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Al-An'am (The Cattle)

Verse 143of 165

ثَمَٰنِيَةَ أَزْوَٰجٍۢ ۖ مِّنَ ٱلضَّأْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ ٱلْمَعْزِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا ٱشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖ نَبِّـُٔونِى بِعِلْمٍ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ﴿١٤٣

Translation (Sahih International)

[They are] eight mates - of the sheep, two and of the goats, two. Say, "Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Inform me with knowledge, if you should be truthful."

Word-by-word meaning

ثَمَـٰنِيَةَthamāniyataEight
أَزْوَٰجٍۢ ۖazwājinpairs
مِّنَminaof
ٱلضَّأْنِl-ḍanithe sheep
ٱثْنَيْنِith'naynitwo
وَمِنَwaminaand of
ٱلْمَعْزِl-maʿzithe goats
ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗith'naynitwo
قُلْqulSay
ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِāldhakarayni(Are) the two males
حَرَّمَḥarramaHe has forbidden
أَمِamior
ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِl-unthayaynithe two females
أَمَّاammāor what
ٱشْتَمَلَتْish'tamalatcontains
عَلَيْهِʿalayhi[in it]
أَرْحَامُarḥāmu(the) wombs
ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖl-unthayayni(of) the two females
نَبِّـُٔونِىnabbiūnīInform me
بِعِلْمٍbiʿil'minwith knowledge
إِنinif
كُنتُمْkuntumyou are
صَـٰدِقِينَṣādiqīnatruthful

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

These Ayat demonstrate the ignorance of the Arabs before Islam.They used to prohibit the usage of some of their cattle and designate them as Bahirah, Sa'ibah, Wasilah and Ham etc. These were some of the innovations they invented for cattle, fruits and produce. Allah stated that He has created gardens, trellised and untrellised, and cattle, as animals of burden and as Farsh. Allah next mentioned various kinds of cattle, male and female, such as sheep and goats.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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