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Al-An'am (The Cattle)

Verse 144of 165

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﴿١٤٤

Translation (Sahih International)

And of the camels, two and of the cattle, two. Say, "Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Or were you witnesses when Allah charged you with this? Then who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah to mislead the people by [something] other than knowledge? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people."

Word-by-word meaning

وَمِنَwaminaAnd of
ٱلْإِبِلِl-ibilithe camels
ٱثْنَيْنِith'naynitwo
وَمِنَwaminaand of
ٱلْبَقَرِl-baqarithe cows
ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗith'naynitwo
قُلْqulSay
ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِāldhakarayni(Is it) 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
أَمْamOr
كُنتُمْkuntumwere you
شُهَدَآءَshuhadāawitnesses
إِذْidhwhen
وَصَّىٰكُمُwaṣṣākumuenjoined you
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
بِهَـٰذَا ۚbihādhāwith this
فَمَنْfamanThen who
أَظْلَمُaẓlamu(is) more unjust
مِمَّنِmimmanithan (one) who
ٱفْتَرَىٰif'tarāinvents
عَلَىʿalāagainst
ٱللَّهِl-lahiAllah
كَذِبًۭاkadhibana lie
لِّيُضِلَّliyuḍillato mislead
ٱلنَّاسَl-nāsathe people
بِغَيْرِbighayriwithout
عِلْمٍ ۗʿil'minknowledge
إِنَّinnaIndeed
ٱللَّهَl-lahaAllah
لَا(does) not
يَهْدِىyahdīguide
ٱلْقَوْمَl-qawmathe people
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَl-ẓālimīnathe wrongdoing

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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