Among the Children of Israel there lived a very rich man; he had a cousin who was poor and who was also his only inheritor. The latter felt that the former was slow to die, and so killed him in order to acquire his estate. He then carried him to another village and hid his body there.
Pretending that he was seeking revenge, he took some people to Moses (alayhis salaam), accusing them of the murder. They proclaimed their innocence before Moses, who was not sure of what really happened. They asked him to invoke Allah to expose the true murderer. He ordered them to slaughter a cow, the story of which is related in the Qur’an:
“They said, ‘Do you make fun of us?’” ( Holy Quran 2:67)
Meaning, ‘we ask you about the murderer, yet you order us to slaughter a cow!’ They said that because of the apparent disparity between the two matters and because they did not know the wisdom behind his request. Moses said:
“I take Allah’s Refuge from being among Al-Jahiloon (the ignorant or foolish ones).” (Holy Quran 2:67)
Meaning, ‘I seek refuge in Allah from being among those who mock the believers.’
When the people realized that the command to slaughter a cow was really from Allah (the Exalted), they asked Moses to describe it for them. Had they gone to any cow and slaughtered it, that would have been enough for them; however, they were severe upon themselves, and so Allah was severe in dealing with them. And there was wisdom behind that.
Prior to that time, there was a righteous man whose son was still a young boy. The father owned a young cow, which he took to a field, and said, “O Allah, I leave this with You for safekeeping until my son grows up.” The man died and the cow remained in the field. At the time of the story, the cow was neither old nor young, and it fled from all those who saw it or came near it. The son, now of age, was dutiful to his mother. He would divide his nights into three parts: he would pray for one-third of the night, he would sleep for one third, and he would sit with his mother for one-third.
In the mornings, he would go to gather wood, which he would then carry on his back until he reached the marketplace, where he would sell the wood for whatever price Allah willed. He would then give one-third of the profits to charity, he would eat from the proceeds of one-third, and he would give one-third to his mother.
One day, his mother said to him, “Your father has left behind for you a young cow, and he asked Allah to keep it safe for you in such and such field, so go there and invoke the Lord of Ibrahim, Isma’il, Ishaq and Ya’qub to return that cow to you. The sign that it is the right cow is that when you look at it, you will imagine that the rays of the sun are coming out from its skin.” It was called the golden one because of its yellowness and its beauty.
The boy went to the field indicated to him. There he saw a cow grazing, and it was the very one that his mother described to him. He called out loud, “I ask you (to come) by the Lord of Ibrahim, Isma’il, Ishaq and Ya’qub.” It came to him in a hurry until it was standing in front of him; he took hold of its neck in order to lead it. By the Will of Allah, the cow spoke, saying, “O young man who is dutiful to his mother! Ride me, for that is easier for you.”
The young man said, “My mother did not order me to do that; rather she said: ‘take it by its neck’.”
“I take Allah’s Refuge from being among Al-Jahiloon (the ignorant or foolish ones).” (Holy Quran 2:67)
Meaning, ‘I seek refuge in Allah from being among those who mock the believers.’
When the people realized that the command to slaughter a cow was really from Allah (the Exalted), they asked Moses to describe it for them. Had they gone to any cow and slaughtered it, that would have been enough for them; however, they were severe upon themselves, and so Allah was severe in dealing with them. And there was wisdom behind that.
Prior to that time, there was a righteous man whose son was still a young boy. The father owned a young cow, which he took to a field, and said, “O Allah, I leave this with You for safekeeping until my son grows up.” The man died and the cow remained in the field. At the time of the story, the cow was neither old nor young, and it fled from all those who saw it or came near it. The son, now of age, was dutiful to his mother. He would divide his nights into three parts: he would pray for one-third of the night, he would sleep for one third, and he would sit with his mother for one-third.
In the mornings, he would go to gather wood, which he would then carry on his back until he reached the marketplace, where he would sell the wood for whatever price Allah willed. He would then give one-third of the profits to charity, he would eat from the proceeds of one-third, and he would give one-third to his mother.
One day, his mother said to him, “Your father has left behind for you a young cow, and he asked Allah to keep it safe for you in such and such field, so go there and invoke the Lord of Ibrahim, Isma’il, Ishaq and Ya’qub to return that cow to you. The sign that it is the right cow is that when you look at it, you will imagine that the rays of the sun are coming out from its skin.” It was called the golden one because of its yellowness and its beauty.
The boy went to the field indicated to him. There he saw a cow grazing, and it was the very one that his mother described to him. He called out loud, “I ask you (to come) by the Lord of Ibrahim, Isma’il, Ishaq and Ya’qub.” It came to him in a hurry until it was standing in front of him; he took hold of its neck in order to lead it. By the Will of Allah, the cow spoke, saying, “O young man who is dutiful to his mother! Ride me, for that is easier for you.”
The young man said, “My mother did not order me to do that; rather she said: ‘take it by its neck’.”
