Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 61

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And when you said, “Mūsā , we will no longer confine ourselves to a single food: So, pray for us to your Lord that He may bring forth for us of what the earth grows - of its vegetable, its cucumbers, its wheat, its lentils and its onions.” He said, “Do you want to take what is inferior in exchange for what is better? Go down to a town, and you will have what you ask for.” Then they were stamped with disgrace and misery, and they returned with wrath from Allah. That was because they used to deny the signs of Allah, and would slay the prophets unjustly. That was because they disobeyed and transgressed all limits.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And ˹remember˺ when you said, “O Moses! We cannot endure the same meal ˹every day˺. So ˹just˺ call upon your Lord on our behalf, He will bring forth for us some of what the earth produces of herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions.” Moses scolded ˹them˺, “Do you exchange what is better for what is worse? ˹You can˺ go down to any village and you will find what you have asked for.” They were stricken with disgrace and misery, and they invited the displeasure of Allah for rejecting Allah’s signs and unjustly killing the prophets. This is ˹a fair reward˺ for their disobedience and violations.

Ruwwad Translation Center

And [remember] when you said, “O Moses, we cannot bear the same meal. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from what the earth produces – its herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions.” Moses said, “Would you exchange what is better for what is inferior? Go down to any town and you will have what you have asked for.” They were struck with humiliation and destitution, and incurred the wrath of Allah. That was because they used to reject the signs of Allah and kill the prophets unjustly. That was because they disobeyed and were transgressors.

A. J. Arberry

And when you said, 'Moses, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces - green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.' He said, 'Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to Egypt; you shall have there that you demanded.' And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of God's anger; that, because they had disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were transgressors.

Abdul Haleem

Remember when you said, ‘Moses, we cannot bear to eat only one kind of food, so pray to your Lord to bring out for us some of the earth’s produce, its herbs and cucumbers, its garlic, lentils, and onions.’ He said, ‘Would you exchange better for worse? Go to Egypt and there you will find what you have asked for.’ They were struck with humiliation and wretchedness, and they incurred the wrath of God because they persistently rejected His messages and killed prophets contrary to all that is right. All this was because they disobeyed and were lawbreakers.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And recall what time ye said: O Musa! we shall by no means bear patiently with one food, wherefore supplicate for us unto thy Lord that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth, of its vegetables, and its cucumbers, and its Wheat, and its lentils, and its onions. He Said: would ye take in exchange that which is mean for that which is better! Get ye down into a City, as verily therein is for you that which ye ask for. And stuck upon them were abjection and poverty. And they drew on themselves indignation from Allah. This, because they were ever disbelieving in the signs of Allah and slaying the prophets without justice. This, because they disobeyed and were ever trespassing.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And remember ye said; "O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, Its garlic, lentils, and onions." He said; "Will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to any town, and ye shall find what ye want!" They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah. This because they went on rejecting the Signs of Allah and slaying His Messengers without just cause. This because they rebelled and went on transgressing.

Abul Ala Maududi

Remember: You grumbled: "O Moses, we cannot endure one and the same sort of food. Pray your Lord to bring for us the products of the earth green herbs, vegetables, corn, garlic, onions, pulses and the like." Moses replied: "What! would you exchange that which is meaner for that which is nobler? Well, go and live in a town and you will get there what you demand." By and by, they became so degraded that disgrace and humiliation, misery and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they incurred Allah's wrath. That was because they began to reject the Revelations of Allah and kill His Messengers without any just cause; that was the consequence of their disobedience and their persistent transgression against the Law.

Ahmed Ali

Remember, when you said: "O Moses, we are tired of eating the same food (day after day), ask your Lord to give us fruits of the earth, herbs and cucumbers, grains and lentils and onions;" he said: "Would you rather exchange what is good with what is bad? Go then to the city, you shall have what you ask." So they were disgraced and became indigent, earning the anger of God, for they disbelieved the word of God, and slayed the prophets unjustly, for they transgressed and rebelled.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And when you said, “O Moosa! We shall never put up with only one kind of food, so call upon your Lord to produce for us what the earth grows – some herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils and onions”; he said, “What! You wish to exchange the better for something inferior? Therefore settle down in Egypt or any city, where you will get what you demand”; and disgrace and misery were destined for them; and they returned towards Allah’s wrath; that was because they disbelieved in Allah’s signs and wrongfully martyred the Prophets; that was for their disobedience and transgression.

Ali Quli Qarai

And when you said, ‘O Moses, ‘We will not put up with one kind of food. So invoke your Lord for us, so that He may bring forth for us of that which the earth grows—its greens and cucumbers, its garlic, lentils, and onions.’ He said, ‘Do you seek to replace what is superior with that which is inferior? Go down to any town and you will indeed get what you ask for!’ So they were struck with abasement and poverty, and they earned Allah’s wrath. That, because they would deny the signs of Allah and kill the prophets unjustly. That, because they would disobey and commit transgressions.

Ali Ünal

And (remember the time) when you said: "Moses, we will no longer be able to endure one sort of food. Pray for us to your Lord, that He may bring forth for us of all that the soil produces – its green herbs, and its cucumbers, and its corn, and its lentils, and its onions." He (Moses) responded: "Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to Egypt (or some city); surely there is for you there what you ask for." So in the end ignominy and misery were pitched upon them, and they earned wrath (a humiliating punishment) from God. That was because they were persistently disbelieving in Our Revelations and rejecting Our signs (despite continuously observing them in their lives), and killing the Prophets against all right and truth. That was because they disobeyed and kept on exceeding the bounds (of the Law).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And when you said, `Moses! (we are weary of one kind of food so) we will not at all remain content with one and the same food, pray, therefore, to your Lord for us that He may bring forth for us some of that which the earth produces, of its vegetables, of its cucumbers, its corn, its lentils and its onions.´ He (- God) said, `Would you take in exchange that which is inferior (- delicious food) for that which is superior (- the realisation of the noble object of your life)? (If this is so) then go to some town and you will certainly have (there) all that you have demanded.´ And lo! it so happened, they were smitten with abasement and destitution and they incurred the displeasure of Allâh. That was because they denied the Messages of Allâh and sought to kill His Prophets unjustly and that was because they disobeyed and had been transgressing.

English Literal

And when you said: "You Moses, (we) will never be patient on one food, so call for us your lord (to) bring out for us from what the Earth/land sprouts/grows from its vegetables , and its long cucumber , and its legumes , and its lentils and its onions ." He said: "Do you exchange/substitute what it isnearer/weaker/poorer with what it is good/best ? Descend/enter (to the) city/border/region/Egypt , so for you (there is) what you asked/demanded." And it is imposed/forced on them the humiliation/disgrace and the poverty/ oppression and they returned/resided with anger from God, (that is) because they were disbelieving with God`s signs/verses/evidences , and (they) kill the prophets without the right , that (is) because (of) what they disobeyed, and they were transgressing/violating .

Faridul Haque

And when you said, "O Moosa! We shall never put up with only one kind of food, so call upon your Lord to produce for us what the earth grows - some herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils and onions"; he said, "What! You wish to exchange the better for something inferior? Therefore settle down in Egypt or any city, where you will get what you demand"; and disgrace and misery were destined for them; and they returned towards Allah’s wrath; that was because they disbelieved in Allah’s signs and wrongfully martyred the Prophets; that was for their disobedience and transgression.

Hamid S. Aziz

And when they said: "Moses, we cannot always bear one kind of food; pray then to your Lord to bring forth for us of what the earth grows, its green herbs, its cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils, and its onions." Said He, "Do you ask what is meaner instead of what is better? Go down to Egypt (or any town), - there is what you ask." Then were they smitten with abasement and poverty, and met with wrath from Allah. That was because they had disbelieved in Allah´s signs and killed the prophets undeservedly; that was because they were rebellious and had transgressed.

Hilali & Khan

And (remember) when you said, "O Musa (Moses)! We cannot endure one kind of food. So invoke your Lord for us to bring forth for us of what the earth grows, its herbs, its cucumbers, its Fum (wheat or garlic), its lentils and its onions." He said, "Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower? Go you down to any town and you shall find what you want!" And they were covered with humiliation and misery, and they drew on themselves the Wrath of Allah. That was because they used to disbelieve the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah and killed the Prophets wrongfully. That was because they disobeyed and used to transgress the bounds (in their disobedience to Allah, i.e. commit crimes and sins).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when you said: O Moses, we cannot endure one food, so pray they Lord on our behalf to bring forth for us out of what the earth grows, of its herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would you exchange that which is better for that which is worse? Enter a city, so you will have what you ask for. And abasement and humiliation were stamped upon them, and they incurred Allah´s wrath. That was so believe they disbelieved in the messages of Allah and would kill the prophets unjustly. That was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And when you said: O Musa! we cannot bear with one food, therefore pray Lord on our behalf to bring forth for us out of what the earth grows, of its herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions. He said: Will you exchange that which is better for that which is worse? Enter a city, so you will have what you ask for. And abasement and humiliation were brought down upon them, and they became deserving of Allah's wrath; this was so because they disbelieved in the communications of Allah and killed the prophets unjustly; this was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.

Muhammad Sarwar

When you demanded Moses to provide you with a variety of food, saying, "We no longer have patience with only one kind of food, ask your Lord to grow green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, and onions for us," Moses replied, "Would you change what is good for what is worse? Go to any town and you will get what you want." Despised and afflicted with destitution, they brought the wrath of God back upon themselves, for they denied the evidence (of the existence of God) and murdered His Prophets without reason; they were disobedient transgressors.

Qaribullah & Darwish

'Moses' you said, 'we will no longer be patient with one type of food. Call on your Lord to bring forth for us some of the produce of the earth, green herbs and cucumbers, corn, lentils and onions' 'What' he answered, 'Would you exchange that which is lesser for what is better? Go down into Egypt, there you shall find all that you have asked' Humiliation and abasement were pitched upon them, and they incurred the Anger of Allah; because they disbelieved His signs and slew His Prophets unjustly; because they disobeyed and were transgressors.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And (remember) when you said, "O Musa! We cannot endure one kind of food. So invoke your Lord for us to bring forth for us of what the earth grows, its herbs, its cucumber its Fum, its lentils and its onions." He said, "Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower Go you down to any town and you shall find what you want!" And they were covered with humiliation and misery, and they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah. That was because they used to disbelieve in the Ayat (proofs, evidence) of Allah and killed the Prophets wrongfully. That was because they disobeyed and used to transgress the bounds (in their disobedience to Allah, i.e. commit crimes and sins.)

Wahiduddin Khan

When you said, "Moses, we cannot bear to eat only one kind of food, so pray to your Lord to bring forth for us some of the earth's produce, its herbs and cucumbers, its garlic, lentils, and onions." Moses said, "Would you take a lesser thing in exchange for what is better? Go to some town and there you will find all that you demand." Abasement and destitution were stamped upon them, and they incurred the wrath of God, for having rejected His signs, and they killed His prophets unjustly, because they were rebels and transgressors.

Talal Itani

And recall when you said, “O Moses, we cannot endure one kind of food, so call to your Lord to produce for us of what the earth grows: of its herbs, and its cucumbers, and its garlic, and its lentils, and its onions.” He said, “Would you substitute worse for better? Go down to Egypt, where you will have what you asked for.” They were struck with humiliation and poverty, and incurred wrath from God. That was because they rejected God’s revelations and wrongfully killed the prophets. That was because they disobeyed and transgressed.

Tafsir jalalayn

And when you said, `Moses, we will not endure one sort of food, that is to say, manna and quails; pray to your Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us, something, of (min here is explicative) what the earth produces -- green herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, onions', he, Moses, said, to them, `Would you exchange what is better, more noble, that is, do you substitute this, with what is lowlier?' (the hamza of a-tastabdilna is for rebuke); they thus refused to change their mind and he [Moses] supplicated to God, and He, exalted be He, said, `Go down to a city, whichever city it may be; you shall have, there, what you demanded' of vegetable produce; And abasement, submissiveness, and wretchedness, that is, the signs of poverty on account of their submissiveness and debasement that always accompany them, even if they be rich, in the same way that a coin never changes its mint; were cast upon them, and they incurred, ended up with God's wrath; that, that is, that affliction and wrath, was because they used to disbelieve the signs of God and slay prophets, such as Zachariah and John, without right, that is, unjustly; that was because they disobeyed, and they were transgressors, overstepping the bounds in disobedience (here the repetition [dhlik bi-m `asaw wa-kn ya`tadn] is for emphasis).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Children of Israel preferred Foods inferior to Manna and Quails

Allah said, "And remember My favor on you when I sent down the manna and quails to you, a good, pure, beneficial, easily acquired food. And remember your ungratefulness for what We granted you. Remember how you asked Musa to exchange this type of food for an inferior type that consists of vegetation, and so forth."

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said about the Children of Israel,

"They were bored and impatient with the type of food they were provided. They also remembered the life they used to live, when their diet consisted of lentils, onions, garlic and herbs."

Allah tells,

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىَ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الَارْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّأيِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا

They said, "O Musa ! We cannot endure one kind of food. So invoke your Lord for us to bring forth for us of what the earth grows, its herbs, its cucumbers, its Fum, its lentils and its onions.

They said,
عَلَىَ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ
(One kind of food) meaning,

the manna and quails, because they ate the same food day after day.

The Ayah mentioned lentils, onions and herbs, which are all known types of foods.

As for the Fum, Ibn Mas`ud read it, Thum (garlic).

Also, Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Al-Hasan said about the Ayah,
وَفُومِهَا
(Its Fum),

"Ibn Abbas said that Fum means, garlic."

He also said that;

the expression, `Fumu-lanna' means, `bake for us', according to the languages of old.

Ibn Jarir commented,

"If this is true, then `Fum' is one of the words whose pronunciations were altered, the letter `fa' was replaced by the letter `tha', since they are similar in sound." And Allah knows best.

Others said that Fum is wheat, the kind used for bread.

Al-Bukhari said,

"Some of them said that Fum includes all grains or seeds that are eaten."

Allah's statement,

قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ

He said, "Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower!"

criticized the Jews for asking for inferior foods, although they were living an easy life, eating tasty, beneficial and pure food.

Allah's statement,

اهْبِطُواْ مِصْراً

Go you down to any Misr,

Ibn Abbas said,

means, `any city'.

Ibn Jarir also reported that Abu Al-Aliyah and Ar-Rabi bin Anas said that;

the Ayah refers to Misr, the Egypt of Fir`awn.

The truth is that the Ayah means any city, as Ibn Abbas and other scholars stated. Therefore, the meaning of Musa's statement to the Children of Israel becomes,

"What you are asking for is easy, for it is available in abundance in any city that you might enter. So since what you asked for is available in all of the villages and cities, I will not ask Allah to provide us with it, especially when it is an inferior type of food. "

This is why Musa said to them,

أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ اهْبِطُواْ مِصْراً

فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ

Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower Go you down to any town and you shall find what you want!

Since their request was the result of boredom and arrogance and since fulfilling it was unnecessary, their request was denied.

Allah knows best.
Covering the Jews in Humiliation and Misery

Allah said,

وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ

And they were covered with humiliation and misery.

This Ayah indicates that the Children of Israel were plagued with humiliation, and that this will continue, meaning that it will never cease. They will continue to suffer humiliation at the hands of all who interact with them, along with the disgrace that they feel inwardly.

Al-Hasan commented,

"Allah humiliated them, and they shall have no protector. Allah put them under the feet of the Muslims, who appeared at a time when the Majus (Zoroastrians) were taking the Jizyah (tax) from the Jews."

Also, Abu Al-Aliyah, Ar-Rabi bin Anas and As-Suddi said that;

`misery' used in the Ayah means, `poverty.'

Atiyah Al-Awfi said that;

`misery' means, `paying the tilth (tax).'

In addition, Ad-Dahhak commented on Allah's statement,

وَبَأوُوْاْ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ

and they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah,

"They deserved Allah's anger."

Also, Ibn Jarir said that the Ayah means,

"They went back with the wrath. Similarly, Allah said,
إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَن تَبُوءَ بِإِثْمِي وَإِثْمِكَ
(Verily, I intend to let you draw my sin on yourself as well as yours), (5;29) meaning,

`You will end up carrying my, and your, mistakes instead of me'.

Thus, the meaning of the Ayah becomes,

`They went back carrying Allah's anger; Allah's wrath descended on them; they deserved Allah's anger."'

Allah's statement,

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِأيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ

That was because they used to disbelieve in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, etc.) of Allah and killed the Prophets wrongfully.

means, "This is what We rewarded the Children of Israel with;humiliation and misery."

Allah's anger that descended on the Children of Israel was a part of the humiliation they earned, because of their defiance of the truth, disbelief in Allah's Ayat and belittling the carriers of Allah's Law i.e. the Prophets and their following. The Children of Israel rejected the Messengers and even killed them. Surely, there is no form of disbelief worse than disbelieving in Allah's Ayat and murdering the Prophets of Allah.
Meaning of Kibr

Similarly, in a Hadith recorded in the Two Sahihs the Messenger of Allah said,

الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاس
Kibr, is refusing the truth and degrading (belittling) people.

Imam Ahmad recorded, Abdullah bin Mas`ud saying that the Messenger of Allah said,

أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَهُ نَبِيٌّ أَوْ قَتَلَ نَبِيًّا وَإِمَامُ ضَلَلَةٍ وَمُمَثِّلٌ مِنَ الْمُمَثِّلِين

The people who will receive the most torment on the Day of Resurrection are;a man who was killed by a Prophet or who killed a Prophet, an unjust ruler and one who mutilates (the dead).

Allah's statement,

ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ



That was because they disobeyed and used to transgress the bounds.

mentions another reason why the Children of Israel were punished in this manner, for they used to disobey and transgress the limits. Disobedience is to do what is prohibited, while transgression entails overstepping the set limits of what is allowed and what is prohibited. Allah knows best