Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:66
And We made it a deterrent punishment for those who were present and those who succeeded [them] and a lesson for those who fear Allah.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The commentary on the saying of the Exalted: فَجَعَلْنَاهَا ("And We made it").
Abū Jaʿfar said: The scholars of exegesis (ahl al-taʾwīl) differ over the interpretation of the "hāʾ and alif" (the suffix) in His words: "fa-jaʿalnāhā" ("And We made it/her"), and to what it refers back. Two sayings have been transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās concerning this. The first of them is what:
1151 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Bishr ibn ʿImārah related to us, saying: Abū Rawq related to us, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "fa-jaʿalnāhā" – We made that punishment – that is, the transformation of form (al-maskhah) – into "a deterring example (nakāl)".
The "hāʾ and alif" in His words "fa-jaʿalnāhā" refer back – according to this saying of Ibn ʿAbbās – to "al-maskhah" (the transformation of form), and that is a verbal noun (faʿlah): Allah transformed their form with a maskhah (transformation of form).
The meaning of the words according to this interpretation is therefore: We said to them: "Be despised apes", and they became apes transformed in form, "fa-jaʿalnāhā" – We made Our punishment and Our transformation of them "into a deterring example for those who preceded it and those who came after it, and into an admonition for the God-fearing".
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The other of the two sayings of Ibn ʿAbbās is what:
1151 – Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "fa-jaʿalnāhā" – by this the fish (al-ḥītān) are meant.
The "hāʾ and alif" refer back – according to this saying – to the mention of the fish, even though no prior mention had been made of them. But because there was in the report an indication thereof, reference was made to them by way of allusion. The indication of that is His saying: وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنْكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ ("And verily, you know those among you who transgressed concerning the Sabbath").
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Others said: We made the town (al-qaryah) whose inhabitants transgressed the Sabbath [into a deterring example]. The "hāʾ and alif" refer back – according to the saying of these – to the town of the people who were transformed in form.
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Others said: the meaning of it is: We made the apes who had been transformed in form "into a deterring example for those who preceded it and those who came after it". They thus made the "hāʾ and alif" refer back to the apes.
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Others said: "fa-jaʿalnāhā" – by this is meant: We made the community (al-ummah) that transgressed the Sabbath "into a deterring example".
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The commentary on the saying of the Exalted: نَكَالا ("a deterring example, nakāl").
"Al-nakāl" is a verbal noun (maṣdar) from the saying of the speaker: "nakkala fulān bi-fulān tankīlan wa-nakālan" (so-and-so punished another severely). The basic meaning of "al-nakāl" is punishment (al-ʿuqūbah), as ʿAdī ibn Zayd al-ʿIbādī said:
The king is not vexed by what the slave endures / and in his punishment there is no denial.
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And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the report of Ibn ʿAbbās has been transmitted:
1152 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Bishr ibn ʿImārah related to us, saying: Abū Rawq related to us, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "nakālan", he says: a punishment (ʿuqūbah).
1153 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to me, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ concerning His saying: "fa-jaʿalnāhā nakālan", that is to say: a punishment.
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The commentary on the saying of the Exalted: لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا ("for those who preceded it and those who came after it").
Abū Jaʿfar said: The scholars of exegesis differ over the interpretation of it. Some of them said that which:
1154 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Bishr ibn ʿImārah related to us, on the authority of Abū Rawq, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "limā bayna yadayhā" ("for those who preceded it"), he says: so that whoever comes after them would fear My punishment. "Wa-mā khalfahā" ("and those who came after it"), he says: those who had remained behind with them.
1155 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "limā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā", that is to say for the sins that had already preceded them, "wa-mā khalfahā", that is to say a warning example for the people who remained.
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Others said that which:
1156 – Ibn Ḥumayd related to me, saying: Salamah related to us, saying: Ibn Isḥāq related to me, on the authority of Dāwūd ibn al-Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, the freedman of Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: "fa-jaʿalnāhā nakālan limā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā", that is to say: of the towns (min al-qurā).
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Others said that which:
1157 – Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatādah: Allah said: "fa-jaʿalnāhā nakālan limā bayna yadayhā" – of the sins of the people – "wa-mā khalfahā", that is to say for the fish that they had caught.
1158 – Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatādah concerning His saying: "limā bayna yadayhā", of her sins, "wa-mā khalfahā", of the fish.
1159 – Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to me, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted: "limā bayna yadayhā", what preceded their transgressions, until they perished thereby.
1160 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfah related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "nakālan limā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā", he says: "bayna yadayhā" is what preceded their transgressions, and "wa-mā khalfahā" are their transgressions by which they perished.
1161 – Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it – except that he said: "wa-mā khalfahā" is their transgression by which they perished.
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Others said that which:
1162 – Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "fa-jaʿalnāhā nakālan limā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā", he said: as for "mā bayna yadayhā", that is what preceded their deeds, and "wa-mā khalfahā" are those of the communities (al-umam) who came after them, so that they would not disobey and Allah would then do to them something similar.
