Surat al-Baqarah (, "The Cow") is the second and longest chapter (
Surah) of the
Qur'an. It is a
Medinan sura (revealed to Muhammad when he was at Medina), with the exception of verse 281 which Muslims believe was revealed during
The Farewell Pilgrimage. It is also considered to be one of the first chapters revealed after the
Hijra from
Mecca to
Medina. The chapter comprises 286 verses (
ayat) according to the division of
Ali, the most widely accepted count among all Muslim denominations, and includes the single longest verse in the Qur'an (2:282). The surah's name references verses 66–72 which recall the story of a heifer sacrificed by the
Israelites.