قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ فَاقِعٌ لَوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ ﴿69﴾​ قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ ﴿70﴾ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَا شِيَةَ فِيهَا قَالُوا الْآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ ﴿71﴾ وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا وَاللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ ﴿72﴾

﴾69﴿ Qaalud-'u lanaa Rabbaka yubaiyil lanaa maa lawnuhaa; qaala innahoo yaqoolu innahaa baqaratun safraaa'u faaqi'ul lawnuhaa tasurrunnaazireen
﴾70﴿ Qaalud-'u lanaa Rabbaka yubaiyil lanaa maa hiya innal baqara tashaabaha 'alainaa wa innaaa in shaaa'al laahu lamuhtadoon
﴾71﴿ Qaala innahoo yaqoolu innahaa baqaratul laa zaloolun tuseerul arda wa laa tasqil harsa musallamatullaa shiyata feehaa; qaalul 'aana jita bilhaqq; fazabahoohaa wa maa kaado yaf'aloon
﴾72﴿ Wa iz qataltum nafsan faddaara'tum feehaa wallaahu mukhrijum maa kuntum taktumoon

﴾69﴿ They said, “Call upon your Lord for us to make clear to us what color it should be.” He said, “Indeed, Allah says: It is a cow, yellow in color—bright and vibrant—pleasing to the onlookers.”
﴾70﴿ They said, “Call upon your Lord for us to make clear to us what type (i.e., what specific description) this cow has. Indeed, to us, all cows seem alike, and surely, if Allah wills, we will be rightly guided (to the correct one).”
﴾71﴿ Moses (peace be upon him) said, “Indeed, Allah says: It is a cow that is neither trained to plow the earth nor to water the fields—free from work—perfect and without any blemish.” They said, “Now you have brought the truth (clear explanation).” So they finally slaughtered it—but they were nearly not going to do it (i.e., they almost did not carry it out before this full clarification).
﴾72﴿ And when you killed a person and disputed concerning it, but Allah was to reveal what you were concealing.

[69] This was their second excuse, and Allah—by responding to it—removes their evasion. (Ṣafrāʾ) – Some commentators interpreted it as black, but that view is incorrect. The word (fāqiʿ) that follows is used to emphasize the brightness and vividness of the yellow color.
[70] This question was related to the function or condition of the cow—what kind of work it had done. The saying of In shāʾ Allāh (if Allah wills) brought them comfort in anticipation of the next clarification. It is mentioned in a hadith that had they not said In shāʾ Allāh, Allah would never have clarified it for them. Thus, saying In shāʾ Allāh carries essential blessings.
[71] This verse indicates that the typical tasks of cows are two: plowing the land and watering the fields. Riding or loading them with burdens is considered oppression. (Musallamah) means complete and sound—its body parts and color are healthy and intact. (Lā shiyata fīhā) – there is no mark or blemish on it, neither from work nor from having mixed or contrasting colors. (Bil-ḥaqq) – means that the explanation was complete and thorough; it doesn’t mean “truth” in contrast to falsehood here, but rather in the sense of full and proper clarification. (Wa mā kādū yafʿalūn) – they only slaughtered the cow after this final explanation. Before this, they were not ready to do it due to their weak belief in true monotheism.
[72] This is the third corruption: they had killed a person and were trying to falsely accuse someone else. The lesson here is that committing a sin and then blaming another for it is a deep corruption. This was a third method of ḥīlah (deception): trying to unlawfully seize someone’s wealth or wife. According to the commentators, they wanted to gain the wealth or wife of their paternal uncle by means of murder and then denial.