Hafiz soon
Al-Baqarah · 2:69

They said, "Call upon your Lord to show us what is her color." He said, "He says, 'It is a yellow cow, bright in color - pleasing to the observers.'"

Sahih International

Grammar, phrase by phrase

قَالُوا۟ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ

(They said, "Call upon your Lord)

Root قولto say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran

Root دعوto call, invoke, pray to; supplication · 212 times in the Quran

Root رببLord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector · 980 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

قَالُوا۟word 1

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. قَالُ names an action — saying — from the root قول, to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7

Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending وا۟ — the 'they' marker — sits on قَالُوا۟: 'they said', asking yet again. L8 · R2

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. قَالُوا۟ is the root قول — the long ا in its middle is the weak و in disguise. L24 · R4

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on قَالُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they'. 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, 'they'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4

ٱدْعُword 2

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ٱدْعُ names an action — calling, praying — from the root دعو: to call, invoke, pray to; supplication. L1 · R7

Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a direct command addressed to 'you', formed from the present-tense verb by removing its opening prefix and adding a helping ٱ when what remains starts with a vowelless letter. ٱدْعُ shows that helping ٱ at its front — a command to one man, Musa: call! L10 · R1

Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters, and when the weak letter ends the root it is dropped in the command shape, the short vowel left behind signalling which letter was deleted. ٱدْعُ is that clipped command of the root دعو: its final و is gone, and the ḍammah ـُ — the small curl above the ع — is the fingerprint of the deleted و. L24 · R7

لَنَاword 3

Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The prefix لَ 'to/for' is one of the common prepositions: pray 'for' us. L4 · R2

Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here نَا 'us'. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition لَ and works like the glued-on endings for 'our/us', naming those the prayer is for: 'for us'. L3 · R7

رَبَّكَword 4

Noun · اسمA word whose final vowel mark changes with its job in the sentence is a noun, a naming word. رَبَّ names the Lord, from the root ربب — Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector. L1 · R5

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

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. رَبَّ ends in that fathah ـَ, sitting atop its doubled ب. L2 · R11

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the fathah ـَ above the doubled ب. 'Your Lord' is the One the commanded calling is directed to. L9 · R3

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending كَ on رَبَّكَ is such a suffix, standing for 'your': YOUR Lord. 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 كَ fills that owner slot: 'the Lord OF you'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5

يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا ۚ

(…to show us what is her color.")

Root بينto be between, make clear, evident · 523 times in the Quran

Root لونcolour · 9 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

يُبَيِّنword 5

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. يُبَيِّن names an action — making clear — from the root بين: to be between, make clear, evident. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. يُبَيِّن opens with the letter ي — the 'he' prefix — standing before the root letters: 'that He make clear'. L8 · R3

Jussive Mood · الفعل المجزومThe jussive is one of the three moods of a present tense verb — the cut-down mood, whose usual mark is the sukūn ـْ, the small circle meaning the sound stops on that letter. يُبَيِّن ends with exactly that stopped, vowelless ن — the cut-short shape — standing as what follows on the asked-for prayer: He will make it clear. L10 · R8

Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has at least one of the weak letters و or ي among its root letters, named by which slot is weak — a weak middle letter makes the hollow type. The root بين carries the weak ي in its middle slot; in this shape it does not vanish but stands doubled in plain view: the يِّ of يُبَيِّن. L24 · R4

Form II Verb · فَعَّلَA Form II verb is identified by a shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped doubling mark — on the second root letter. يُبَيِّن shows that shaddah on the ي in its middle: the mark of this form, here making something clear to others. L12 · R7

لَّنَاword 6

Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The prefix لَّ 'to/for' is one of the common prepositions: make clear 'to' us. L4 · R2

Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here نَا 'us'. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition لَّ and works like the glued-on endings for 'our/us', naming those the clarifying is for: 'to us'. L3 · R7

مَاword 7

Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that completes the meaning about the topic, and it stands in the nominative — the completing word's own form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The asking word مَا 'what?' is that completing part, brought to the front as questions are: 'its color [is] WHAT?'; it keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R3

Interrogative Particle · حرف استفهامAn interrogative word turns a statement into a question, and مَا 'what?' is one of the specific question words. Here it asks for the cow's color: WHAT is its color? L17 · R3

