And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "Indeed, Allāh commands you to slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you take us in ridicule?" He said, "I seek refuge in Allāh from being among the ignorant."
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ
(And [recall] when Moses said to his people,)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root قوم — to stand, establish; people, nation; straightness, uprightness · 660 times in the Quran
وَإِذْword 1
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَإِذْ is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and' — linking what follows to what came before; the word it joins in must stand in the same grammatical case as its partner before the joint — the same role in the sentence, even when the two words write that case with different endings. L4 · R4
Time Adverb · ظرف زمانA time adverb is a naming word that anchors a sentence to the time its action happens. إِذْ means 'when — back then', pointing to a moment already past: the day Musa spoke of the cow. L16 · R9
قَالَword 2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. قَالَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed. Its plain base shape — the shape Arabic uses for a single 'he' — carries no who-ending glued to its tail, and قَالَ is exactly that bare base: 'said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R1
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of قَالَ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
مُوسَىٰword 3
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. مُوسَىٰ is a proper name: 'Musa'. L1 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. مُوسَىٰ ends in the bent letter ىٰ, which carries no vowel mark, so nothing shows on the page — the nominative is the role the name fills here. L2 · R10
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action in a verb-first sentence, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ above the last letter. Musa is the one who did the saying; his name's bent ending ىٰ shows no mark, so the nominative here is the role, not a visible sign. L9 · R2
لِقَوْمِهِۦٓword 4
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لِ at the front of لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'to/for' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. قَوْمِ names such a thing: 'to his people', from the root قوم: to stand, establish; people, nation; straightness, uprightness. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. قَوْمِ stands right after such a little word and carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — tucked inside لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ, just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هِۦٓ on لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ is such a suffix, standing for 'his': HIS people. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هِۦٓ fills that owner slot: 'the people OF him'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
Allah said: O Children of Israel! Remember how I blessed you with the miracle of the cow that was the means for discovering the identity of the murderer, when the murdered man was brought back to life.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:67
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ
(…"Indeed, Allāh commands you)
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
Root امر — matter, affair, command · 248 times in the Quran
إِنَّword 5
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلإِنَّ adds emphasis — 'indeed' — and changes the topic it introduces from the nominative to the accusative, the pressed-on form, a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter. إِنَّ carries its doubling shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped mark — and its topic ٱللَّهَ wears exactly that fathah: 'INDEED, Allah commands you'. L15 · R2
ٱللَّهَword 6
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهَ is a proper name: 'Allah'. L1 · R6
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is an ending shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the letter — the ending a naming word takes after certain particles like إِنَّ. ٱللَّهَ ends in that fathah ـَ because إِنَّ stands before it as its topic. L2 · R11
يَأْمُرُكُمْword 7
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَأْمُرُ is an action unfolding now: 'commands you', from the root امر: matter, affair, command. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. يَأْمُرُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'commands you', from the root امر: matter, affair, command. L8 · R3
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) as one of its root letters, and its written seat changes with its surroundings. The root امر carries the hamza as its first letter; in يَأْمُرُ it sits on an alif seat wearing the sukūn ـْ — the small circle meaning no vowel follows: يَأْ. L24 · R11
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'me / us / them' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. كُمْ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — يَأْمُرُكُمْ — naming the one the action lands on. L3 · R6
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, and when it is a pronoun it attaches to the end of the verb as a suffix — like the كُمْ in خَلَقَكُمْ 'He created you'. The كُمْ of يَأْمُرُكُمْ is that object, 'you all', in the accusative role — the landed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the letter — though a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape. L9 · R5
أَن تَذْبَحُوا۟ بَقَرَةًۭ ۖ
(…to slaughter a cow.")
