6. Surah Al-An'aam

الأنعامThe Cattle · 165 ayahsتفہیم القرآن انگلش

Read Surah Al-An'aam in the Quran reader
Ayahs 6:119–120

وَ مَا لَكُمْ اَلَّا تَاْكُلُوْا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللّٰهِ عَلَیْهِ وَ قَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُمْ مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَیْكُمْ اِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ اِلَیْهِ١ؕ وَ اِنَّ كَثِیْرًا لَّیُضِلُّوْنَ بِاَهْوَآئِهِمْ بِغَیْرِ عِلْمٍ١ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ اَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِیْنَ Open ayah 6:119 in the Quran reader

And how is it that you do not eat of that over which Allah's name has been pronounced even though He has clearly spelled out to you what He has forbidden you unless you are constrained to it? 85 Many indeed say misleading things without knowledge, driven merely by their lowly desires. But your Lord knows well the transgressors.

وَ ذَرُوْا ظَاهِرَ الْاِثْمِ وَ بَاطِنَهٗ١ؕ اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ یَكْسِبُوْنَ الْاِثْمَ سَیُجْزَوْنَ بِمَا كَانُوْا یَقْتَرِفُوْنَ Open ayah 6:120 in the Quran reader

Abstain from sin, be it either open or secret. Indeed those who commit sins shall surely be requited for all they have done.

85. See (Surah al-Nahl 16:15). We may observe in passing that this allusion indirectly establishes that Surah al-Nahl was revealed before the present surah.
Ayah 6:121

وَ لَا تَاْكُلُوْا مِمَّا لَمْ یُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللّٰهِ عَلَیْهِ وَ اِنَّهٗ لَفِسْقٌ١ؕ وَ اِنَّ الشَّیٰطِیْنَ لَیُوْحُوْنَ اِلٰۤى اَوْلِیٰٓئِهِمْ لِیُجَادِلُوْكُمْ١ۚ وَ اِنْ اَطَعْتُمُوْهُمْ اِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُوْنَ۠ Open ayah 6:121 in the Quran reader

Do not eat of (the animal) over which the name of Allah has not been pronounced (at the time of its slaughtering), for that is a transgression. And behold, the evil ones do inspire doubts and objections into the hearts of their friends so that they dispute with you; 86 but if you obey them, you will surely yourselves turn into those who associate others with Allah in His divinity. 87

86. It has been reported in a tradition transmitted by 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas that the Jewish religious scholars used to prompt the ignorant people of Arabia to address many enquiries to the Prophet (peace be on him) so as to discredit him. One of the questions they taught them to ask was: 'Why is it that an animal killed by (the act of) God should be deemed prohibited, while one killed by us is considered lawful?'This is a common example of the warped mentality of the People of the Book. They strained their minds to contrive such questions so as to create doubts in people's minds and to provide them with intellectual weapons in their fight against the Truth. 87. To acknowledge the overlordship of God, yet to follow at the same time the orders and ways of those who have turned away from Him, amounts to associating others with God in His divinity. True belief in the unity of God consists in orienting one's entire life to the obedience and service of God. Those who believe that any other being besides God is to he acknowledged in principle as having an independent claim on man's unreserved obedience should know that such acknowledgement amounts to associating others with God in His divinity at the level of belief. On the other hand, if they actually do obey those who, in sheer disregard of God's guidance and injunctions, arrogate to themselves the right to declare according to their whims certain things to be lawful and others to be unlawful, and to bid and forbid people as they please, this amounts to associating others with God in His divinity at the level of action.
Ayahs 6:122–123

اَوَ مَنْ كَانَ مَیْتًا فَاَحْیَیْنٰهُ وَ جَعَلْنَا لَهٗ نُوْرًا یَّمْشِیْ بِهٖ فِی النَّاسِ كَمَنْ مَّثَلُهٗ فِی الظُّلُمٰتِ لَیْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا١ؕ كَذٰلِكَ زُیِّنَ لِلْكٰفِرِیْنَ مَا كَانُوْا یَعْمَلُوْنَ Open ayah 6:122 in the Quran reader

He who was dead and whom We raised to life, 88 and We set a light for him to walk among men - is he like the one steeped in darkness out of which he does not come out? 89. Thus have their own doings been made to seem fair to the unbelievers. 90

وَ كَذٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا فِیْ كُلِّ قَرْیَةٍ اَكٰبِرَ مُجْرِمِیْهَا لِیَمْكُرُوْا فِیْهَا١ؕ وَ مَا یَمْكُرُوْنَ اِلَّا بِاَنْفُسِهِمْ وَ مَا یَشْعُرُوْنَ Open ayah 6:123 in the Quran reader

Thus We have appointed the leaders of the wicked ones in every land to weave their plots; but in truth they plot only to their own harm, without even realizing it.

88. 'Death' signifies here the state of ignorance and lack of consciousness, whereas 'life' denotes the state of knowledge and true cognition, the state of awareness of Reality. He who cannot distinguish between right and wrong and does not know the Straight Way for human life, may be alive on the biological plane, but his essential humanity is not. He may be a living animal but is certainly not a living human being. A living human being is one who can distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, honesty from dishonesty. 89. The question is: 'How can they expect one who has been able to attain genuine consciousness of his true human nature and who, by virtue of his knowledge of the Truth, can clearly discern the Straight Way among the numerous crooked ways, to live like those who lack true consciousness and go on stumbling in the darkness of ignorance and folly?' 90. The law of God with regard to those to whom light is presented but who wilfully refuse to accept it, preferring to follow their crooked paths even after they have been invited to follow the Straight Way, is that in the course of time such people begin to cherish darkness, and to enjoy groping their way in the dark, stumbling and falling as they proceed. They tend to mistake cacti for orchids, thorns for roses. They find pleasure in every act of evil and corruption. They look forward to renewed experiences of corruption, hoping that where they were previously unsuccessful they will now find success.
Ayah 6:124

وَ اِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ اٰیَةٌ قَالُوْا لَنْ نُّؤْمِنَ حَتّٰى نُؤْتٰى مِثْلَ مَاۤ اُوْتِیَ رُسُلُ اللّٰهِ١ؔۘؕ اَللّٰهُ اَعْلَمُ حَیْثُ یَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهٗ١ؕ سَیُصِیْبُ الَّذِیْنَ اَجْرَمُوْا صَغَارٌ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ وَ عَذَابٌ شَدِیْدٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوْا یَمْكُرُوْنَ Open ayah 6:124 in the Quran reader

Whenever there comes to them a sign from Allah, they say: 'We will not believe until we are given what was given to the Messengers of Allah.' 91 Allah knows best where to place His message. Soon shall these wicked ones meet with humiliation and severe chastisement from Allah for all their evil plotting.

