Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 141

Overview (Verses 141 - 144)

The Originator of All Creation
 
The sūrah then puts them face to face with the eternal truth that they strayed away from. It has already referred to it when speaking of how the Arabs assigned a portion of their agricultural produce and cattle to God and another portion to the false deities which they associated with Him. Now the sūrah states clearly to them that although they dispense of such produce and cattle in ways suggested by evil beings, human and jinn, these have had no say whatsoever in their creation. It is God who created them all so that people could benefit from them and praise God for what He has created and worship Him alone. It must be stated here that God does not need their praise or worship, for He has no need of anything or anyone. He is compassionate and He knows that through praising and worshipping Him alone, people achieve what sets their world on the right course as they adopt the right faith. How is it then that they allow those who have created nothing to rule over the produce and cattle God has created? How is it that they give a portion of these to God and another portion to other beings, and even cheat with the portion they assign to God?
 
The Creator who gives sustenance is the Lord who owns all. Hence, it is not permissible for anyone to have any authority over the use of what He has created except by His permission stipulated in the law He has laid down. This law is fully explained in the message conveyed by His Messenger, not in what is claimed by those deities trying to usurp God’s authority: “It is He who has brought into being gardens — both of the cultivated type and those growing wild — and the date palm, and fields bearing different produce, and the olive tree, and the pomegranates, all resembling one another and yet so different. Eat of their fruit when they come to fruition, and give (to the poor) what is due to them on harvest day. But do not waste, for He does not love the wasteful. And of the cattle some are reared for work and others for food. Eat of that which God has provided for you as sustenance and do not follow Satan’s footsteps; he is your open foe.” (Verses 141-142)
 
All praise is due to God who has created all those gardens, bringing life out of what is dead. Some of these gardens are of the cultivated type which human beings tend and support with trellis, posts and weed killing, and some are of the wild type that requires little or no attention or help from man. God has also made the palm tree and other types of cultivation, giving them different colours, tastes and shapes. It is God who has created the olives and the pomegranates with a wide range of varieties and yet all so similar. Furthermore, God has created the cattle and made some of them stand on high legs so that they can carry large loads and made others of shorter height and supplied them with wool or hair which can be used for making clothes.
 
It is God who has originated life on earth and given it such wide variety so as to satisfy the needs of human beings in their life on earth. In spite of these clear facts of creation, people still refer to beings other than God for rulings over the distribution of crops, cattle and wealth. We often find references in the Qur’ān to the fact that it is God alone who provides the means of sustenance for people. This fact is often given as an argument in support of the principle that people should refer to God alone to determine how they conduct their affairs. The Creator who alone provides sustenance is, without question, the One who alone combines the overall Lordship of human life with total sovereignty, including the full authority to rule and legislate. At this point, we are given a variety of scenes showing growing plants, the yielding of fruits, cattle and what God has provided for us in them all. These are given in order to add strength to the Islamic point of view concerning the authority to legislate just as they are also used to support the fact that Godhead belongs to God alone. In this way, both questions are made to appear a complete unit, as indeed they are in the Islamic faith. When plants and fruits are mentioned, God says: “Eat of their fruit when they come to fruition, and give (to the poor) what is due to them on harvest day. But do not waste, for He does not love the wasteful.” (Verse 141) The order to give to the poor what is due to them on harvest day is perhaps the reason why some reports suggest that this verse was revealed in Madinah. We have said in the Prologue to this sūrah, however, that this verse was also revealed in Makkah, because it is not possible that the Makkan parts of the sūrah could have been revealed without this verse. Had it been delayed until revelation was given in Madinah, there would be a gap in the passage. The order to give to the poor what is their due on harvest day does not necessarily refer to zakāt. Some reports suggest that this simply refers to charity which is not specified. Zakāt, however, and its specified measures were outlined in the second year after the Prophet’s settlement in Madinah.
 
The Qur’ānic statement: “Do not waste, for He does not love the wasteful”, can be construed as referring to charitable donations or to eating and personal use. It has been suggested that the early Muslims competed in giving to charity to a degree which made their action wasteful. Hence God orders them not to be prodigal.
 
Referring to cattle, God says to them: “Eat of that which God has provided for you as sustenance and do not follow Satan’s footsteps; he is your open foe.” (Verse 142) Thus God reminds them that all the sustenance they have been given is provided by Him, the Creator of all. Satan has created nothing. How is it, then, that people follow Satan’s dictates on how they should use what God has provided for them? He follows this with a reminder that Satan is their manifest enemy. How, then, can they follow Satan’ s footsteps?
 
The sūrah then sheds ample light on the points around which ignorant misconceptions concentrate. These are examined in detail in order to expose their unjustifiable and indefensible absurdity. They realize that with regard to such misconceptions they have no leg to stand on: “Of cattle you have eight in [four] pairs: a pair of the sheep and a pair of the goats. Say: Is it the two males that He has forbidden, or the two females, or that which the wombs of the two females may contain? Tell me plainly if you are men of truth. And, likewise, a pair of camels and a pair of oxen. Say: Is it the two males that He has forbidden, or the two females, or that which the wombs of the two females may contain? Is it, perchance, that you were witnesses when God gave you these commandments? Who could be more wicked than one who, without any real knowledge, invents lies about God in order to lead people astray? God does not guide the wrongdoers.” (Verses 143-144)
 
The cattle over which all this controversy is about, and which is certainly created for them by God, as stated in the previous verse, are eight types, made in four pairs. Thus we have a pair of sheep and a pair of goats. Which of them has God forbidden? Or has He made what is in their wombs forbidden? “Tell me plainly if you are men of truth.” (Verse 143) There is no room in such matters for guesswork. No legislation may be put into effect concerning them without clear authority.
 
As for the other types, we have a male and a female camel, as well as a male and a female cow. Again the question is asked: which of the two has God forbidden? Or is it that He has forbidden what is in their wombs? Besides, what authority is there to support such a prohibition? “Is it, perchance, that you were witnesses when God gave you these commandments?” (Verse 144) Were you present to witness God’s commandments? The fact is that there is no prohibition without a clear order by God. He alone has the authority to forbid anything. Clear evidence must be given in support of any prohibition.
 
Thus all legislation must come from the same source. Since they falsely claimed that their laws enjoyed the backing of God’s authority, they are immediately given a very stern warning: “Who could be more wicked than one who, without any real knowledge, invents lies about God in order to lead people astray? God does not guide the wrongdoers.” (Verse 144) There can be no one more unjust or wicked than a person who invents a law which is not sanctioned by God and then claims that it is God’s law in order to lead people astray. Such a person has no real knowledge. He only relies on his own conjecture or desire. Such people can never receive God’s guidance, because they have severed themselves from all means of guidance. They have attributed partners to God without His approval. God does not grant guidance to those who are wrongdoers.