow, though they hardly did it. The verses do not say why they hesitated.
The killing and the sign (verses 72-73)
Now the verses recall the reason: the people had killed a person and had disputed with one another about it, but Allah was going to bring out what they were hiding.
Allah then said: "Strike him with part of it." The verse concludes that in this way Allah gives life to the dead and shows His signs, so that people may use their reason. The verses do not say what happened after the dead man was struck beyond this, and they do not describe his words.
What the Quran does not tell us
The Quran does not name the person who was killed or the one who killed him. It does not say how the killing happened, to whom the cow belonged, what its price was, or which part of it was used to strike the dead man.
Later commentary books mention many details about these points. They are not in the Quran or in authentic hadith, so this page does not repeat them.
Commentators often draw the lesson that the people could have obeyed at once with any cow that matched the command, and that each question narrowed it. This is an understanding drawn from the verses, and the Quran leaves the reflection to the reader.
Lessons from this story
- When Allah gives a clear command, respond to it with obedience and do not delay or look for ways to make it harder.
- Honest questions for understanding are good, but too many unnecessary questions can turn an easy command into a heavy one.
- Musa's reply, "I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant", shows that mockery of a command from Allah is ignorance.
- What people hide cannot be hidden from Allah, and He brings it out when He wills.
- The revival of the dead man is a sign of Allah's power to give life to the dead, as the verse says.
General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.