91. This shows that they were unwilling to believe in the statement of the Prophets that an angel of God came to each of them and delivered the message of God. They would believe, they said, only if the angel approached them directly and intimated God's message to them.
Ayahs 6:125–126

فَمَنْ یُّرِدِ اللّٰهُ اَنْ یَّهْدِیَهٗ یَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهٗ لِلْاِسْلَامِ١ۚ وَ مَنْ یُّرِدْ اَنْ یُّضِلَّهٗ یَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهٗ ضَیِّقًا حَرَجًا كَاَنَّمَا یَصَّعَّدُ فِی السَّمَآءِ١ؕ كَذٰلِكَ یَجْعَلُ اللّٰهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِیْنَ لَا یُؤْمِنُوْنَ Open ayah 6:125 in the Quran reader

Thus, (it is a fact that) whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast for Islam; 92 and whomsoever He wills to let go astray, He causes his breast to become strait and constricted, as if he were climbing towards the heaven. Thus Allah lays the abomination (of flight from and hatred of Islam) on those who do not believe

وَ هٰذَا صِرَاطُ رَبِّكَ مُسْتَقِیْمًا١ؕ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْاٰیٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ یَّذَّكَّرُوْنَ Open ayah 6:126 in the Quran reader

even though this way is the straight way of your Lord, and We have distinguished its signs to those who heed to admonition.

92. 'To open someone's breast to Islam' means to make him feel fully convinced of the truth of Islam and to remove all his doubts, hesitations and reluctance.
Ayah 6:127

لَهُمْ دَارُ السَّلٰمِ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَ هُوَ وَلِیُّهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوْا یَعْمَلُوْنَ Open ayah 6:127 in the Quran reader

Theirs shall be an abode of peace 93 with their Lord - their Protector - in recompense for all they have done.

93 The righteous will enjoy 'the Abode of Peace' since there he will be safe from every misfortune and evil.
Ayah 6:128

وَ یَوْمَ یَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِیْعًا١ۚ یٰمَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ قَدِ اسْتَكْثَرْتُمْ مِّنَ الْاِنْسِ١ۚ وَ قَالَ اَوْلِیٰٓؤُهُمْ مِّنَ الْاِنْسِ رَبَّنَا اسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ وَّ بَلَغْنَاۤ اَجَلَنَا الَّذِیْۤ اَجَّلْتَ لَنَا١ؕ قَالَ النَّارُ مَثْوٰىكُمْ خٰلِدِیْنَ فِیْهَاۤ اِلَّا مَا شَآءَ اللّٰهُ١ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِیْمٌ عَلِیْمٌ Open ayah 6:128 in the Quran reader

And on the Day when He shall muster them all together, He will say (to the jinn): 94 'O assembly of the jinn, you have seduced a good many of mankind.' And their companions from among the humans will say: 'Our Lord! We did indeed benefit from one another 95 and now have reached the term which You had set for us.' Thereupon Allah will say: 'The Fire is now your abode, and therein you shall abide.' Only those whom Allah wills shall escape the Fire. Surely your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. 96

94. The term finn here refers to the evil ones among the jinn. 95. This means that they had derived unfair benefit from one another and had served their selfish ends by mutual deception. 96. Even though God has the right to punish whoever He wishes and to forgive whoever He wishes, His punishing and forgiving will be neither arbitrary nor whimsical. It will rather be founded on absolute knowledge and wisdom. God will forgive those whom He knows not to be responsible for their guilt, and thus not liable to punishment according to His wisdom and justice.
Ayah 6:129

وَ كَذٰلِكَ نُوَلِّیْ بَعْضَ الظّٰلِمِیْنَ بَعْضًۢا بِمَا كَانُوْا یَكْسِبُوْنَ۠ Open ayah 6:129 in the Quran reader

In this manner We shall make the wrong-doers friends of each other (in the Hereafter) because they earned (evil together in the world). 97

97. Just as the wrong-doers had been accomplices in sin and evil during their earthly life, they would remain companions in the After-life as well and share its punishment.
Ayah 6:130

یٰمَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَ الْاِنْسِ اَلَمْ یَاْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنْكُمْ یَقُصُّوْنَ عَلَیْكُمْ اٰیٰتِیْ وَ یُنْذِرُوْنَكُمْ لِقَآءَ یَوْمِكُمْ هٰذَا١ؕ قَالُوْا شَهِدْنَا عَلٰۤى اَنْفُسِنَا وَ غَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَیٰوةُ الدُّنْیَا وَ شَهِدُوْا عَلٰۤى اَنْفُسِهِمْ اَنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا كٰفِرِیْنَ Open ayah 6:130 in the Quran reader

(Then Allah will also ask them): 'O assembly of jinn and men! Did there not come to you Messengers from among yourselves, relating to you My signs, and warning you of the encounter of this your Day (of Judgement)?' They will say: 'Yes, we bear witness against ourselves.' 98 They have been deluded by the life of this world, and they will bear witness against themselves that they had disbelieved. 99

98. The wrong-doers would confess that even though the Prophets had come, in succession, in order to inform them of the Truth, it was their own fault that they did not respond to their call. 99. They were deniers of, and disbelievers in, rather than ignorant of the Truth. They acknowledged tha! the Truth had been conveyed to them and that they had refused to accept it.
Ayahs 6:131–132

ذٰلِكَ اَنْ لَّمْ یَكُنْ رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرٰى بِظُلْمٍ وَّ اَهْلُهَا غٰفِلُوْنَ Open ayah 6:131 in the Quran reader

(They will be made to bear this witness to show that) it is not the way of your Lord to destroy cities unjustly while their people were unaware of the Truth. 100

وَ لِكُلٍّ دَرَجٰتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوْا١ؕ وَ مَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا یَعْمَلُوْنَ Open ayah 6:132 in the Quran reader

Everyone is assigned a degree according to his deed. Your Lord is not heedless of what they do.