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Others said that which:
1163 – Ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His saying: "fa-jaʿalnāhā nakālan limā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā", by which the fish are meant; He made that into a deterring example "for those who preceded it and those who came after it", namely for the sins that they had committed before the fish, and what they committed after the fish. Those are therefore His words: "mā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā".
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Abū Jaʿfar said: The most fitting of these interpretations for the interpretation of the verse is that which al-Ḍaḥḥāk transmitted on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās. And that is because of what we have described: that it is more consonant that the "hāʾ and alif" in His words "fa-jaʿalnāhā nakālan" refer back to the mention of the punishment and the transformation of form that the people underwent, than that they refer back to something else. This is because Allah – exalted be His praise – warns His creatures only of His power and His might, and makes them fearful thereby. And in His clarification – mighty is His mention – through His words "nakālan", that by it He meant the punishment that He sent down upon the people, there is that from which one knows that by His words "fa-jaʿalnāhā nakālan limā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā" He meant: We made Our punishment that We sent down upon them into a punishment for those who preceded it and those who came after it – and not another meaning. And since it is more consonant that the "hāʾ and alif" refer back to the mention of the transformation of form and the punishment than to the mention of something else, so too is it with the reference in His words "limā bayna yadayhā wa-mā khalfahā" of the "hāʾ and alif": it is more consonant that this refers back to the mention of the "hāʾ and alif" that are in His words "fa-jaʿalnāhā", than that it refers back to [the mention of] something else.
The interpretation of the words is therefore – now that the matter is as we have described –: We said to them: "Be despised apes", and We made Our punishment of them into a punishment for that which preceded it of their past sins, through Our transformation of their form and Our punishment of them – and for that which followed Our punishment of them in sins like theirs: that someone might commit such, and then be transformed in form as they were transformed in form, and that there would befall him what befell them. This as a warning from Allah, exalted be His mention, to His servants: that they would not commit, with respect to His acts of disobedience, anything similar to what those transformed in form committed, and so be punished with their punishment.
As for the one who interpreted it thus: "fa-jaʿalnāhā", by which the fish are meant, as a punishment for the sins of the people that preceded the fish and what followed of their sins – that is more remote in derivation. For of the fish no prior mention had been made, such that it could be said: "fa-jaʿalnāhā". And if someone holds that that is permissible – even though no mention had been made of the fish – because the Arabs sometimes refer by way of allusion to a noun of which no mention has been made: even though that is so, yet it is not permissible that one abandon what is understood from the outward meaning (ẓāhir) of the Book – and what is understood by it is clear in the address and the revelation – in favor of an inner meaning (bāṭin) for which there is no indication from the outward meaning of the revelation, nor a transmitted report from the Messenger – may Allah bless him and grant him peace –, nor a widespread consensus (ijmāʿ) therein as proof.
As for the interpretation of the one who interpreted it thus: "for those who preceded it of the towns and those who came after it", for that let one refer to the interpretation of the one who interpreted it thus: "with what preceded the fish and what followed it".
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The commentary on the saying of the Exalted: وَمَوْعِظَةً ("and an admonition").
"Al-mawʿiẓah" (the admonition) is a verbal noun from the saying of the speaker: "waʿaẓtu al-rajula aʿiẓuhu waʿẓan wa-mawʿiẓatan" (I admonished the man), when one reminds him [of something].
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The interpretation of the verse is therefore: We made it into a deterring example for those who preceded it and those who came after it, and into a reminder for the God-fearing, so that they would be admonished thereby, draw a lesson from it, and be reminded thereby, as:
1164 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Bishr ibn ʿImārah related to us, on the authority of Abū Rawq, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "wa-mawʿiẓatan", he says: and a reminder and a warning example for the God-fearing.
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The commentary on the saying of the Exalted: لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ("for the God-fearing").
As for "al-muttaqūn" (the God-fearing): they are those who feared [Allah] by fulfilling His obligations and avoiding His acts of disobedience, as:
1165 – Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Bishr ibn ʿImārah related to us, saying: Abū Rawq related to us, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "wa-mawʿiẓatan lil-muttaqīn", he says: for the believers who guard themselves against ascribing partners to Allah (shirk) and act according to My obedience.
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Allah – exalted be His mention – thus made the punishment that He sent down upon those who transgressed the Sabbath into an admonition specifically for the God-fearing, and into a warning example for the believers, and not for those who are unbelieving in Him – until the Day of Resurrection –, as that which:
1166 – Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salamah related to us, saying: Ibn Isḥāq related to me, on the authority of Dāwūd ibn al-Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, the freedman of Ibn ʿAbbās, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās concerning His saying: "wa-mawʿiẓatan lil-muttaqīn", until the Day of Resurrection.
1167 – Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatādah: "wa-mawʿiẓatan lil-muttaqīn", that is to say: for those after them.
1168 – Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatādah the like of it.
1169 – Mūsā related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: as for "mawʿiẓatan lil-muttaqīn", they are the community (ummah) of Muḥammad – may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
1170 – Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "wa-mawʿiẓatan lil-muttaqīn", he said: it was therefore an admonition specifically for the God-fearing.
1171 – Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj concerning His saying: "wa-mawʿiẓatan lil-muttaqīn", that is to say for those after them.
