Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 143–146

6. Al-An'aam · The Cattle

Makkan165 verses

ثَمَٰنِيَةَ أَزْوَٰجٍۢ ۖ مِّنَ ٱلضَّأْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ ٱلْمَعْزِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا ٱشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖ نَبِّـُٔونِى بِعِلْمٍ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ

6:143Eight mates: two of sheep, and two of goats. Say, ‘Is it the two males that He has forbidden or the two females, or what is contained in the wombs of the two females? Inform me with knowledge, should you be truthful.’1

وَمِنَ ٱلْإِبِلِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ ٱلْبَقَرِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا ٱشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖ أَمْ كُنتُمْ شُهَدَآءَ إِذْ وَصَّىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًۭا لِّيُضِلَّ ٱلنَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

6:144And two of camels and two of oxen. Say, ‘Is it the two males that He has forbidden or the two females, or what is contained in the wombs of the two females? Were you witnesses when Allah enjoined this upon you?’ So who is a greater wrongdoer than him who fabricates a lie against Allah to mislead the people without any knowledge? Indeed Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot.

قُل لَّآ أَجِدُ فِى مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلَىٰ طَاعِمٍۢ يَطْعَمُهُۥٓ إِلَّآ أَن يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً أَوْ دَمًۭا مَّسْفُوحًا أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنزِيرٍۢ فَإِنَّهُۥ رِجْسٌ أَوْ فِسْقًا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ ۚ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍۢ وَلَا عَادٍۢ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

6:145Say, ‘I do not find in what has been revealed to me that anyone be forbidden to eat anything except carrion or spilt blood, or the flesh of swine—for that is indeed unclean—or an impiety offered to other than Allah.’ But should someone be compelled, without being rebellious or aggressive, indeed your Lord is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِى ظُفُرٍۢ ۖ وَمِنَ ٱلْبَقَرِ وَٱلْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَآ إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَآ أَوِ ٱلْحَوَايَآ أَوْ مَا ٱخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍۢ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَٰهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَٰدِقُونَ

6:146To the Jews We forbade every animal having an undivided hoof, and of oxen and sheep We forbade them their fat, except what is borne by their backs or the entrails, or what is attached to the bones. We requited them with that for their rebelliousness, and We indeed speak the truth.23

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 143

1.After giving the explanation in detail about all kinds of lawful animals, it poses the question to polytheists that if these are all lawful then what is the proof of the unlawful which you have settled as unlawful. Were you present at the time when divine laws were made? Or you yourself have deduced these commands? Obviously, there is no question of your presence, then it means you have attributed and interfered in a divine law, this is a great sin. After that Allah announced the punishment for the unlawful acts that they have prohibited in some things, that are not unlawful. Of course, in the punishment We have forbidden some such animals, cattle and the fat of goats. And this is the punishment of their revolt otherwise these are lawful in normal conditions.

Verse 145

2.It does not mean that all things are lawful to eat in Islam besides these, but it is that whatever the revelations have been revealed for these and nothing else is mentioned besides this, or these forbidden have not been connected with this beastliness and besides these appalling revulsions, some more things can be unlawful but for the beasts whose names are struck off from the topic of explanation.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    Zawj - It is anything that has a pair. Zaan - It is used only for sheep and never applicable for goats. Maaz - It is the plural of Maiz and it denotes a goat. It is used for the male as well as the female. Ibl - A male or female camel. A single maIe camel is known as Jamal and a single female is Naqa.

  2. 2

    Animals or birds with hooves or webbed feet.

  3. 3

    Fat of the back or the intestines. Hawaya - It is the plural of Hawiya. It is the fat that clings to the bones and in the tail. It is something that includes all the things present in the stomach.

  4. Benefit

    The Holy Quran declared that blood, carrion and pork are uncIean (Rijs), and the animal slaughtered without reciting the name of Allah is a transgression (fisq). This shows that the previous three are inherently dirty. While the defect in the last is nothing inherent. It is only a deficiency from the moral and religious aspect because Allah’s name had been ignored in its slaughter. While it is Allah who had created it and made it permissible for man.