100. God does not want His creatures to have any valid reason to complain that He had left them ignorant of the Right Way, and then convicted them of error. God has forestalled any such grievance by sending Prophets and revealing Holy Books to warn both jinn and human beings. If people continue to falter in spite of God's arrangements for their guidance, they themselves are to blame for the punishment they will receive, and they have no justification for blaming their misfortune on God.
Ayah 6:133

وَ رَبُّكَ الْغَنِیُّ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ١ؕ اِنْ یَّشَاْ یُذْهِبْكُمْ وَ یَسْتَخْلِفْ مِنْۢ بَعْدِكُمْ مَّا یَشَآءُ كَمَاۤ اَنْشَاَكُمْ مِّنْ ذُرِّیَّةِ قَوْمٍ اٰخَرِیْنَؕ Open ayah 6:133 in the Quran reader

Your Lord is Self-Sufficient, full of compassion. 101 If He wills, He can put you away and cause whomever He wills to succeed you just as He has produced you from the seed of another people.

101. The Qur'anic statement: 'Your Lord is Self-Sufficient' signifies that God is in need of nothing from anyone, that none of His interests will be jeopardized by disobedience to Him, and that no benefit will accrue to Him from obedience. Even if all human beings became disobedient, God's dominion will not shrink. Nor will His dominion expand if everybody were to become obedient and serve and worship Him as they ought to. God is dependent neither upon their show of veneration nor upon their offerings. He lavishes His limitless treasures on human beings and seeks nothing in return. The other statement, namely that 'Your Lord is full of compassion', has been made here to emphasize two things. First, that when God urges human beings to follow the Right Way, and asks them not to do anything in conflict with Ultimate Reality, He does not do so because their good behaviour benefits Him or their misconduct harms Him. He does so because good conduct is beneficial to man himself, as evil conduct is harmful to him. Hence it is out of sheer benevolence that God urges man to develop righteous conduct, for it will raise him to great heights, and He urges him to avoid evil conduct because it will lead to his own degradation. Second, that God is not unduly stern in judging man. He gets no pleasure from punishing people. He is not on the look-out for slight lapses for which to convict and persecute people. God is highly compassionate towards all His creatures and governs with utmost mercy and benevolence, and the same characterizes His dealings with human beings as well. Hence, He constantly forgives the sins of people. Many disobey, indulge in sins, commit crimes, disregard God's commands, even though they are nourished by the sustenance He provides. God, nevertheless, continually treats them with forbearance and forgives them. Again and again, He grants them respite in order that they may take heed, understand things properly and reform themselves. Had He been excessively stern, He could even have obliterated them instantly and raised up another people. He could have put an end to humanity and brought into being an altogether different species of creation.
Ayah 6:134

اِنَّ مَا تُوْعَدُوْنَ لَاٰتٍ١ۙ وَّ مَاۤ اَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِیْنَ Open ayah 6:134 in the Quran reader

Surely what you have been promised shall come to pass; 102 and you do not have the power to frustrate (Allah).

102. This refers to the Resurrection, when human beings of every epoch will be raised anew and made to stand before God for final judgement.
Ayah 6:135

قُلْ یٰقَوْمِ اعْمَلُوْا عَلٰى مَكَانَتِكُمْ اِنِّیْ عَامِلٌ١ۚ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُوْنَ١ۙ مَنْ تَكُوْنُ لَهٗ عَاقِبَةُ الدَّارِ١ؕ اِنَّهٗ لَا یُفْلِحُ الظّٰلِمُوْنَ Open ayah 6:135 in the Quran reader

Say (O Muhammad!): 'O people! Work in your place; and I too am at work. 103 Soon you will know in whose favour the ultimate decision will be. Surely the wrong-doers will not prosper.'

103. If people prefer to ignore the Prophet's admonition and do not recant their misconduct, they are at liberty to follow their chosen path, but they should let the Prophet (peace be on him) follow his. The ultimate results of their conduct will, in due time, become evident to all - to the Prophet (peace be on him) as well as to his opponents.
Ayah 6:136

وَ جَعَلُوْا لِلّٰهِ مِمَّا ذَرَاَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَ الْاَنْعَامِ نَصِیْبًا فَقَالُوْا هٰذَا لِلّٰهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَ هٰذَا لِشُرَكَآئِنَا١ۚ فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ فَلَا یَصِلُ اِلَى اللّٰهِ١ۚ وَ مَا كَانَ لِلّٰهِ فَهُوَ یَصِلُ اِلٰى شُرَكَآئِهِمْ١ؕ سَآءَ مَا یَحْكُمُوْنَ Open ayah 6:136 in the Quran reader

They 104 assign to Allah a portion out of the produce and cattle that He has created, saying out of their fancy: 'This is for Allah' - so they deem -'and this is for the associates (of Allah) whom we have contrived.' 105 Then, the portion assigned to the beings whom they have set up as associates (of Allah) does not reach Allah, but the portion assigned to Allah reaches the beings they set up as associates (of Allah)! 106 Indeed evil is what they decide!