لَوْنُهَا ۚword 8

Noun · اسمA word whose final vowel mark changes with its job in the sentence is a noun, a naming word. لَوْنُ names the color, from the root لون — colour. L1 · R5

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or main topic of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. لَوْنُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ on its ن. L2 · R10

Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl above the ن. In the little question, 'its color' is that topic: its color [is] what? L6 · R2

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is what the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter. The little question 'what its color is' is what the making-clear must land on, and لَوْنُهَا anchors it; inside its own mini-sentence the word wears the topic's ḍammah ـُ, so the landed-on role belongs to the asked question as a whole. L9 · R3

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on لَوْنُهَا is such a suffix, standing for 'her' — the cow: HER color. 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 هَا fills that owner slot: 'the color OF her'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5

So far: They said, "Call upon your Lord to show us what is her color."

قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ يَقُولُ

(…He said, "He says,)

Root قولto say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

قَالَword 9

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. قَالَ names an action — saying — from the root قول, to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7

Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed; its base shape is the 'he' form with no ending added. قَالَ is exactly that bare base shape: 'he said' — Musa relaying the answer. L8 · R1

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. قَالَ 'he said' is really the root قول — the long ا in its middle is the weak و in disguise. L24 · R4

إِنَّهُۥword 10

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, usually 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 here is the هُۥ glued to it: 'indeed HE says'. L15 · R2

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هُۥ on إِنَّهُۥ stands for 'He' — Allah — the topic إِنَّ presses into the accusative, the pressed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the accusative is the role it fills. L3 · R6

يَقُولُword 11

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. يَقُولُ names an action — saying — from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. يَقُولُ opens with the letter ي — the 'he' prefix — standing before the root letters: 'He says'. L8 · R3

Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters; a middle weak letter hides behind a long alif in the past tense, and the present tense reveals the true middle letter. يَقُولُ shows exactly that: the root قول with its weak middle و standing in plain view. L24 · R4

إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌۭ صَفْرَآءُ

(…'It is a yellow cow,)

Root بقرcow, cattle · 9 times in the Quran

Root صفرyellow · 5 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

إِنَّهَاword 12

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, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter, while the completing part stays in its own form. إِنَّ carries its doubling shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped mark — and its topic here is the هَا glued to it: 'indeed IT is a cow…'. L15 · R2

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on إِنَّهَا stands for 'it' — the cow, spoken of as 'she' — the topic إِنَّ presses into the accusative, usually a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the accusative is the role it fills. L3 · R6

بَقَرَةٌۭword 13

Noun · اسمA word that ends with the tā marbūtah ة is a noun, a naming word. بَقَرَةٌ names a cow, from the root بقر — cow, cattle. L1 · R3

Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she', typically marked by a ة at its end. بَقَرَةٌ ends in exactly that ة. L2 · R1

Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' — no particular one — and shows this with tanwīn, the doubled end-vowel mark. بَقَرَةٌ ends in the doubled ḍammah ـٌ. L2 · R8

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending marked by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter, doubled to tanwīn ـٌ when the word is indefinite — that a naming word takes as the subject or predicate of its sentence. بَقَرَةٌ wears that doubled ḍammah ـٌ: it is the completing part telling what 'it' is, and while إِنَّ presses its topic, this completing part keeps its own nominative form. L2 · R10

صَفْرَآءُword 14

Noun · اسمA noun names a person, place, thing, or quality. صَفْرَآءُ names a color — yellow — from the root صفر: yellow. L1 · R6

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or predicate of a sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. صَفْرَآءُ ends in exactly that ḍammah ـُ, a plain single curl on its closing hamza. L2 · R10

Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that comes after its noun and copies its noun's ending. صَفْرَآءُ 'yellow' follows بَقَرَةٌ 'a cow' and wears the same nominative ḍammah ـُ its noun wears: 'a YELLOW cow'. L7 · R1

فَاقِعٌۭ لَّوْنُهَا

(…bright in color -)

