Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) in English

1. قالوا ادع لنا ربك يبين لنا ما هي إن البقر تشابه علينا وإنا إن شاء الله لمهتدون

   70

   They said, ‘Invoke your Lord for us that He may clarify for us what she may be. Indeed all cows are much alike to us, and if Allah wishes we will surely be guided.’

   qālū dʿu lanā rabbaka yubayyin lanā mā hiya ʾinna l-baqara tashābaha ʿalaynā wa-ʾinnā ʾin shāʾa llāhu la-muhtadūna

2. قال إنه يقول إنها بقرة لا ذلول تثير الأرض ولا تسقي الحرث مسلمة لا شية فيها قالوا الآن جئت بالحق فذبحوها وما كادوا يفعلون

   71

   He said, ‘He says, She is a cow not broken to till the earth or water the tillage, sound and without blemish.’ They said, ‘Now have you come up with the truth!’ And they slaughtered it, though they were about not to do it.

   qāla ʾinnahū yaqūlu ʾinnahā baqaratun lā dhalūlun tuthīru l-ʾarḍa wa-lā tasqī l-ḥartha musallamatun lā shiyata fīhā qālū l-ʾāna jiʾta bi-l-ḥaqqi fa-dhabaḥūhā wa-mā kādū yafʿalūna

3. وإذ قتلتم نفسا فادارأتم فيها والله مخرج ما كنتم تكتمون

   72

   And when you killed a soul, and accused one another about it—and Allah was to expose what you were concealing—

   wa-ʾidh qataltum nafsan fa-ddāraʾtum fīhā wa-llāhu mukhrijun mā kuntum taktumūna

4. فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها كذلك يحيي الله الموتى ويريكم آياته لعلكم تعقلون

   73

   We said, ‘Strike him with a piece of it:’ thus does Allah revive the dead, and He shows you His signs so that you may exercise your reason.

   fa-qulnā ḍribūhu bi-baʿḍihā ka-dhālika yuḥyi llāhu l-mawtā wa-yurīkum ʾāyātihī laʿallakum taʿqilūna

5. ثم قست قلوبكم من بعد ذلك فهي كالحجارة أو أشد قسوة وإن من الحجارة لما يتفجر منه الأنهار وإن منها لما يشقق فيخرج منه الماء وإن منها لما يهبط من خشية الله وما الله بغافل عما تعملون

   74

   Then your hearts hardened after that; so they are like stones, or even harder. For there are some stones from which streams gush forth, and there are some of them that split, and water issues from them, and there are some that fall for the fear of Allah. And Allah is not oblivious of what you do.

   thumma qasat qulūbukum min baʿdi dhālika fa-hiya ka-l-ḥijārati ʾaw ʾashaddu qaswatan wa-ʾinna mina l-ḥijārati la-mā yatafajjaru minhu l-ʾanhāru wa-ʾinna minhā la-mā yashshaqqaqu fa-yakhruju minhu l-māʾu wa-ʾinna minhā la-mā yahbiṭu min khashyati llāhi wa-mā llāhu bi-ghāfilin ʿammā taʿmalūna

6. أفتطمعون أن يؤمنوا لكم وقد كان فريق منهم يسمعون كلام الله ثم يحرفونه من بعد ما عقلوه وهم يعلمون

   75

   Are you then eager that they should believe you, though a part of them would hear the word of Allah and then they would distort it after they had understood it, and they knew [what they were doing]?

   ʾa-fa-taṭmaʿūna ʾan yuʾminū lakum wa-qad kāna farīqun minhum yasmaʿūna kalāma llāhi thumma yuḥarrifūnahū min baʿdi mā ʿaqalūhu wa-hum yaʿlamūna

7. وإذا لقوا الذين آمنوا قالوا آمنا وإذا خلا بعضهم إلى بعض قالوا أتحدثونهم بما فتح الله عليكم ليحاجوكم به عند ربكم أفلا تعقلون

   76

   When they meet the faithful, they say, ‘We believe,’ and when they are alone with one another, they say, ‘Do you recount to them what Allah has revealed to you, so that they may argue with you therewith before your Lord? Do you not exercise your reason?’

   wa-ʾidhā laqū lladhīna ʾāmanū qālū ʾāmannā wa-ʾidhā khalā baʿḍuhum ʾilā baʿḍin qālū ʾa-tuḥaddithūnahum bi-mā fataḥa llāhu ʿalaykum li-yuḥājjūkum bihī ʿinda rabbikum ʾa-fa-lā taʿqilūna