﴿ قَالُوا۟ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِىَ إِنَّ ٱلْبَقَرَ تَشَٰبَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّآ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ ﴾

“Said' they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like, for to us all cows resemble one another; and then, if God so wills, we shall truly be guided aright!"”

They said ‘Pray to your Lord for us that He make clear to us what she may be does it graze freely or is it used in labour?; the cows that is the species described in the way mentioned are all alike to us because there are many of them and we have not been able to find the one sought after; and if God wills we shall then be guided’ to it. In one hadīth it is reported ‘Had they not uttered the proviso inshā’a Llāh it would never have been made clear to them’.