The cow said, “Go, for indeed, if you ordered for a mountain to be cut from its roots so that it would go with you, it would have gone with you because of your dutifulness to your mother.”
The young man then took the cow to his mother, and she said to him, “Indeed you are poor, you have no wealth, and gathering wood during the daytime is very difficult upon you, and so is standing in the night. So go and sell this cow.”
The young man said, “And how much should I sell it for?” She said, “For three dinars, and do not sell it without first seeking counsel with me.” The cow was as his mother said, worth three dinars; when the boy reached the marketplace, Allah sent to him an angel, in order to see his ability and in order to test him – how dutiful was he to his mother, though Allah had full knowledge of that.
The angel said to him, “For how much will you sell this cow?” He said, “For three dinars, and I stipulate the pleasure of my mother (in this transaction).”
The angel said, “I will pay six dinars, but you must not seek the counsel of your mother.”
He said, “If you gave me money that weighed as much as this cow, I would not take it except with the pleasure of my mother.” He then returned with the cow to his mother and told her of what had happened. She said, “Return and sell it for six dinars, but stipulate my pleasure.”
He went to the marketplace and the angel came again and said, “You sought the command of your mother?” He said, “She ordered me not to sell it for less than six, on condition that I first seek her order.”
The angel said, “Then I will give you twelve, on the condition that you do not first seek her command.” He refused, returned to his mother, and informed her of what happened. She said, “Indeed the one who was coming to you is an angel in the shape of a man in order to test you.” She instructed her son to ask him if he comes again: “Do you order us to sell this cow or not?” The young man did in fact pose that question, and the angel asked him to go to his mother and say to her: “Keep this cow! For indeed Moses, the son of ‘Imran, will buy it from you for one who was murdered from the Children of Israel. Do not sell it except for enough dinars that can fill its skin.”
Allah decreed that the Children of Israel had to slaughter that exact cow. As they continued to ask after the description of the cow that they were supposed to slaughter, Moses described the cow that belonged to the dutiful son, which was his reward for his dutifulness to his mother – a blessing, favor and mercy from Allah. When he stipulated the said price, which was of course very high, they had no choice but to buy it from him.
Allah ordered Moses to command his people to strike the corpse of the one who was murdered, and when they did that, he stood alive by the Will of Allah. And he said: “Such and such person killed me,” referring to his cousin, and then he died again in that very place. His murderer was thus prevented from inheriting his estate.
Source: http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=26412 quoted from Gems and Jewels by Abdul Malik Mujahid
The young man then took the cow to his mother, and she said to him, “Indeed you are poor, you have no wealth, and gathering wood during the daytime is very difficult upon you, and so is standing in the night. So go and sell this cow.”
The young man said, “And how much should I sell it for?” She said, “For three dinars, and do not sell it without first seeking counsel with me.” The cow was as his mother said, worth three dinars; when the boy reached the marketplace, Allah sent to him an angel, in order to see his ability and in order to test him – how dutiful was he to his mother, though Allah had full knowledge of that.
The angel said to him, “For how much will you sell this cow?” He said, “For three dinars, and I stipulate the pleasure of my mother (in this transaction).”
The angel said, “I will pay six dinars, but you must not seek the counsel of your mother.”
He said, “If you gave me money that weighed as much as this cow, I would not take it except with the pleasure of my mother.” He then returned with the cow to his mother and told her of what had happened. She said, “Return and sell it for six dinars, but stipulate my pleasure.”
He went to the marketplace and the angel came again and said, “You sought the command of your mother?” He said, “She ordered me not to sell it for less than six, on condition that I first seek her order.”
The angel said, “Then I will give you twelve, on the condition that you do not first seek her command.” He refused, returned to his mother, and informed her of what happened. She said, “Indeed the one who was coming to you is an angel in the shape of a man in order to test you.” She instructed her son to ask him if he comes again: “Do you order us to sell this cow or not?” The young man did in fact pose that question, and the angel asked him to go to his mother and say to her: “Keep this cow! For indeed Moses, the son of ‘Imran, will buy it from you for one who was murdered from the Children of Israel. Do not sell it except for enough dinars that can fill its skin.”
Allah decreed that the Children of Israel had to slaughter that exact cow. As they continued to ask after the description of the cow that they were supposed to slaughter, Moses described the cow that belonged to the dutiful son, which was his reward for his dutifulness to his mother – a blessing, favor and mercy from Allah. When he stipulated the said price, which was of course very high, they had no choice but to buy it from him.
Allah ordered Moses to command his people to strike the corpse of the one who was murdered, and when they did that, he stood alive by the Will of Allah. And he said: “Such and such person killed me,” referring to his cousin, and then he died again in that very place. His murderer was thus prevented from inheriting his estate.
Source: http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=26412 quoted from Gems and Jewels by Abdul Malik Mujahid
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