Al-An'am 6:138
The Cattle · Juz 8 · Page 146
وَقَالُواْ هَٰذِهِۦٓ أَنۡعَٰمٞ وَحَرۡثٌ حِجۡرٞ لَّا يَطۡعَمُهَآ إِلَّا مَن نَّشَآءُ بِزَعۡمِهِمۡ وَأَنۡعَٰمٌ حُرِّمَتۡ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنۡعَٰمٞ لَّا يَذۡكُرُونَ ٱسۡمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡهَا ٱفۡتِرَآءً عَلَيۡهِۚ سَيَجۡزِيهِم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفۡتَرُونَ ١٣٨
And they say, "These animals1 and crops are forbidden; no one may eat from them except whom we will," by their claim. And there are those [camels] whose backs are forbidden [by them]2 and those upon which the name of Allāh is not mentioned3 - [all of this] an invention of untruth about Him.4 He will punish them for what they were inventing.
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Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 6:138
The Idolators Forbade Certain Types of Cattle
`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "Hijr refers to what they forbade, such as the Wasilah, and the like." Similar was said by Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, Qatadah, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam and others. Qatadah commented on,
وَقَالُواْ هَذِهِ أَنْعَمٌ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌ
(They say that such and such cattle and crops are Hijr,) "It is a prohibition that the Shayatin appointed for their wealth, and a type of exaggeration and extremism that did not come from Allah." `Abdur-Rahman Ibn Zayd bin Aslam said that, d
حِجْرٍ
(Hijr,) refers to what the idolators designated for their deities. As-Suddi said that the Ayah,
لاَّ يَطْعَمُهَآ إِلاَّ مَن نَّشَآءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ
(And none should eat of them except those whom we allow, they claimed...) means, "They said, only those whom we choose can eat of them., and the rest are prohibited from eating them." Similar to this honorable Ayah, Allah said,
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَّآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ مِّن رِّزْقٍ فَجَعَلْتُمْ مِّنْهُ حَرَامًا وَحَلاَلاً قُلْ ءَآللَّهُ أَذِنَ لَكُمْ أَمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَفْتَرُونَ
(Say: "Tell me, what provision Allah has sent down to you! And you have made of it lawful and unlawful." Say: "Has Allah permitted you (to do so), or do you invent a lie against Allah") 10:59, and,
مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِن بَحِيرَةٍ وَلاَ سَآئِبَةٍ وَلاَ وَصِيلَةٍ وَلاَ حَامٍ وَلَكِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ
(Allah has not instituted things like Bahirah or a Sa'ibah or a Wasilah or a Ham. But those who disbelieve invent lies against Allah, and most of them have no understanding.) 5:103 As-Suddi said that cattle forbidden to be used for burden were the Bahirah, Sa'ibah, Wasilah and Ham, as well as cattle for which the idolators did not mention Allah's Name when slaughtering them nor when they were born. Abu Bakr bin `Ayyash said that `Asim bin Abi An-Najud said, "Abu Wa'il said to me, `Do you know the meaning of the Ayah,
وَأَنْعَمٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنْعَمٌ لاَّ يَذْكُرُونَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا
(And (they say) there are cattle forbidden to be used for burden, and cattle on which the Name of Allah is not pronounced.) I said, `No.' He said, `It is the Bahirah, which they would not use to for Hajj (either by riding it or carrying things on it)."' Mujahid also said that they were some of the camels belonging to idolators on which Allah's Name was not mentioned when riding, milking, carrying things, copulation or any other action.
افْتِرَآءً عَلَيْهِ
(lying against Him.) against Allah. The idolators indeed lied when they attributed this evil to Allah's religion and Law; He did not allow them to do that nor did He approve of it,
سَيَجْزِيهِم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ
(He will recompense them for what they used to fabricate.) against Him, and falsely attribute to Him.
Page 146
6:138
وَقَالُواْ هَٰذِهِۦٓ أَنۡعَٰمٞ وَحَرۡثٌ حِجۡرٞ لَّا يَطۡعَمُهَآ إِلَّا مَن نَّشَآءُ بِزَعۡمِهِمۡ وَأَنۡعَٰمٌ حُرِّمَتۡ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنۡعَٰمٞ لَّا يَذۡكُرُونَ ٱسۡمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡهَا ٱفۡتِرَآءً عَلَيۡهِۚ سَيَجۡزِيهِم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفۡتَرُونَ ١٣٨
And they say, "These animals1 and crops are forbidden; no one may eat from them except whom we will," by their claim. And there are those [camels] whose backs are forbidden [by them]2 and those upon which the name of Allāh is not mentioned3 - [all of this] an invention of untruth about Him.4 He will punish them for what they were inventing.
6:139
وَقَالُواْ مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَٰذِهِ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ خَالِصَةٞ لِّذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَزۡوَٰجِنَاۖ وَإِن يَكُن مَّيۡتَةٗ فَهُمۡ فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُۚ سَيَجۡزِيهِمۡ وَصۡفَهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٞ ١٣٩
And they say, "What is in the bellies of these animals1 is exclusively for our males and forbidden to our females. But if it is [born] dead, then all of them have shares therein." He will punish them for their description.2 Indeed, He is Wise and Knowing.
6:140
قَدۡ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَتَلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَٰدَهُمۡ سَفَهَۢا بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمٖ وَحَرَّمُواْ مَا رَزَقَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱفۡتِرَآءً عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ قَدۡ ضَلُّواْ وَمَا كَانُواْ مُهۡتَدِينَ ١٤٠
They will have lost who killed their children in foolishness without knowledge and prohibited what Allāh had provided for them, inventing untruth about Allāh. They have gone astray and were not [rightly] guided.
6:141
۞ وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنشَأَ جَنَّٰتٖ مَّعۡرُوشَٰتٖ وَغَيۡرَ مَعۡرُوشَٰتٖ وَٱلنَّخۡلَ وَٱلزَّرۡعَ مُخۡتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُۥ وَٱلزَّيۡتُونَ وَٱلرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَٰبِهٗا وَغَيۡرَ مُتَشَٰبِهٖۚ كُلُواْ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦٓ إِذَآ أَثۡمَرَ وَءَاتُواْ حَقَّهُۥ يَوۡمَ حَصَادِهِۦۖ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ ١٤١
And He it is who causes gardens to grow, [both] trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different [kinds of] food and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of [each of] its fruit when it yields and give its due [zakāh] on the day of its harvest. And be not excessive.1 Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess.
1 translator’s note
- In eating, as well as in all things generally. ↩
6:142
وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ حَمُولَةٗ وَفَرۡشٗاۚ كُلُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمۡ عَدُوّٞ مُّبِينٞ ١٤٢
And of the grazing livestock are carriers [of burdens] and those [too] small. Eat of what Allāh has provided for you and do not follow the footsteps of Satan.1 Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
1 translator’s note
- As the disbelievers have done in making their own rulings about what is permissible and what is prohibited. ↩