104. There now follows an elucidation of the 'ignorance' which those people-insistently clung to, and which they were not prepared to forsake. They are also told about that major 'wrong' which, if not abandoned, will bar their way to salvation. 105. They themselves acknowledged that the earth belongs to God, and that it is He Who causes the vegetation to grow. They also affirmed that God is the creator of the animals which were yoked to their service. They believed, however, that the grace of God for them was the outcome of the blessing and benediction of the angels, jinn, heavenly stars, spirits of their pious ancestors and so on, who cared for their well-being and were their patrons. They therefore used to make a two-fold division of their harvest and livestock offerings. One part was devoted to God in recognition of their gratitude to Him for having granted them farms and animals, while the rest was devoted to the household gods of either their family or tribes in order to ensure their continuing grace and benediction. First, God censures them for this iniquity and asks them - since all those animals were created and had been granted to them by God alone - what justification there is for making offerings to others. Is it not sheer ingratitude to ascribe the acts of benevolence and grace of the true Benefactor to the intercession of others, and to associate them with God in thanksgiving? Second, they are censured indirectly for assigning quite an arbitrary share in their offerings to God, as if they themselves were the law-maker who could ascribe shares to God and others as they wished. To God alone belong all the bounties He has given man, and only His Law should therefore determine what part of those bounties should be offered to Him in thanksgiving and how the remaining should be spent. Hence even if they spend something in the way of Allah, for the poor and the deprived, but according to their own will, that does not deserve to be accepted by Him. 106. This is subtle sarcasm at the trickery to which the polytheists resorted while dividing the offerings between God and the partners whom they had set up with Him. By one device and another they increased the share of the false deities, which only showed that their heart lay with those sham partners of God rather than with Him. It is instructive to recall those tricks. If, while they were apportioning God's share of cereals and fruits, anything belonging to His share fell out of its place, it used to be added to the portion earmarked for the share of God's partners. On the contrary, if any part of the, partners' share fell out or got mixed up with the portion earmarked for God, they were most careful to return it to where it belonged. Whenever they were criticized for this, they had a number of interesting apologies to offer. They said, for instance, that being the Creator, God is Self-Sufficient and hence He does not care if His portion is in some way reduced. As for the 'partners', they were not after all self-sufficient and would therefore take them to task for the slightest diminution in their share. In order to grasp what lay at the root of these superstitions, it is essential to know that the portion which these ignorant people earmarked for God was devoted to helping the indigent, the poor, travellers, orphans and so on. On the other hand, the portion earmarked for offerings to the partners' actually went either directly to the coffers of the priestly class or was offered at the shrines and thus ultimately reached the priests and caretakers of those shrines. Over the course of centuries these selfish religious leaders had impressed upon those simple-minded people that there was no harm in God's share being reduced, but that of God's dear ones, far from being diminished, should be increased.
Ayah 6:137

وَ كَذٰلِكَ زَیَّنَ لِكَثِیْرٍ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِیْنَ قَتْلَ اَوْلَادِهِمْ شُرَكَآؤُهُمْ لِیُرْدُوْهُمْ وَ لِیَلْبِسُوْا عَلَیْهِمْ دِیْنَهُمْ١ؕ وَ لَوْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ مَا فَعَلُوْهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَ مَا یَفْتَرُوْنَ Open ayah 6:137 in the Quran reader

And, likewise, the beings supposed to have a share in Allah's divinity have made the slaying of their offspring seem lawful to many of those who associate others with Allah in His divinity 107 so that they may ruin them 108 and confound them regarding their faith. 109 If Allah had so willed, they would not have done that. Leave them alone to persist in their fabrication. 110

107. The word 'partners' is now used in a different sense. In this verse the word 'partners' denotes those human beings and devils who had legitimized infanticide and even represented it as a commendable act. The reason for calling such people 'partners' is that just as God alone deserves to be worshipped, so He alone has the right to make laws for His creatures and to determine the limits of what is lawful and what is unlawful. Also, just as consecrating acts of devotion to anyone other than God amounts to setting up partners with Him, so to follow man-made laws in the belief that human beings have the right to be their own law-makers amounts to acknowledging others as partners of God. Both these acts amount to setting up partners with Him, irrespective of whether or not man applies the word 'God' to those before whom he makes ritual offerings, or to those whose laws he considers to be essentially right and binding for men. It is pertinent to recall that three forms of infanticide were practised among the Arabs, and the Qur'an alludes to each: (1) Girls were put to death either to forestall the intrusion of a son-in-law, to prevent them from falling into the hands of enemies in the event of an outbreak of tribal feuding or to stop them from becoming a source of disgrace for any other reason. (2) Both male and female children were killed if parents thought they would not be able to support them and that they would thus become an unendurable burden. (3) Children of both sexes were placed as sacrificial offerings on the altars of the deities in order to gratify them. 108. The use of the word 'ruin' in this verse is significant. It denotes, in the first place, the moral ruination of a people. A man whose callousness and cruelty reach the point where he begins to kill his offspring with his own hands not only becomes bereft of the essence of humanity, but has sunk even lower than the animals. Moreover, this signifies the ruin of a people and of the human race. This is because infanticide necessarily leads to loss of population which is detrimental to the interests of mankind and also of each nation, since it prevents those who could have carried the legacy of a nation from either being born or puts an end to their lives after ,they are born. This rule also signifies the ultimate ruin, i.e. in the Hereafter. For indeed anyone who treats innocent children with such high-handedness, who cold-bloodedly slaughters the essence of his humanity, who acts so sordidly towards the human species as such, and even towards his own people, deserves severe punishment from God. 109. In the Jahiliyah, the Age of Ignorance, the Arabs both identified themselves with Abraham and Ishmael and were quite convinced that they were indeed followers of Abraham and Ishmael. They therefore considered their religion to be one that had been prescribed by God. The fact, however, was that over the course of centuries a number of innovations had overgrown the religion preached by Abraham and Ishmael. These innovations, which had been introduced by their religious leaders, the tribal chiefs and the elders of noted families, had become hallowed with the passage of time, and were considered an integral part of their original religion. No authentic traces of this original religion, however, existed in the Arab traditions, nor in written sources nor in historical records as such. Hence, when innovations made their inroads into their religious life, they failed to perceive both the innovations and the innovators. This rendered the entire religious tradition of the Arabs unauthentic in the sight of the people of Arabia themselves. They could not assert with conviction which elements were part of the original God-given religion, and which were mere innovations. 110. Had God not so willed, they could never have kept to their false ways. But God willed that everybody should be allowed to pursue his own choice. Hence, if people do not believe in spite of the Prophet's admonition, and persist in their false ways, they must be allowed to do as they please. One need not hound such people and pester them into accepting the Truth.
Ayah 6:138

