Episode 1
Episode 1: The Command to Slaughter a Cow, and Their Many Questions
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In the time of Prophet Musa, a murder occurred among the Children of Israel and the killer was unknown. So Allah commanded them to slaughter a cow as a means of revealing the truth. But they met it with astonishment, even thinking Musa was joking. Allah said, "And when Musa said to his people, ‘Indeed, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow,’ they said, ‘Do you take us in ridicule?’ He said, ‘I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant’" (Qur'an 2:67). It would have been enough for them to slaughter any cow. Yet they multiplied questions that only made things harder on themselves — about its age, then its colour, then its kind. "They said, ‘Call upon your Lord for us to make clear to us what it is.’ He said, ‘He says, it is a cow neither old nor virgin, but median between that…’" (Qur'an 2:68). They asked again about its colour, and were answered, "…it is a yellow cow, bright in colour, pleasing to the observers" (Qur'an 2:69). They still asked more, and at last a very specific description was given, "…a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, sound, with no blemish upon her." Only then did they say, "‘Now you have come with the truth.’ So they slaughtered her, but they could hardly do it" (Qur'an 2:71). Reflection: obeying Allah's command promptly and with an open heart is best. The more they made it difficult with many questions and excuses, the more Allah narrowed their choices. Ease lies in sincere obedience, not in seeking out reasons to hesitate. Source & Note: evidence from the Qur'an, 2:67-71 (text & translation from quran-json). The background murder that prompted this command is mentioned briefly in the following verses (72-73); extra details in some reports are outside the text and not asserted here.
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Episode 2: The Slain Man Brought to Life to Bear Witness