Ch 2 Vs 67-71 (The Cow)

2:67

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً قَالُوا أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ

2:68

قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا هِيَ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لا فَارِضٌ وَلا بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فَافْعَلُوا مَا تُؤْمَرُونَ

2:69

قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ فَاقِعٌ لَوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ

2:70

قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ

2:71

قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الأَرْضَ وَلا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لا شِيَةَ فِيهَا قَالُوا الآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ

 

Finally we come to the eponym of this chapter, the cow. It seems the cow is a metaphor showing the absolute apex of civilisation. At first musa command them to sacrifice her and they asked, do you make us disgraced or contemptible. In other words, by sacrificing this apex, they will become like what we know today to be third world nations.

 

2/68 shows the peak of the cow’s age. It is neither settled/old nor young, the awan shows that it has reached its peak but not begun to decline.

 

2/69 shows the cow is pleasing for those who see her. Again it alludes to the pleasing richness of their civilisation perhaps in terms of physical achievements.

 

2/70 shows their inability or unwillingness to understand what the baqarah is. Perhaps it’s the sheer incomprehensibility of sacrificing one’s nation for the sake of Allah

 

2/71 is musa’s final instruction, that the cow is the musallamah, that is not dhalal (humiliated) or plowing through the earth. This shows the state of ease in their society. They are to sacrifice although the almost did not.

 

Ch 2 Vs 63-66 (The Mount of Destiny)

2:63

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُوا مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

 

By fufilling the covenant (possibly the one in 2/83 though I prefer 2/40-46 as it came first although it lacks the word mithaq), Allah raised above bani israil their destiny (thawwar is to augur, thoor is destiny). They are to take what is given to them with strength (showing physical and mental develpment) and to vivify what is in that covenant to be preservant.

 

2:64

ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَكُنْتُمْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

 

The fadhl and rahmah (preference of Allah and the means of evolution) is necessary for those who turn away so they don’t become losers.

 

2:65

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنْكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

 

It seems to me that as-sabt in this case refers to a state of rest/rejuvenation after the taking one’s destiny. These people overstepped the limits of rest and thus have fallen into the state of ape-ishness (perhaps playfulness or even monkey see monkey do)

 

2:66

فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَكَالا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

 

This incident is an example for the muttaqeen, those who remain preservant against this process of degeneration

 

 

 

 

Ch 2 Vs 61-62 (The One Food and the Types of Respondents)

2:61

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَنْ نَصْبِرَ عَلَى طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الأَرْضُ مِنْ بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّائِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا فَإِنَّ لَكُمْ مَا سَأَلْتُمْ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ

2:62

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِئِينَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

The one food here seems to be metaphorical (Thanks to Arif and Salman for that!) as it does seem to be more fitting into the statement ‘will you substitute what is lower with what is better’.  If we take it literally, we don’t even know what the one food is let alone why its better than onions, garlic, cucumbers etc. This is likely to be a biblically influenced mistranslation. The phrase ‘dhuribat alayhim dhillah maskanah’ shows humiliation and stagnation. This does not fit eating onions and garlic!

 

2/62 corroborates this by showing people responding to this process of 2/61. The amanoo respond to the one ‘food’, the hadoo superficialise it, the nasara assist the process, the sabi’oon are perhaps new entries. These all believe in Allah and the period of outcome.

Ch 2 Vs 60 (The Ultimate Social Formula?)

2:60

وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَى مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَشْرَبَهُمْ كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلا تَعْثَوْا فِي الأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

 

Here musa (ever the leader in this whole passage 2/47-103) is seeking ‘water’ for his people. I wonder why no derivative of ‘maa’a’ (water) isn’t used for the ‘seeking water’ (istasqa). So Allah told him, part the rock (perhaps referring to the ossified aspects of his society). From there will arise a spring characterised by the folding of society (ithna asharah )  , that is to say, bringing the two ends of society together. When this happens, each ‘unas’ knows its drinking place and enjoys ‘rizqi Allah’ (showing a maximum point of rizq). It ends with saying dont be mufsid/mischief makers meaning that this act is the ultimate concilatory act.

Ch 2 Vs 58-59 (Entrance to the City)

2:58

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُوا هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ نَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَـزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

2:59

فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلا غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنْـزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رِجْزًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ

 

So at this point, bani israil are meant to enter a qaryah, or a town. This marks a new phase in their evolution (or devolution as the case may be). They are given a given a choice in how to consume but also to humble themselves as they enter the door. The ‘muhsineen’ at the end of 2/58 shows the propensity to do good comes with sajda.

This fisq (lack of drive for striving) led them to change the saying given them to them (tabdeeli qawlan) and for them to turn oppressors. So a dirt (rijz) was sent down to heaven for them.

Ch 2 Vs 55-57 (The Spiritual Process of bani israil)

2:55

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ

2:56

ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

2:57

وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنْـزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

This to me doesn’t seem like a bad thing. They asked to see Allah manifestly in order to attain belief and were seized with a thunderbolt like experience. This results in a death (mentioned in 2/55) after which Allah brings these people to life. I believe by askint to ‘see’ Allah (i.e. his system, as shown by 7/143 which is then linked to 89/21-22) they were struck and resurrected spiritually. It was only after that 2/57 comes into play and they are given various blessings by Allah.

Ch 2 Vs 54 (Turning to the Maker)

2:54

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوا إِلَى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ عِنْدَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

 

musa tells his people that they have oppressed themselves. This is the fifth stage and the point of al-kitab wal-furqan (in 2/53). They are then to turn to their maker (bari). This word is used here because ‘bari’ is one who initiates creation as oppose to khaaliq who evolves. Therefore our initial position is the soul (thereby confirming 2/47-48). They are to turn to their maker and neutralise their souls from its worship of al-ijl (hasty, materialistic selves). Allah turns to them (fataba 3alaykum) just like in 2/187 showing that they have undertaken a life devoted to Allah.