وَ قَالُوْا هٰذِهٖۤ اَنْعَامٌ وَّ حَرْثٌ حِجْرٌ١ۖۗ لَّا یَطْعَمُهَاۤ اِلَّا مَنْ نَّشَآءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَ اَنْعَامٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُوْرُهَا وَ اَنْعَامٌ لَّا یَذْكُرُوْنَ اسْمَ اللّٰهِ عَلَیْهَا افْتِرَآءً عَلَیْهِ١ؕ سَیَجْزِیْهِمْ بِمَا كَانُوْا یَفْتَرُوْنَ Open ayah 6:138 in the Quran reader

They say: 'These animals and these crops are sacrosanct: none may eat of them save those whom we will' - imposing interdictions of their own contriving. 111 And they declare that it is forbidden to burden the backs of certain cattle, and these are the cattle over which they do not pronounce the name of Allah. 112 All these are false fabrications against Allah, 113 and He will soon requite them for all that they fabricate.

111. There was a practice among the people of Arabia whereby they used to consecrate certain animals and farms to certain shrines, and at offerings at certain altars. These consecrated offerings could not be used by everybody. An elaborate code laid down what kind of offering could be used by what kind of people. God not only judges such practices to be polytheistic, but also censures them as man-made innovations. God was the master of all that they had consecrated as offerings to the deities. He had neither encumbered human beings with the need to make any of those offerings and consecrations nor imposed those restrictions on what they might consume. These were the wilful inventions of headstrong and rebellious people who attributed to themselves the authority to make laws as they pleased. 112. Traditions indicate that there were certain ritual offerings, and that on certain occasions animals were consecrated for sacrifice at which it was deemed unlawful to pronounce the name of God. It was also prohibited to ride such animals during the Pilgrimage, since at that time the pilgrim pronounced the name of God when he recited the formula: Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk. Every care was taken not to pronounce the name of God at the time of milking, mounting, slaughtering and eating of such animals. 113. Even though those rules had not been laid down by God, people followed them under the false impression that they had been prescribed by Him. They could not adduce any injunction from God in support of such a belief, and all that they could claim was that it was an integral part of their ancestors' way of life.
Ayah 6:139

وَ قَالُوْا مَا فِیْ بُطُوْنِ هٰذِهِ الْاَنْعَامِ خَالِصَةٌ لِّذُكُوْرِنَا وَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلٰۤى اَزْوَاجِنَا١ۚ وَ اِنْ یَّكُنْ مَّیْتَةً فَهُمْ فِیْهِ شُرَكَآءُ١ؕ سَیَجْزِیْهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ١ؕ اِنَّهٗ حَكِیْمٌ عَلِیْمٌ Open ayah 6:139 in the Quran reader

And they say: 'What is within the bellies of such-and-such cattle is exclusively for our males and is forbidden to our females; but if it be born dead, they all may share in it.' 114 He will soon requite them for all that they (falsely) attribute to Allah. He is All-Wise, All-Knowing.

114. One of the provisions of this self-contrived religious code of the Arabs was that the flesh of the young, born of the animals consecrated as offerings to the deities, might be eaten by males but not by females. Persons of both sexes were allowed to eat its flesh if it had died either a natural death or was dead at birth.
Ayah 6:140

قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِیْنَ قَتَلُوْۤا اَوْلَادَهُمْ سَفَهًۢا بِغَیْرِ عِلْمٍ وَّ حَرَّمُوْا مَا رَزَقَهُمُ اللّٰهُ افْتِرَآءً عَلَى اللّٰهِ١ؕ قَدْ ضَلُّوْا وَ مَا كَانُوْا مُهْتَدِیْنَ۠ Open ayah 6:140 in the Quran reader

Those who slayed their children in folly, without knowledge,.and forbade the sustenance that Allah has provided them, falsely ascribing that to Allah, are utter losers; they have gone astray, and are certainly not among those guided to the right way. 115

115. It is put to them plainly that even though such practices had been introduced by their forefathers, religious guides and outstanding leaders, the fact remained that those practices were inherently unsound. That those practices had come down from their ancestors and venerated elders did not necessarily legitimize them. These callous people had introduced such inhuman customs as infanticide, and, without any justification whatsoever, had prohibited to the creatures of God food and drink which He had created. They had also introduced many innovations themselves, making them part of their religion and ascribing them to God. How could such people be considered either to have attained salvation or to be rightlyguided? Even though venerated by them as their ancestors, they were nevertheless misguided and were destined to see the evil consequences of their misdeeds.
Ayah 6:141

وَ هُوَ الَّذِیْۤ اَنْشَاَ جَنّٰتٍ مَّعْرُوْشٰتٍ وَّ غَیْرَ مَعْرُوْشٰتٍ وَّ النَّخْلَ وَ الزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا اُكُلُهٗ وَ الزَّیْتُوْنَ وَ الرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَّ غَیْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ١ؕ كُلُوْا مِنْ ثَمَرِهٖۤ اِذَاۤ اَثْمَرَ وَ اٰتُوْا حَقَّهٗ یَوْمَ حَصَادِهٖ١ۖ٘ وَ لَا تُسْرِفُوْا١ؕ اِنَّهٗ لَا یُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِیْنَۙ Open ayah 6:141 in the Quran reader

It is He Who has brought into being gardens 116 - the trellised and untrellised - and the palm trees, and crops, all varying in taste, and.the olive and pomegranates, all resembling one another and yet so different. Eat of their fruits when they come to fruition and pay His due on the day of harvesting. And do not exceed the proper limits, for He does not love those who exceed the proper limits.

