146 Page Notes

06 Surah Al-Anam (continued)

Page 146 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

6:138

6:139

6:140

6:141

6:142

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 146 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 146 of the Quran covers Surah Al-An'am (The Cattle), verses 138 through 142. In this passage, the text continues its direct takedown of the arbitrary dietary taboos and animal-consecration laws invented by the pre-Islamic pagans. It then transitions beautifully into a reminder of God's true provisions: gardens, crops, and livestock meant for human benefit, provided people do not follow the footsteps of Satan by creating extreme, unauthorized restrictions.

1. Verses 138–139: Taboos on Livestock and Their Foetuses

"And they say, 'These animals and crops are forbidden; no one may eat them except whom we will,' by their claim. And there are cattle whose backs are forbidden [to burden] and cattle over which they do not mention the name of Allah... And they say, 'What is in the bellies of these cattle is exclusively for our males and forbidden to our wives. But if it is [born] dead, then all of them have a share in it'..." (Quran 6:138–139)

These verses expose the convoluted, sexist dietary laws of Jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic era of ignorance). The Sunnah provides the exact definitions of these superstitious classifications.

• The Specific Classifications of Taboo Animals: In the Sunnah and the narrations of the companions, the specific titles given to these "forbidden cattle" are preserved:

  • Bahirah: A female camel whose milk was spared for the idols; no human was allowed to milk her.

  • Sa'ibah: A camel let loose to pasture freely for the sake of false gods; no burdens could be placed on its back.

  • Wasilah: A female sheep that gave birth to twin offspring (a male and a female), causing the male to be spared from sacrifice out of honor for the idols.

  • Ham: A male stallion camel whose backbone was protected from work after it had sired a certain number of offspring.

• The Prophet Identifies the Originator: The Prophet Muhammad explained that these highly specific animal bans were entirely fabricated by human innovation:
  "I saw Amr bin Luhayy al-Khuza'i dragging his intestines in the Fire. He was the first who introduced the tradition of Sa'ibah (camels dedicated to idols)."
  (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Prophetic Commentary, Hadith 4623).

2. Verse 140: Lost are Those Who Kill Their Children Out of Foolishness

"Lost are those who have slain their children foolishly without knowledge and have forbidden what Allah had provided for them, inventing untruth against Allah. They have gone astray and were not [rightly] guided." (Quran 6:140)

This verse ties the custom of changing dietary laws directly to the moral degradation of female infanticide and child-killing out of economic paranoia.

• Protecting Children and Redefining True Wealth: The Sunnah records how heavily the Prophet worked to uproot this barbaric mindset. Beyond physically halting the practice, he flipped their cultural definitions of success. He taught that daughters are a direct gateway to Paradise if raised well:
  "Whoever has three daughters and is patient with them, feeds them, gives them drink, and clothes them from his wealth—they will be a shield for him from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection."
  (Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Etiquette, Hadith 3669; authenticated by Al-Albani).

3. Verse 141: Harvesting, Generosity, and Extravagance

"And He it is who causes gardens to grow, trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different kinds of food and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of their fruit when they ripen and give its due [Zakat] on the day of its harvest. And be not extravagant. Indeed, He does not like the extravagant." (Quran 6:141)

This verse shifts the tone from pagan superstitions to God’s genuine, abundant botanical creations. It establishes the spiritual obligation of charity at the moment of harvest and balances it with a warning against wastefulness.

• The Sunnah of Zakat on Crops: The Prophet Muhammad directly quantified the phrase "give its due on the day of its harvest" by codifying the tax rate for agricultural output:
  "On a land irrigated by rain water or by natural water channels, one-tenth (10%) is compulsory (as Zakat); and on the land irrigated by the turning of a water wheel (artificial means), half of a tenth (5%) is compulsory."
  (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Zakat, Hadith 1483).

• The Definition of Extravagance (Israf): The Prophet fiercely discouraged food waste and luxurious overconsumption. He laid down a physical blueprint for modern wellness and anti-extravagance:
  "The human does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But if he must fill it, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink, and one-third for his breath."
  (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Book of Asceticism, Hadith 2380; Sahih by Al-Albani).

4. Verse 142: Livestock and Avoiding the Footsteps of Satan

"And of the cattle are those for burden and those for clothing/meat. Eat of what Allah has provided for you and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy." (Quran 6:142)

• Satanic Alteration of Creation: What does it mean to "follow the footsteps of Satan" regarding livestock? In a profound Hadith Qudsi, the Prophet explained that Satan's goal is to trick people into making pure things forbidden and mutilating animals:
  The Prophet said that Allah said: "I created all My servants pure (monotheists), but the devils came to them and turned them away from their religion. They made unlawful for them what I had made lawful, and they commanded them to associate partners with Me... and to slit the ears of cattle (marking them for idols)."
  (Sahih Muslim, Book of Paradise, its Description, and its Bounties, Hadith 2865).

Classical Reference Key

• Sahih al-Bukhari: Kitab al-Zakat (Hadiths on harvest percentages) and Kitab al-Tafsir (explaining the pagan camel classifications).

• Sahih Muslim: Kitab al-Jannah wa Sifat Na'imiha (detailing how the devils systematically corrupt natural instincts regarding dietary laws).

• Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Volume 3): Combines the historical accounts of Ibn Abbas and Said bin al-Musayyib to define exactly how the pagans parsed out livestock foetuses between men and women as described in verse 139.