6. Al-An'aam

And He it is Who produces creates gardens orchards trellised extending along the ground as in the case of watermelons and untrellised rising upwards on a stem such as palm-trees; and He produces palm-trees and crops diverse in flavour diverse in the shape and savour of its fruit and seed and olives and pomegranates alike in terms of their leaf mutashābihan ‘alike’ is a circumstantial qualifier and unlike in terms of their savour. Eat of the fruit thereof when it ripens before its maturity passes and pay the due thereof the alms as appropriate on the day of its harvest read yawma hasādahu or yawma hasādihi that is one tenth or half of it and do not be prodigal by giving it all away so that nothing remains for the consumption of your dependants. Truly God does not love the prodigal who overstep the bounds of that which He has delimited for them.

And He produces of the cattle some for burden fit to bear loads such as the large mature camels and some for light support not fit for these load-bearing tasks such as young camels or sheep such cattle are called farsh because they are like ‘bedding farsh spread on the ground’ on account of their physical closeness to it; eat of that which God has provided you and do not follow the steps of Satan his methods of forbidding things or deeming them lawful. Surely he is a manifest foe to you one whose enmity is evident.

Eight pairs types thamāniyata azwājin substitutes for hamūlatan wa-farshan ‘some for burdens and some for light support’ two of sheep a male and a female; and of goats read ma‘az or ma‘z two. Say O Muhammad (s) to those who on one occasion deem male cattle forbidden and on another the females thereof and then ascribe such rules to God ‘Is it the two males of the sheep and goats He has forbidden you or the two females of these two types or that which the wombs of the two females contain be they male or female? Inform Me with knowledge of the details of such prohibitions if you speak truly’ in this matter meaning on what basis has the prohibition been made? If it is on the basis of maleness then all males are forbidden; if on the basis of femaleness then all females are so forbidden; if on what the womb may contain then both genders are prohibited. So on what basis are such specifications made? the interrogative is meant as a repudiation.

And of the camels two and of the oxen two. Say ‘Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females? Or what the wombs of the two females contain? Or were you witnesses present when God charged you with this? prohibition such that you use it to support your claims? Nay! You speak lies in this matter. Then who that is none does greater evil than he who invents a lie against God in this matter that he may lead mankind astray without any knowledge? Truly God does not guide evildoing folk’.

Say ‘I do not find in what is revealed to me anything forbidden to him who eats thereof except it be read yakūn or takūn carrion maytatan; or if read maytatun then with the form yakūn ‘it be’ preceding it or blood poured forth flowing as opposed to the case of a liver or a spleen; or the flesh of swine — that indeed is an abomination forbidden or except it be a wicked thing that has been hallowed to other than God that is to say it has been slaughtered in the name of someone else. But whoever is constrained to do any of what has been mentioned and he consumes it neither coveting nor transgressing then surely your Lord is Forgiving to him for what he has consumed Merciful’ towards him. To these prohibited things the Sunna adds all beasts of prey with canine teeth and birds of prey with talons.

And to those of Jewry that is the Jews We forbade every beast with hoof that is every animal which does not have divided toes such as camels and ostriches; and of oxen and sheep We forbade them the fat of them the thin fat lining the stomach and the fat of the kidneys save what their backs carry that is what fat is attached to it or what is carried by their entrails their intestines hawāyā is the plural of hāwiyā’ or hāwiya or what is mingled with bone thereof which is the fat of the rump these were lawful for them; that prohibition We requited them with for their insolence on account of their wrongdoing as already mentioned in sūrat al-Nisā’ Q. 4160; verily We are truthful in recounting Our tidings and Our appointed times.

The idolaters will say ‘Had God willed we would not have been idolaters neither we nor our fathers nor would we have forbidden anything’ in other words our idolatry and our forbidding of things are by His will and so He must be satisfied with it. God exalted be He says So in the same way that these have lied those who were before them gave the lie to their prophets until they tasted Our might Our chastisement. Say ‘Have you any knowledge that God is satisfied with this such that you can adduce for us? that is you have no such knowledge. You follow only supposition in this matter merely guessing’ telling lies therein.

Say if you have no definitive argument then ‘To God belongs the conclusive argument the perfect one for had He willed to guide you He could have guided all of you’.

Say ‘Come bring forth your witnesses those who can testify that God has forbidden this’ which you have forbidden. Then if they testify do not bear witness with them; and do not follow the whims of those who deny Our signs those who do not believe in the Hereafter and ascribe equals to their Lord associating others with Him.