116. Tle Arabic expression "Jannaatim Ma'rushaatin wa khairu ma'rushatin" signifies two kinds of gardens: first, those consisting of trellised plants and, second, those consisting of trees which stand on their own.
Ayah 6:142

وَ مِنَ الْاَنْعَامِ حَمُوْلَةً وَّ فَرْشًا١ؕ كُلُوْا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللّٰهُ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعُوْا خُطُوٰتِ الشَّیْطٰنِ١ؕ اِنَّهٗ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِیْنٌۙ Open ayah 6:142 in the Quran reader

And of the cattle (He has reared) some for burden, and some whose flesh you eat and whose skins and hair you use to spread the ground. 117 Eat of the sustenance Allah has provided you and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan, for surely he is your open enemy. 118

117. The word "Farasha" (which means 'to spread, to pave, to cover the ground, floor or path') has been used in the context of cattle either (1) because they are relatively short, and in moving about seem to be touching the ground, (2) because when they are slaughtered, they have to be laid on the ground, or (3) because their skins and hair are used for furnishing purposes. 118. It becomes clear from the context that God wants to emphasize three things. First, that the orchards, fields and cattle are all bounties of God. No one else has made any contribution to them and hence no one is entitled to any share in the thanks that man ought to give Him in return for these bounties. Second, since all those things are bounties of God, one ought to follow the laws of God alone while making use of them. No one else has the right to regulate their use. To acknowledge oneself bound by customs and practices laid down by others than God, and to make offerings out of a feeling of gratitude for beneficence to someone other than God constitute acts of rebellion and amount to following Satan. Third, as God has created all these things for the fulfilment of man's needs, they should not be unnecessarily suspended from use or be regarded as prohibited. All restrictions on the use of the means of sustenance and other bounties of God based on conjecture or superstition, are not to His liking at all.
Ayah 6:143

ثَمٰنِیَةَ اَزْوَاجٍ١ۚ مِنَ الضَّاْنِ اثْنَیْنِ وَ مِنَ الْمَعْزِ اثْنَیْنِ١ؕ قُلْ ءٰٓالذَّكَرَیْنِ حَرَّمَ اَمِ الْاُنْثَیَیْنِ اَمَّا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَیْهِ اَرْحَامُ الْاُنْثَیَیْنِ١ؕ نَبِّئُوْنِیْ بِعِلْمٍ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ صٰدِقِیْنَۙ Open ayah 6:143 in the Quran reader

These are eight couples, two of sheep, two of goats. Now ask them: 'Is it either the two males that Allah has forbidden or the two females, or what the wombs of the two females may contain? Tell me about this on the basis of sure knowledge, if you speak the truth.' 119

119. That is, they should come forward with arguments based on sound, reliable knowledge, rather than with arguments which have no authority except that of ancestral tradition, conjecture or superstition.
Ayah 6:144

وَ مِنَ الْاِبِلِ اثْنَیْنِ وَ مِنَ الْبَقَرِ اثْنَیْنِ١ؕ قُلْ ءٰٓالذَّكَرَیْنِ حَرَّمَ اَمِ الْاُنْثَیَیْنِ اَمَّا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَیْهِ اَرْحَامُ الْاُنْثَیَیْنِ١ؕ اَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَآءَ اِذْ وَصّٰىكُمُ اللّٰهُ بِهٰذَا١ۚ فَمَنْ اَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرٰى عَلَى اللّٰهِ كَذِبًا لِّیُضِلَّ النَّاسَ بِغَیْرِ عِلْمٍ١ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا یَهْدِی الْقَوْمَ الظّٰلِمِیْنَ۠ Open ayah 6:144 in the Quran reader

And likewise, of camels there are two, and of oxen there are two. Ask them: 'Is it either the two males that He has forbidden or the two females, or that which the wombs of the two females may contain? 120 Or were you present when Allah enjoined this commandment upon you?' Who, then, would be more unjust than he who fabricates a lie against Allah that he might lead people astray without knowledge. Surely Allah never guides such a wrong-doing folk.

120. Questions as to whether the male offspring is lawful and the female is unlawful are presented in some detail to show how unreasonable their superstitions are. That the male offspring of an animal should be considered lawful for eating while the female be prohibited, or vice versa; and that an animal should itself be considered lawful, but not its offspring, is so manifestly unreasonable that common sense simply refuses to accept it, and no intelligent man can ever conceive such absurdities to have been sanctioned by God. Just as the superstitions in vogue among the Arabs were absurd, as the Qur'an stresses, likewise many other nations of the world follow even now irrational dietary restrictions, and believe that food and drink become polluted merely by the touch of some other people.
Ayah 6:145

قُلْ لَّاۤ اَجِدُ فِیْ مَاۤ اُوْحِیَ اِلَیَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلٰى طَاعِمٍ یَّطْعَمُهٗۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ یَّكُوْنَ مَیْتَةً اَوْ دَمًا مَّسْفُوْحًا اَوْ لَحْمَ خِنْزِیْرٍ فَاِنَّهٗ رِجْسٌ اَوْ فِسْقًا اُهِلَّ لِغَیْرِ اللّٰهِ بِهٖ١ۚ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَیْرَ بَاغٍ وَّ لَا عَادٍ فَاِنَّ رَبَّكَ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِیْمٌ Open ayah 6:145 in the Quran reader

Tell them (O Muhammad!): 'I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden for anyone who wants to eat unless it is carrion, outpoured blood and the flesh of swine, all of which is unclean; or that which is profane having been slaughtered in a name other than that of Allah. 121 But whosoever is constrained to it by necessity - neither desiring to disobey nor exceeding the limit of necessity - your Lord is surely All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