Root ذبح — to slaughter, cut the throat, sacrifice · 9 times in the Quran
Root بقر — cow, cattle · 9 times in the Quran
أَنword 8
Maṣdar Particle · حرف مصدريA maṣdar particle like أَنْ 'that/to' turns the verb clause after it into an action-idea — 'that you slaughter' works like the single naming word 'your slaughtering' — and it puts the present tense verb into the subjunctive mood, shown by a fathah ـَ or a dropped نَ. This أَن makes 'slaughter a cow' the content of the command. L20 · R15
تَذْبَحُوا۟word 9
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَذْبَحُ is an action unfolding now: 'you slaughter', from the root ذبح: to slaughter, cut the throat, sacrifice. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb is the verb shape that opens with one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت; small helper words before it can bend its time and mood. تَذْبَحُ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'you slaughter', from the root ذبح: to slaughter, cut the throat, sacrifice. L8 · R3
Subjunctive Mood · الفعل المنصوبThe subjunctive is the mood a present tense verb takes when a particle like أَنْ 'to' stands before it; for the 'you all' shape the marker is the dropping of the final نَ. تَذْبَحُوا۟ has lost exactly that نَ — the أَن before it cut it away. L10 · R4
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. تَذْبَحُوا۟ is one of them, but here its closing ن has dropped away — and for these five shapes that dropped ن is itself the grammar-sign: it marks the subjunctive mood, the bent form a governing word before it forces on the verb. L10 · R10
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. وا۟ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — تَذْبَحُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ is that doer, 'you all' — the ones commanded to slaughter; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
بَقَرَةًۭ ۖword 10
Noun · اسمA word that ends with the tā marbūtah ة is a noun, a naming word. بَقَرَةً names a cow, from the root بقر — cow, cattle. L1 · R3
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she', most often marked by a ة — the round 'tied tā' — at its end. بَقَرَةً carries exactly that round ة at its end, so it is treated as feminine: 'a cow'. L2 · R1
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. بَقَرَةً carries the tanwīn ـً — the fathah ـَ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'a cow'. L2 · R8
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the letter — doubled to tanwīn ـً when the word is indefinite. بَقَرَةً carries that doubled fathah ـً. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the doubled fathah ـً on the ة. The cow is what the commanded slaughtering lands on. L9 · R3
'Ubaydah As-Salmani related that a man was killed by his nephew for his inheritance, and the wise among them brought the matter to Musa. Had they not disputed, it would have been sufficient for them to slaughter any cow; but they disputed, and the matter was made more difficult for them.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:67
So far: “And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "Indeed, Allāh commands you to slaughter a cow."”
قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًۭا ۖ
(…They said, "Do you take us in ridicule?")
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root اخذ — to take, seize, grasp; to punish, hold accountable · 273 times in the Quran
Root هزا — to mock, ridicule, make mockery · 34 times in the Quran
قَالُوٓا۟word 11
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. قَالُ speaks of an action already carried out: 'They said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On قَالُوٓا۟ that ending is وٓا۟, telling exactly who is meant: 'They said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of قَالُ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. وٓا۟ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — قَالُوٓا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وٓا۟ is that doer, 'they' — the people answering Musa; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
أَتَتَّخِذُنَاword 12
Interrogative Particle · حرف استفهامAn interrogative particle turns a statement into a question. The prefix أَ (a hamza) at the front of أَتَتَّخِذُنَا forms a yes/no question: 'Do you take us…?' L17 · R1
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَتَّخِذُ is an action unfolding now: 'Do you take us', from the root اخذ: to take, seize, grasp; to punish, hold accountable. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. تَتَّخِذُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'Do you take us', from the root اخذ: to take, seize, grasp; to punish, hold accountable. L8 · R3
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) as one of its root letters, and the hamza's changing written seat can disguise the root. The root اخذ opens with a hamza, yet no hamza shows in تَتَّخِذُ — in this verb shape it has given way, folded into the doubled تّ. L24 · R11
Form VIII Verb · اِفْتَعَلَA Form VIII verb tucks an extra تـ just after the first root letter. In تَتَّخِذُ, from the root اخذ, that inserted تـ has merged with the root's opening letter to give the doubled تّ — shown by the shaddah ـّ, the small w-shaped mark — marking it as Form VIII: taking for oneself. L13 · R4
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'me / us / them' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. نَا · 'us/our' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — أَتَتَّخِذُنَا — naming the one the action lands on. L3 · R6
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, and when it is a pronoun it attaches to the end of the verb as a suffix — like the كُمْ in خَلَقَكُمْ 'He created you'. The closing نَا of أَتَتَّخِذُنَا is that object, 'us', in the accusative role — the landed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the letter — though a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape. L9 · R5
هُزُوًۭا ۖword 13
