"They All Look Alike": The Final Excuse of a Reluctant Heart

Quran 2:70, The absurd claim that "all cows look alike." A lesson on feigning confusion to avoid obedience and the hypocrisy of conditional faith.

The Arabic Text

قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ

Transliteration

Qālū udʿu lanā rabbaka yubayyin lanā mā hīya inna l-baqara tashābaha ʿalaynā wa-innā in shāʾa Llāhu la-muhtadūn

Simple English Translation

"They said, 'Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is. Indeed, [all] cows look alike to us. And indeed, if Allah wills, we will be guided.'"

Full Explanation in Easy English

This verse marks a critical point in the story where the people's evasion reaches a peak of absurdity and contradiction. After receiving specific descriptions, they claim confusion and revert to their original vague request, all while making a conditional statement about guidance that reveals their insincerity.

1. The Past: The Height of Evasion and Pretense

The Cycle Resets: After being told the cow should be middle-aged and bright yellow, they inexplicably return to their original, overly broad question: "make clear to us what it is." This shows they were not sincerely seeking clarity but were stuck in a loop of avoidance.
The Absurd Claim: They claim "Indeed, [all] cows look alike to us." This is a blatant falsehood after receiving such specific, distinguishing details. It exposes their argument as a bad-faith excuse.
The Hollow Promise: They add, "And indeed, if Allah wills, we will be guided." While this phrase (in sha Allah) is holy, here it is used hypocritically. They are using a pious expression as a rhetorical shield, implying their obedience is contingent on even more details, not on their own choice to submit. It's a form of spiritual procrastination.

In the past, this moment fully revealed their obstinacy. They were not confused; they were resistant. They masked their defiance with pretenses of confusion and fake piety.

2. The Present: Modern Forms of "All Cows Look Alike"

For us today, this behavior is painfully familiar in our spiritual lives:

Feigning Confusion to Avoid Action: We often claim "it's too complicated" or "all the opinions look the same" when we encounter a clear Islamic ruling we don't like. Examples:
- "Scholars disagree on this, so I'm confused," used to justify ignoring a consensus (ijma`) or a strong, clear evidence.
- "The halal/haram line is blurry here," when the principle is clear but our desire conflicts with it.
The Misuse of In Sha Allah: Using "in sha Allah" not as a sincere expression of reliance on Allah's will, but as a polite way to say "no" or to indefinitely delay a religious duty we have no real intention of fulfilling. ("I'll start praying regularly, in sha Allah," while making no practical change.)
The Illusion of Seeking Guidance: Constantly asking for more signs, more proofs, or more scholarly talks without ever acting on the abundant guidance already received. This is spiritual consumerism—collecting information without implementation.

Today, this verse calls out our insincerity. It asks: Are you genuinely confused, or are you using "confusion" as an excuse because obedience is inconvenient? Are you using pious phrases to sound committed while your actions show reluctance?

3. The Future: Guidance is for Those Who Choose to Act

This response pattern has dire implications for our relationship with divine guidance in this life and the next:

Guidance Follows Action: A core Islamic principle is that Allah guides those who take the first sincere step. The people said they would be guided if Allah willed, but they refused to take the first step of simple obedience. True in sha Allah is said while taking action, not instead of it.
Accountability for Knowledge Received: On the Day of Judgment, claiming "all the cows looked alike" after being given specific descriptions will be no excuse. Similarly, claiming confusion after having access to the Quran, the Sunnah, and basic knowledge will not be accepted. Allah says, "And We have certainly diversified in this Qur'an for the people from every [kind] of example; but man has ever been, most of anything, [prone to] dispute." (18:54).
The Heart's True State: The statement reveals a heart that wants to appear righteous ("in sha Allah") but is unwilling to submit. On Judgment Day, the true state of the heart will be exposed. Slogans and pious phrases will not cover up a legacy of evasion and disobedience.

For the future, this verse teaches that eternal guidance is not unlocked by endless questioning, but by humble action upon the knowledge we already have. The path to Allah is walked with steps of obedience, not with piles of unresolved queries.

Summary for a Contemporary Audience

Imagine a coach tells a runner: "Run one lap around the red track." The runner says, "Which red track? They all look red to me. And I'll run, if you will me to." The coach has already specified, and the runner's ability to run isn't dependent on a new command—it's dependent on their choice to start moving.

Your takeaway: Allah has given you the "red track"—the clear, broad path of Islam. Don't pretend it's all a blur. Don't use "in sha Allah" as a spiritual delay tactic. Guidance is not a mystery to be solved before you act; it is a light that increases as you act. Take the first step of obedience with what you already understand. Stop the cycle of faux confusion and hollow piety. Your eternal guidance depends on your present action, not your future questions.