121. See for this (Surah al-Baqarah 2: 173), (Surah al-Md'idah 5: 3) and (Surah al-Nahl 16: 115.) The slight difference between this verse and (Surah al-Baqarah 2:173)is that whereas the latter mentions 'blood' as prohibited, the present verse qualifies it with 'outpoured', i.e. the blood which has flowed as a result of either injuring or slaughtering an animal. This, in fact, constitutes an elucidation of the former injunction rather than the revelation of a different one. Likewise,(Surah al-Ma'idah 5: 3)mentions the prohibition of certain other categories - animals strangled or killed by blows, those which have died from either falling or goring, and those devoured by a beast of prey, in addition to the four classes mentioned here. This is not an independent, divergent injunction; it is rather an explanation signifying that the animals thus killed fall into the category of 'carrion'. There is a group of Muslim jurists who believe that prohibition is confined to these four classes of animal food, and that the eating of everything else is lawful. This was also the view of 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas and 'A'ishah. Several traditions, however, indicate that the Prophet (peace be on him) either told people not to eat certain things or expressed his disapproval at their eating them, for example, domesticated donkeys, beasts with canine teeth and birds with claws. It is for this reason that the majority of jurists do not consider prohibition confined to these four classes but extend it to several others. These jurists disagree, however, on which of those things are unlawful and which are lawful. Abu Hanifah, Malik and Shafi'i, for example, consider domesticated donkeys to be unlawful. Others argue that the Prophet (peace be on him) forbade them on a special occasion and because of a special reason. To cite another example, the Hanafi jurists hold wild beasts, birds of prey and animals which feed on carrion to be absolutely unlawful, whereas Milik and Awza'i hold birds of prey to be lawful. Layth considers the cat to be lawful. In the same way, Shafi'i considers prohibition to be confined only to those beasts which actually attack man, such as lion, wolf, tiger and so on. In the opinion of another jurist, 'Ikrimah, both crow and badger are lawful. Likewise, whereas the Hanafi jurists declare all crawling creatures to be prohibited, Ibn Abi Layla, Malik and Awza'i hold the snake to be lawful. Upon reflection of these divergent opinions and the arguments adduced in support of them, it becomes clear that categorical prohibition embraces only those four classes mentioned in the Qur'an. As for other types of animal food, regarding which the jurists have expressed a negative view, they seem to carry varying degrees of religious disapprobation. The things whose disapprobation is established by statements of the Prophet (peace be on him) transmitted to us through sound traditions, are relatively close to 'prohibition'. As for things regarding which them is disagreement among jurists, their religious disapprobation becomes doubtful. Temperamental dislike, however, is quite a different matter. The Law Of God does not force anyone to eat everything which is not prohibited. At the same time, the Law does not entitle anybody to exalt his personal likes and dislikes into a criterion of what is lawful and unlawful. No one is justified in reproaching others for consuming lawful things which offend his tastes.
Ayah 6:146

وَ عَلَى الَّذِیْنَ هَادُوْا حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِیْ ظُفُرٍ١ۚ وَ مِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَ الْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَیْهِمْ شُحُوْمَهُمَاۤ اِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُوْرُهُمَاۤ اَوِ الْحَوَایَاۤ اَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ١ؕ ذٰلِكَ جَزَیْنٰهُمْ بِبَغْیِهِمْ١ۖ٘ وَ اِنَّا لَصٰدِقُوْنَ Open ayah 6:146 in the Quran reader

And to those who had Judaized We have forbidden all beasts with claws, and the fat of oxen and sheep except the fat which is either on their backs or their entrails, or that which sticks to the bones. Thus did We requite them for their rebellion. 122 Surely We state the Truth.

122. This is discussed at three places in the Qur'an. (Surah AI 'Imran 3:93) states: 'All food was lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel made unlawful to themselves before the revelation of the Torah. Tell them: "Bring the Torah and recite any passage of it if you are truthful".' (Surah al-Nisa' 4:160) mentions that because of the misdeeds of the Children of Israel: 'We forbade them many clean things which had earlier been made lawful to them.' And now the present verse says that because of the transgression of the Jews, God forbade unto them 'all beasts with claws; and the fat of oxen and the sheep except the fat which is either on their backs or their entrails or that which sticks to the bones'. If these three verses are taken together, it becomes clear that the differences between Islamic law and Jewish law with regard to what is lawful and what is unlawful in animal foods stem from two considerations. First, that several centuries before the revelation of the Torah, Isra'il (Jacob, peace be on him) had given up the use of certain things, which his descendants also abstained from consuming. The result was that Jewish jurists considered them to be absolutely unlawful and recorded their prohibition in the Torah. They included the camel, the hare and the rock-badger, the prohibition of which is mentioned in the fragments of the Torah embodied in the Bible. (See Leviticus ll: 4; Deuteronomy 14: 7) But the Our'an challenges the Jews to come forward with the Torah itself and show where any of those things had been declared unlawful. Their inability to do so shows that those interdictions must have been later interpolations into the Torah. Second, when the Jews rebelled against the Law revealed by God and set themselves up as their own law-givers, they made several things unlawful for themselves, and as a punishment God allowed them to remain a prey to that misunderstanding. These include birds with claws such as the ostrich, seagull and water-hen, and also the fat of oxen and sheep. In the Bible prohibitions of these kinds have been interpolated among the injunctions of the Torah. (See Leviticus 3:17; 7:22-3; ll:16-18; Deuteronomy 14:14-16.) But (Surah al-Nisa' 4:160) shows that those things had not been made unlawful by the Torah itself. They had rather been prohibited after the time of Jesus, and history bears witness to the fact that the present Jewish law was given a definitive formulation by the Jewish jurist, Yehudah, towards the end of the second century of the Christian calendar. It might be asked in view of what has been mentioned above, why the expression 'We forbade for them' is employed in (Surah al-Nisa' 4:160) The answer is that declaration through a Prophet or a heavenly Book is not God's only way of prohibiting. Another way is to allow fraudulent law-makers and sham jurists to gain predominating influence upon God's rebels. These in turn deprive them of many good, clean things of life by making them believe that they are prohibited. The first kind of prohibition is an act of His mercy, whereas the second kind is in the nature of a curse and punishment from God.
Ayah 6:147

