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Al-Baqarah 61

Ayah 61 of 286 · Medinan

وَإِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ يَٰمُوسَىٰ لَن نَّصۡبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٖ وَٰحِدٖ فَٱدۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخۡرِجۡ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنۢبِتُ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ مِنۢ بَقۡلِهَا وَقِثَّآئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَاۖ قَالَ أَتَسۡتَبۡدِلُونَ ٱلَّذِي هُوَ أَدۡنَىٰ بِٱلَّذِي هُوَ خَيۡرٌۚ ٱهۡبِطُواْ مِصۡرٗا فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلۡتُمۡۗ وَضُرِبَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ وَٱلۡمَسۡكَنَةُ وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٖ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقۡتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّكَانُواْ يَعۡتَدُونَ ٦١

And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَإِذۡAnd whenwa-idh
  2. قُلۡتُمۡyou saidqul'tum
  3. يَٰمُوسَىٰO Musayāmūsā
  4. لَنNever (will)lan
  5. نَّصۡبِرَwe endurenaṣbira
  6. عَلَىٰ[on]ʿalā
  7. طَعَامٖfoodṭaʿāmin
  8. وَٰحِدٖ(of) one (kind)wāḥidin
  9. فَٱدۡعُso prayfa-ud'ʿu
  10. لَنَاfor uslanā
  11. رَبَّكَ(to) your Lordrabbaka
  12. يُخۡرِجۡto bring forthyukh'rij
  13. لَنَاfor uslanā
  14. مِمَّاout of whatmimmā
  15. تُنۢبِتُgrowstunbitu
  16. ٱلۡأَرۡضُthe earthl-arḍu
  17. مِنۢofmin
  18. بَقۡلِهَاits herbsbaqlihā
  19. وَقِثَّآئِهَا[and] its cucumberswaqithāihā
  20. وَفُومِهَا[and] its garlicwafūmihā
  21. وَعَدَسِهَا[and] its lentilswaʿadasihā
  22. وَبَصَلِهَاۖand its onionswabaṣalihā
  23. قَالَHe saidqāla
  24. أَتَسۡتَبۡدِلُونَWould you exchangeatastabdilūna
  25. ٱلَّذِيthat whichalladhī
  26. هُوَ[it]huwa
  27. أَدۡنَىٰ(is) inferioradnā
  28. بِٱلَّذِيfor that whichbi-alladhī
  29. هُوَ[it]huwa
  30. خَيۡرٌۚ(is) betterkhayrun
  31. ٱهۡبِطُواْGo downih'biṭū
  32. مِصۡرٗا(to) a citymiṣ'ran
  33. فَإِنَّso indeedfa-inna
  34. لَكُمfor youlakum
  35. مَّا(is) whatmā
  36. سَأَلۡتُمۡۗyou have asked (for)sa-altum
  37. وَضُرِبَتۡAnd were struckwaḍuribat
  38. عَلَيۡهِمُon themʿalayhimu
  39. ٱلذِّلَّةُthe humiliationl-dhilatu
  40. وَٱلۡمَسۡكَنَةُand the miserywal-maskanatu
  41. وَبَآءُوand they drew on themselveswabāū
  42. بِغَضَبٖwrathbighaḍabin
  43. مِّنَofmina
  44. ٱللَّهِۚAllahl-lahi
  45. ذَٰلِكَThat (was)dhālika
  46. بِأَنَّهُمۡbecause theybi-annahum
  47. كَانُواْused tokānū
  48. يَكۡفُرُونَdisbelieveyakfurūna
  49. بِـَٔايَٰتِin (the) Signsbiāyāti
  50. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allahl-lahi
  51. وَيَقۡتُلُونَand killwayaqtulūna
  52. ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَthe Prophetsl-nabiyīna
  53. بِغَيۡرِwithout (any)bighayri
  54. ٱلۡحَقِّۚ[the] rightl-ḥaqi
  55. ذَٰلِكَThatdhālika
  56. بِمَا(was) becausebimā
  57. عَصَواْthey disobeyedʿaṣaw
  58. وَّكَانُواْand they werewakānū
  59. يَعۡتَدُونَtransgressingyaʿtadūna

Tafsir

Also, remember when you were ungrateful for the blessings of your Lord, and became tired of the manna and quails He sent down to you, and said that you would not put up with one type of food. So, you asked Moses (peace be upon him) to ask Allah to produce herbs, vegetables, cucumbers, grains, lentils and onions from the plants on earth for you to consume. Moses said, disapproving of your request, that you wanted to exchange manna and quails which were better and nobler and came to you without effort or work, for what was lesser and worse. You were told to go down from this land to any town, and that you would find what you had asked for in its fields and markets. Due to following whims and repeatedly turning away from what Allah chose for them, they were disgraced, given poverty and misery. They earned Allah’s anger, because they turned away from His religion, and disbelieved His signs, and unjustly and brutally killed His prophets – all because they rebelled against Allah and used to transgress His limits.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran