2:68

Salaam all,

This is 2:68
قَالُواْ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لاَّ فَارِضٌ وَلاَ بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذلك فَافْعَلُواْ مَا تُؤْمَرونَ
Transliteration:
Qaloo odAAu lana rabbakayubayyin lana ma hiya qala innahu yaqooluinnaha baqaratun la faridun walabikrun AAawanun bayna thalika faifAAaloo matu/maroona

Note:
The AYAH says “They (Moses’ people) said: Call upon your nurturer to clarify to us what is she (The Cow). He (Moses) said: He (GOD) says she is a cow that is not one that had done her obligations (old) and not one who is in the beginning of life (young). She makes help/aid (of productive age) between old and young. So, do what you are ordered.”

My personal note:
The AYAH is talking about the process of the choice of the cow that was to be slaughtered. The choice was that she should not be old nor young. This brings about the concept of middle that comes often in the Qur’an. The middle (as in non extreme) in Islam and in the Qur’an is an important concept that muslims are asked to follow.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Qaloo: The said
Note: the root is Qaf-W-L and it means to say for the verb and Saying for the noun. QALOO is the third person plural past tense of the verb
odAAu: Call upon
Note: the root is D-Ain-W and it means to call upon (often for help) for the verb and Calling upon for the noun. ODAAu is an order form of the verb that addresses a single person
Lana: To us/For us
Rabbaka: Your nurturer (GOD)
Note: the root is R-B-B and it means to nurture/to sustain/to teach. RABB is the one that does all that. It is one of the words that we use for GOD since He is the one that does all that.
Yubayyin: To clarify
Note: This is a very interesting root and occurs often in the Qur’an. The root is B-Y-N and it means Between in it’s most common form. Sometimes it will mean separation, unification and clarification (all related to between). The verb of the root will mean to between which can mean To Separate, to unite and clarify. This depends on the sentence that will let us know which is which. The most important occurrence is to Clarify and that is the use here. YUBAYYIN is the third person singular present to tense of the meaning to clarify.
Lana: To us/For us
ma hiya: What is she (the cow)
qala: He (Moses) said
Note: the root is Qaf-W-L and it means to say for the verb and saying for the noun. QALA is the third person singular past tense form of the verb.
Innahu: HE (GOD) with some stress
Yaqoolu: Says
Note: the root is Qaf-W-L as mentioned above. YAQOOLU is the third person singular in the present tense.
Innaha: She is
Baqaratun: A cow
la faridun: Not old/Not one who had known and done her obligations
Note: LA means No. FARIDUN is derived of the root F-R-Da and it means to oblige (someone to do something) for the verb and obligation for the noun. FARID is the one the one that had known and done all their obligation, which is a way of saying that this person is old (at times and in this case).
Walabikrun: And not young/And not one who has not gotten pregnant yet
Note: WA means And, LA means NOT. BIKRUN is derived from the root B-K-R and it means to be early. The concrete words of this root are Beginning of the day, first child, woman who has not gotten pregnant and a woman who is pregnant for the first time. All, share the meaning of early/first youth. BIKR here means young.
AAawanun: medium age/productive age/one that makess help
Note: the root here is Ain-W-N and it means to help/to aid for the verb and help/aid for the noun. AAaWAN is literally the one the makes help/makes aid/productive, and all those mean one that is in the productive age.
Bayna: Between
Note: see above related to this word and it’s meanings.
Thalika: That
faifAAaloo: So do
Note: FA means So. IFAAaLOO is derived from the root F-Ain-L and it means to do for the verb and doing for the noun. IFAAaLOO is an order form of the verb addressing a group of people.
matu/maroona: What you are ordered
Note: MA means What. TU/MAROON is derived from the root Hamza-M-R and it means to order to do something for the verb and Order or Something for the noun (depending on the location in the sentence). TU/MAROON is a second person plural present tense form of a verb that is derived from the root and that means What you are ordered.

Salaam all and take care

Hussein