فَاِنْ كَذَّبُوْكَ فَقُلْ رَّبُّكُمْ ذُوْ رَحْمَةٍ وَّاسِعَةٍ١ۚ وَ لَا یُرَدُّ بَاْسُهٗ عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِیْنَ Open ayah 6:147 in the Quran reader

'Then if they give you the lie, say: 'Your Lord is of unbounded mercy; but His punishment shall not be averted from the guilty folk.' 123

123. If they could still give up their disobedience and return to the true service of God, they would find Him ready to embrace them with His mercy. But if they persisted, they should remember that no one could save them from His wrath.
Ayah 6:148

سَیَقُوْلُ الَّذِیْنَ اَشْرَكُوْا لَوْ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ مَاۤ اَشْرَكْنَا وَ لَاۤ اٰبَآؤُنَا وَ لَا حَرَّمْنَا مِنْ شَیْءٍ١ؕ كَذٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِیْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ حَتّٰى ذَاقُوْا بَاْسَنَا١ؕ قُلْ هَلْ عِنْدَكُمْ مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوْهُ لَنَا١ؕ اِنْ تَتَّبِعُوْنَ اِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَ اِنْ اَنْتُمْ اِلَّا تَخْرُصُوْنَ Open ayah 6:148 in the Quran reader

Those who associate others with Allah in His divinity will now surely say: 'Had Allah willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated others with Allah in His divinity, nor would we have declared anything (which Allah did not forbid) as forbidden.' 124 Even so those who had lived before them gave the lie (to the Truth) until they tasted Our chastisement. Tell them: 'Have you any sure knowledge that you can produce before us? In fact you are only following idle fancies, merely conjecturing.'

124. Their apology for their crimes and misdeeds would be that which has always been advanced by criminals and wrong-doers - an apology based on the assumption of absolute determinism. They would plead that when they associated others with God in His divinity, or unwarrantedly regarded certain things as prohibited, they did so because those acts had been willed for them by God. Had He not so willed, they would not have been able to do what they did. Hence, since they were doing everything according to the will of God, everything was proper. If anyone was to blame, it was God and not they. They were under compulsion to do what they did, for the ability to do otherwise lay beyond their power.
Ayah 6:149

قُلْ فَلِلّٰهِ الْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ١ۚ فَلَوْ شَآءَ لَهَدٰىكُمْ اَجْمَعِیْنَ Open ayah 6:149 in the Quran reader

'Then say to them: '(As against your argument) Allah's is the conclusive argument. Surely, had He willed, He would have guided you all to the Truth. 125

125. This provides a complete refutation of their apology. In order to appreciate it fully, careful analysis is required. In the first place they are told that citing God's will to justify one's errors and misdeeds, and making it a pretext for refusing to accept true guidance was the practice of the evil-doers before them. But they should remember that this had led to their ruin and they themselves were witnesses to the evil consequences of deviation from the Truth. Furthermore, it is being clarified that the plea of the unbelievers that the only reason for their error was that God had not willed that they be guided to the Truth, is based on fancy and conjecture rather than on sound knowledge. They refer to God's will without understanding the relationship between God's will and man's action. They entertain the misconception that if a man commits theft under the will of God, that does not mean that he will not be reckoned a criminal. For the fact is that whichever path a man chooses, be it that of gratitude or ungratitude to God of guidance or error, obedience or disobedience, God will open that path for him, and thereafter God will permit and enable him within the framework of His universal scheme, and to the extent that He deems fit - to do whatever he chooses to do whether it is right or wrong. If their forefathers had been enabled by God's will to associate others with Him in His divinity and prohibit clean things, that did not mean that they were not answerable for their misdeeds. On the contrary, everyone will be held responsible for choosing false ways, for having a false intent, and for having striven for false ends. The crucial point is succinctly made at the end in the words: 'Then say to- them, (As against your argument) Allah's is the conclusive argument. Surely, had He willed, He would have guided you all to the Truth.' The argument which they put forward, viz. 'If Allah had willed, neither we nor our forefathers could have associated others with Allah in His divinity', does not embody the whole truth. The whole truth is that 'had He willed, He would have guided you all to the Truth'. In other words, they were not prepared to take the Straight Way of their own choice and volition. As it was not God's intent to create them with inherent right guidance like the angels, they would be allowed to persist in the error they had chosen for themselves.
Ayah 6:150

قُلْ هَلُمَّ شُهَدَآءَكُمُ الَّذِیْنَ یَشْهَدُوْنَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ حَرَّمَ هٰذَا١ۚ فَاِنْ شَهِدُوْا فَلَا تَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمْ١ۚ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعْ اَهْوَآءَ الَّذِیْنَ كَذَّبُوْا بِاٰیٰتِنَا وَ الَّذِیْنَ لَا یُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِالْاٰخِرَةِ وَ هُمْ بِرَبِّهِمْ یَعْدِلُوْنَ۠ Open ayah 6:150 in the Quran reader

Say to them: 'Call your witnesses to testify that Allah forbade such-and-such.' Then if they do testify, neither testify with them 126 nor follow the desires of those who have given the lie to Our signs and who do not believe in the Hereafter and set up equals with their Lord.

126. A person who is conscious that he should testify only to that which he knows, can never testify that the taboos regarding food and other customs prevalent in their society had been enjoined by God. But if some people are brazen enough to feel no compunction in bearing false witness, then at least the believers should not become their partners in lying. The real purpose in asking them to testify honestly whether their customs and practices had in fact been sanctioned by God, is to stimulate those with some sense of honesty to reflect on the character of their customs and practices. Perhaps when they realize that there is no evidence of those prohibitions having been prescribed by God, some of them may decide to get rid of them.