1. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
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And remember when we took a covenant from you and when we lifted the mountain Sinai
over your heads, saying hold firmly
To what we have given you, and follow the commandments therein so that you may guard
yourself against evil.
But even after that you backed out, if there had not been the grace and mercy of Allah
You surely would have been among the losers.
You very well know the story of those of you that transgressed in the matter of As-Sabt. We
ordered them be detested apes.

2. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
2
Thus we made their fate an example to their own people and to the succeeding generations
and a lesson to those who are God conscious.
And remember the incident when Musa said to his people, Allah commands you to sacrifice a
cow, they replied
Do you ridicule us? Musa answered, I seek the protection of Allah from being one of the
ignorant.
Request your Rabb, they said, to give us some details of that cow. Musa replied, Allah says the
cow should neither be too old
Nor too young but of middle age, do therefore what you are commanded.
Request your Rabb again; they said to clarify for us her colour. Musa replied, Allay says the said

3. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
3
Cow should be of a rich and deep yellow colour, pleasing to the eyes.
Again they said, request your Rabb to clarify for us, the exact type of cow she should be for to
us all cows look alike and if
Allah wills we shall be rightly guided.
Musa replied, Allah says the said cow should have neither been used to till the soil nor water
the fields
A healthy one, free from any blemish. Now you have brought us the accurate description, they
said, then they slaughtered her after they had nearly declined.
And remember another incident when you killed a man and started disputing as to who killed
him. Allah made it known, what you concealed.

4. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
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Tafsir
Remember the time when We took a covenant from you, when We lifted Mount Tur
over your heads.
Background: Allah called Musa (AS) to Mount Tur and gave him Taurat, at that time, some people said that they don’t
believe that this is Allah’s Kalaam (Allah’s words) until they see Allah with their own eyes. So on this, Prophet Musa
chose 70 people from his nation and took them to Mount Tur. There Allah spoke to Prophet Musa but they still did not
believe. They said that they won’t believe until they see Allah. What happened? Allah struck them with a lightning and
they all died. Then Prophet Musa requested Allah to give them life, otherwise, how would he face his nation? So Allah
gave them life. After that they came back to their nation. Then a covenant was taken from them that they will believe in
this book (Taurat) but again, they returned back to their usual behavior/attitude. So on this, Allah commanded the
Angels to raise Mount Tur and let it hang in the air above their heads as a threat if they did not fulfill their covenant with
Allah, and it would fall on them. And crush them.
Who can deny when they see a mountain suspended over their head? The Israelites then had no choice but to submit.
So they said that they promise they will believe in Allah. Then Allah said hold it/grasp it firmly. Hold
firmly to what We have given you (this book). How to hold? With full strength – strictly adhere to it. What is meant
by holding the book firmly? To keep it with you, read it, understand it, ponder upon it, and then act upon it. Holding
firmly doesn’t mean just to grasp it so it does not fall. And remember what is written in it. Read the Taurat
and implement it. Can be explained as “and follow what has been revealed to you from your Rabb.”
Hadith: Among people, the worst is that Fasiq who reads Quran but he does not gain anything out of it.
So we said strike the dead body with a piece of the slaughtered cow that is how Allah brought
the dead to life to show you His signs.
So that you may understand.

5. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
5
Bani Israel mischievously said that they can’t act upon the commandments of the Taurat, insisting that it was beyond
their endurance to act upon such regulations. As a result of this, Allah commanded the Angels to raise Mount Tur above
them.
What will be the benefit of following the commandments? So that you adopt Taqwa. Surah Al – A’raf Verse
170 explains this covenant.
Then what did Bani Israel do? After that they backed out. And even then, Allah forgave them. Allah says
if there had not been the grace and mercy of Allah surely you would’ve been
among the losers. This is a proof of their attitude, that they were not serious about the book.
And certainly you very well know the story of those of you who transgressed in the matter of
the Sabbath. Who is being addressed here? The Israelites.
Background: This dates back to the time of Prophet Dawud (AS). Allah had appointed Saturday as the sacred day for the
Israelites and the law for them was that on this day, they would only rest and do Ibadah. Fishing was prohibited on this
day. The order was that whoever breaks the sanctity of this day, will be killed. This was the time when their downfall
began. So they started mocking the Ayahs of Allah and they had invented very intricate stratagems to infringe the laws
of Shariyah. There was a town near sea called Aala and the people who lived on the seashore used to catch fish. Allah’s
command was not to catch fish on Saturday. Allah had put some strict orders for them because of their transgression.
Oh Jews remember when Allah sent His torment on the village that disobeyed Him.
They started to use deceitful means to avoid honoring the Sabbath by placing nets, ropes, and artificial pools for the
purpose of fishing on the Friday. When the fish came in abundance on the Saturday, they were caught in the nets. And
then the Jews collected the fish after Saturday. Due to this behavior, Allah was displeased with them. So Allah changed
them from humans to monkeys. Allah said so we ordered them to be detested apes. It is said that
they were humans, but their faces became like apes. Just like they changed Allah’s command, Allah changed their faces.
Allah says so We made their fate an exemplary punishment for their own people and to
the succeeding generations and a lesson for those who fear Allah. The pronoun ‫ه‬ it refers to this incident. So that
no-one changes Allah’s command by adopting such strategies. All the commands of deen should be taken as they are.

6. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
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As for those who fear Allah, from this incidence, they get advice. They take heed because this book is for
guidance.
Why is it that for their own people it is a lesson but for the Allah fearing it is an advice?
Because a Muttaqi (God Fearing) is he who is sensitive/conscious/serious. He takes lessons from such incidents. It serves
as a reminder that they should be steadfast in their obedience. Whereas for mischievous people such incidents stop
them from doing that kind of work.
Attitude of Bani Israel towards Allah’s commands:
1. Allah ordered them to take the book and follow the commandments therein and told them to hold it firmly.
When they did not want to, Mount Tur was raised over their heads.
2. Allah ordered them not to work on Saturdays but they changed the command according to what they wanted.
3. Allah ordered them to slaughter a cow (Why? Because they worshipped it).
When Musa (AS) said to his nation Indeed Allah commands you to sacrifice a
cow (any cow). They said do you mock us? Why did they say this? Because they said that they
considered cow as holy, they honored the cow and Prophet Musa told them to slaughter it. Musa (AS) said I
seek the protection of Allah from being one of the ignorant. What does this show? That ignorant
people mock people.
They said pray to your God (they did this because they didn’t really want to follow the
commandment) to give us some details of that cow. He said indeed He says Indeed the cow is
neither too old and not too young but of middle age do therefore what
you are commanded. they said call your Rabb to clarify us her color.
Musa (AS) said that Allah’s says indeed the cow should be of yellow color. Her color is bright
pleasing to the eyes. Call your Rabb to clarify us the exact type of cow she should
be. For to us all cows look alike If Allah wills, we shall be rightly guided.
Hadith: The Prophet (SAW) said If Bani Israel did not say till Qiyyama they would not have been able to find
that kind of cow.

7. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
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Allah says the said cow is such that it is not weak neither been used to till the soil
and nor waters the fields perfect, healthy one free from any blemish.
They said now you have brought us the truth then they slaughtered her
after that they had nearly declined.
During the same time an incident took place. A very rich man from Bani Israel had one daughter and one nephew.
When the nephew saw that the uncle is not dying (and we wanted to marry his daughter too), he thought, why not kill
him? He would marry his daughter and get the blood money for his murder and inherit all his wealth. So one day he got
a chance and killed his old uncle and he moved the body and placed it in front of someone else’s house and he cried out
in revenge. He asked for the blood money from the people there.
This bloody money is called deeya. When the dispute increased, it is said that a man said why would you fight with
one another while the messenger of Allah – Prophet Musa – is among you. Why don’t you go to him and take the
decision. They requested Prophet Musa to trace the culprit. When the case was brought to Prophet Musa’s court, he
prayed to Allah. Allah said that they must sacrifice a cow and strike the dead body of the murdered man with a piece of
the flesh of this sacrificed cow. Now when this was done, the dead man came back to life and he announced the name
of the one who murdered him and then he died again.
Some scholars say that these are two different incidents and some say that it is one and the same. So Allah says
and when you killed a man and you started disputing in it and Allah made
it known what you conceal. Then we said strike it (the body) with a piece of it that
is how Allah will bring to life the dead. Allah made this a proof that resurrection will occur and he
shows you His signs so that you use your intellect.
Lessons in the slaughtering of the cow:
1. The love of cow that they had in their hearts and how they honored it, so it would end. It was of a beneficial
thing as it told them the name of the murderer.
2. What people wanted to keep secret, Allah made it known.
3. Bani Israel had misunderstanding in their beliefs about the hereafter, so this incident reformed it.
What are the signs in this whole incident for the people with intellect?
When we fear, all our senses work more. For instance, our heart beat increases when we are scared. At norm our body is
quite lazy but when we fear something, instantly we jump up for action. Similarly we obey Allah very lazily – if you want
to you do it, if you don’t want to you don’t do it. But when a problem comes, you pray a lot and a lot more duas and
Dhikr.

8. Al-Huda
Juz 1: Al-Baqarah Ayah 63-73
Momina Mateen
8
What do these verses teach us?
1. We have to be steadfast in our good deeds.
2. We should not adopt any strategies or tricks that are showing that apparently we are acting on our deen but
actually not doing it. Bani Israel changed Allah’s command to what they wanted. So Allah changed them into
apes. Why? Because apes look like humans. They changes Allah’s command and so in the same way, their faces
were disfigured. When their faces were changed, their generation did not grow. People have been
metamorphosed into beasts by Allah as a punishment, seize to breed. (This is from a Hadith).
3. We shouldn’t argue.
4. We should not ask too many questions without reason as Bani Israel did with regards to the type of cow.
5. Any command that Allah sends, there is always a hidden wisdom behind it.
6. In this world, if someone sins or commits some evil deed they just assume that nobody is going to find out about
it. Such a person must always remember that it is not difficult for Allah to make their bad deed known.
For righteous deeds there are two conditions:
1. Intention to be correct.
2. The way to be correct
If these two things are not present, then that work or deed is not accepted.
Summary
Allah’s tells them to hold His book firmly. They were asked to take a covenant and then exalted. They were told to
remember what is in the book so that they would adopt Taqwa. Then regarding Saturday, it was ordered not to disobey
a certain command of Allah. And then the third command was that they sacrifice the cow. But Bani Israel’s attitude
towards all these commands was:
1. They turned away
2. They adopted tricks/strategies
3. They had arguments – raising objections.
Important: A cow can never be a god. If cow is a god then it will never let itself slaughter. It cannot save itself, then how
can it save others or give any benefit to others?