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. هُزُوًا names such a thing: '(in) ridicule', from the root هزا: to mock, ridicule, make mockery. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. هُزُوًۭا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. هُزُوًا carries the tanwīn ـً — the fathah ـَ doubled — marking it as unspecified: '(in) ridicule'. L2 · R8
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is an ending shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the letter — doubled to tanwīn ـً when the word is indefinite. هُزُوًا carries that doubled fathah ـً. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the doubled fathah ـً. It is the second thing the taking lands on — what they fear being made into: 'do you take us AS A MOCKERY?' L9 · R3
قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِٱللَّهِ
(…He said, "I seek refuge in Allāh)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root عوذ — to seek refuge, to take shelter · 17 times in the Quran
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
قَالَword 14
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. قَالَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'He said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed. Its plain base shape — the shape Arabic uses for a single 'he' — carries no who-ending glued to its tail, and قَالَ is exactly that bare base: 'He said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R1
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of قَالَ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
أَعُوذُword 15
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. أَعُوذُ is an action unfolding now: 'I seek refuge', from the root عوذ: to seek refuge, to take shelter. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. أَعُوذُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'I seek refuge', from the root عوذ: to seek refuge, to take shelter. L8 · R3
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters, and a middle weak letter hides behind a long alif in the past tense — while other shapes reveal it. أَعُوذُ shows the root عوذ with its weak middle و standing in plain view as the long عُو. L24 · R4
بِٱللَّهِword 16
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِٱللَّهِ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the naming word after it into the genitive, the ending marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and بِٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهِ is a proper name: 'in Allah'. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. ٱللَّهِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: بِٱللَّهِ. L2 · R12
أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ
(…from being among the ignorant.")
Root كون — to be, exist, happen · 1,390 times in the Quran
Root جهل — to be ignorant, ignorance · 24 times in the Quran
أَنْword 17
Maṣdar Particle · حرف مصدريA maṣdar particle like أَنْ 'that/to' turns the verb clause after it into an action-idea — 'that I be' works like the single naming word 'my being' — and it puts the present tense verb into the subjunctive mood, shown by a fathah ـَ. This أَنْ makes 'being among the ignorant' the thing refuge is sought from. L20 · R15
أَكُونَword 18
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. أَكُونَ is an action unfolding now: 'I be', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb is the verb shape that opens with one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت; small helper words before it can bend its time and mood. أَكُونَ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'I be', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L8 · R3
Subjunctive Mood · الفعل المنصوبThe subjunctive is the mood a present tense verb takes when a particle like أَنْ 'to' stands before it, and its marker is a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke — on the final letter. أَكُونَ ends in exactly that fathah ـَ on its ن, put there by the أَنْ before it. L10 · R4
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters, and a middle weak letter hides behind a long alif in the past tense — while other shapes reveal it. أَكُونَ shows the root كون with its weak middle و standing in plain view as the long كُو. L24 · R4
Kāna Verb · كان وأخواتهاكَانَ is an incomplete verb: it needs both a topic and a comment to finish its meaning — 'I be' alone leaves you asking: be WHAT? The topic of أَكُونَ is 'I', folded into the verb's opening أَ, and the comment is the phrase that follows: 'among the ignorant'. L18 · R1
مِنَword 19
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. مِنَ · 'from/of' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. مِنَ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَword 20
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. جَٰهِلِينَ is such a naming word: 'the ignorant', from the root جهل: to be ignorant, ignorance. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. Even as a plural, ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is a masculine noun; its ending is the 'sound' plural ending Arabic reserves for masculine nouns. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more of something. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ closes with exactly such an ending: not one, but a whole group. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the 'after-of / after-preposition' family of endings a noun — a naming word — can wear; on most nouns it is shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the final letter. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ wears its genitive inside that shared plural ending. L2 · R7
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built on the pattern فَاعِل — first root letter, then a long ā, then a kasrah ـِ before the last root letter — naming the one who does or holds the action. جَٰهِلِ carries that shape: the long ā after its ج and the kasrah on its ه — 'the ones who are ignorant'. L11 · R1
So far: “And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "Indeed, Allāh commands you to slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you take us in ridicule?" He said, "I seek refuge in Allāh from being among the ignorant."”