فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿73﴾ ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الْأَنْهَارُ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْمَاءُ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿74﴾ أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿75﴾ وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ قَالُوا أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُمْ بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَاجُّوكُمْ بِهِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿76﴾

﴾73﴿ Faqulnad riboohu biba'dihaa; kazaalika yuhyil laa hul mawtaa wa yureekum aayaatihee la'allakum ta'qiloon
﴾74﴿ Summa qasat quloobukum mim ba'di zaalika fahiya kalhijaarati aw-ashaadu qaswah; wa inna minal hijaarati lamaa yatafajjaru minhul anhaar; wa inna minhaa lamaa yash shaqqaqu fayakhruju minhul maaa'; wa inna minhaa lamaa yahbitu min khashyatil laa; wa mal laahu bighaafilin 'ammaa ta'maloon
﴾75﴿ Afatatma'oona ai yu'minoo lakum wa qad kaana fareequm minhum yasma'oona Kalaamal laahi summa yuharri foonahoo mim ba'di maa'aqaloohu wa hum ya'lamoon
﴾76﴿ Wa izaa laqul lazeena aamanoo qaalooo aamannaa wa izaakhalaa ba'duhum ilaa ba'din qaalooo atuhaddisoonahum bimaa fatahal laahu 'alaikum liyuhaajjookum bihee 'inda rabbikum; afalaa ta'qiloon

﴾73﴿ Then We said, “Strike him with a part of it (the cow).” Thus does Allah bring the dead to life, and He shows you His signs so that you may use reason.
﴾74﴿ Then your hearts became hardened after that—so they were like stones, or even harder. For indeed, there are stones from which rivers gush forth; and indeed, there are some that split open and water comes out from them; and indeed, there are some that fall down out of fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.
﴾75﴿ Do you then hope that they will believe in what you say, while a group among them used to hear the Word of Allah, then alter its meaning after they had understood it—intentionally—and they knew that it was a sin?
﴾76﴿ And when they meet the believers, they say, “We believe.” But when they are alone with one another, they say, “Do you inform them of what Allah has revealed to you, so that they may use it as an argument against you before Allah? Do you not then understand?”

[73] The dead body was struck with a part of the cow—meaning, the cow had already been slaughtered, and the murder incident happened afterward. Then Allah commanded that they strike the corpse with a piece of the cow, as a way to end the reverence they had for the calf they once worshipped. This is the well-known narration. According to Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him), the dead person was struck with a part of his own body. Allah, the Most High, is capable of reviving through either method. (Ka-dhālik) – “Thus” refers to the fact that the main purpose was to establish belief in resurrection after death. It served to correct the beliefs of the Children of Israel regarding life after death.
[74] This passage is a warning to the younger generation, as it narrates the corruptions of their elders. Three types of stones are mentioned: The highest type – from which rivers flow and many creatures benefit. The intermediate type – which splits and lets out water, benefiting fewer people. The lowest type – which doesn’t benefit people outwardly, but it falls in fear of Allah, showing its inner humility. Among righteous people, these same three levels apply: Those whose hearts weep frequently. Those who cry occasionally. Those who weep in their hearts, even if tears don’t appear in their eyes. But those who fall outside of these categories—whose hearts are unaffected—are harder than stone. (Qaswah) – the hardness of the heart refers to a heart devoid of receptiveness (inābah), filled with stubbornness and opposition, showing no effect from divine signs or reminders. According to hadith, such a heart is a sign of misfortune. (Khashyah) – this points to the fact that even in lifeless things like rocks, Allah has placed a form of awareness and fear of Him.
[75] This verse refers to the first group—those who engaged in distortion of meaning (taḥrīf maʿnawī). There are two types of taḥrīf (distortion): Meaning distortion – also called tafsīr bi-ra’y (interpretation based on personal opinion), which is interpreting the text in a way that supports false beliefs or wrongful actions, and contradicts other verses and hadiths. Verbal distortion – changing the actual words of Allah’s Book, either by replacing the words or altering the recitation. Both are sinful and acts of disbelief (kufr). In this verse, the first type (meaning distortion) is intended. (Yasmaʿūna kalām Allāh) – refers to the Tawrah (Torah). When someone presented them with a verse as proof, they would respond with a twisted interpretation and corrupt its intended meaning. This is a clear proof that the words and letters of Allah’s Book (which are heard and recited) are truly the verbal speech of Allah. (ʿAqalūhu) – means they fully understood its intended meaning. (Wa hum yaʿlamūn) – and they knew that distorting it was a sin.
[76] This verse refers to the second group: the hypocrites (munāfiqūn). The point is that their prominent scholars—who were openly disbelievers—used to engage in distortion, and they would forbid these hypocrites from sharing Torah-related matters with the believers. They said, “Do not inform the believers about the rulings in the Torah, because they will use them as arguments against you and prevail over you.” (ʿInda rabbikum) – refers to the Day of Judgment, where the believers will establish proof against them using the very Book of their Lord (the Torah), and hold them accountable. In doing so, they will be blamed and exposed for hiding or twisting the truth.