Root فقعbright yellow, intense color · 1 times in the Quran

Root لونcolour · 9 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

فَاقِعٌۭword 15

Noun · اسمA word that accepts tanwīn — the doubled end-vowel marks ـٌ ـً ـٍ — is a noun, a naming word. فَاقِعٌ carries the doubled ḍammah ـٌ and names brightness of color, from the root فقع — bright yellow, intense color. L1 · R2

Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' — no particular one — and shows this with tanwīn, the doubled end-vowel mark. فَاقِعٌ ends in the doubled ḍammah ـٌ. L2 · R8

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is an ending marked by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter, doubled to tanwīn ـٌ when the word is indefinite. فَاقِعٌ wears that doubled ḍammah ـٌ, the same case as the cow-word it describes. L2 · R10

Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that comes after its noun and copies its noun's ending. فَاقِعٌ 'bright' is a further description of بَقَرَةٌ 'a cow', wearing the same nominative ending: a yellow cow, BRIGHT in its color. L7 · R1

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 in the action's state. فَاقِعٌ carries that shape: the long ا after its ف and the kasrah on its ق — 'one blazing bright'. L11 · R1

لَّوْنُهَاword 16

Noun · اسمA word whose final vowel mark changes with its job in the sentence is a noun, a naming word. لَّوْنُ names the color, from the root لون — colour. L1 · R5

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. لَّوْنُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ on its ن. L2 · R10

Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl above the ن. 'Its color' is what does the being-bright that فَاقِعٌ names: bright is ITS COLOR. L9 · R2

Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on لَّوْنُهَا is such a suffix, standing for 'her' — the cow: HER color. 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 هَا fills that owner slot: 'the color OF her'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5

Significance — from the tafsir

Ibn 'Abbas said that "bright in its colour" means a deep yellowish white.

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:68–71

تَسُرُّ ٱلنَّـٰظِرِينَ

(…pleasing to the observers.'")

Root سررto conceal, hide secretly; joy, happiness; couch, throne · 44 times in the Quran

Root نظرto look upon, to see, to wait · 129 times in the Quran

Grammar — lesson evidence

تَسُرُّword 17

Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. تَسُرُّ names an action — bringing joy — from the root سرر, whose related meanings include joy and happiness. L1 · R7

Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. تَسُرُّ opens with the letter ت — the prefix used for 'she', and the cow is spoken of as 'she' — standing before the root letters: 'she pleases'. L8 · R3

Doubled Verb · فعل مضاعفA doubled verb has the same letter as its second and third root letters, written once with a shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped doubling mark. تَسُرُّ is the root سرر: its repeated ر is written once, wearing exactly that shaddah ـّ. L24 · R10

ٱلنَّـٰظِرِينَword 18

Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ال attached to the front of a naming word to mean 'the' — one specific, known group. On ٱلنَّٰظِرِينَ the next letter ن is one of the fourteen 'solar' letters — the letters made near where ل itself is made, which swallow the ل of ال so it is written but not heard — so the ن doubles, shown by the shaddah ـّ, the small w-shaped mark above it: an-nāẓirīn, 'the beholders'. L2 · R9

Noun · اسمA word that accepts ال — the prefix meaning 'the' — is a noun, a naming word. نَّٰظِرِينَ names the beholders, from the root نظر — to look upon, to see. L1 · R1

Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3

Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. 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); نَّٰظِرِينَ ends in that ـِينَ: many beholders. L2 · R6

Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the landed-on ending, usually a fathah ـَ — a small stroke above the letter. Words with the ـُونَ/ـِينَ plural ending show their case differently: only the subject form ـُونَ looks distinct, and ـِينَ serves for the accusative. The ـِينَ on نَّٰظِرِينَ is that accusative form here. L2 · R7

Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, shown for this plural by its ـِينَ ending. The beholders are the ones the pleasing lands on: she PLEASES the beholders. L9 · R3

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. نَّٰظِرِ carries that shape: the long ā after its ن and the kasrah on its ظ — 'the ones who look'. L11 · R1

Significance — from the tafsir

As-Suddi said "pleasing the beholder" means that it pleases those who see it; Wahb bin Munabbih said, "If you look at the cow's skin, you will think that the sun's rays radiate through its skin."

Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:68–71

So far: They said, "Call upon your Lord to show us what is her color." He said, "He says, 'It is a yellow cow, bright in color - pleasing to the observers.'"