6. Sura al-Anam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَا
مِن دَآبَّةٍ
فِي الأَرْضِ
وَلاَ طَائِرٍ
يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ
إِلاَّ أُمَمٌ
أَمْثَالُكُم
...
6: 38. There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you.
C859. "Animals living on the earth" include those living in the water-fishes, reptiles, crustaceans, insects, as well as four-footed beasts. Life on the wing is separately mentioned.
"Tair," which is ordinarily translated as "bird," is anything that flies, including mammals like bats.
In our pride we may exclude animals from our purview, but they live a life, social ad individual, like ourselves, and all life is subject to the Plan and Will of Allah.
In 6:59 we are told that not a leaf falls but by His Will, and things dry and green are recorded in His Book. In other words they all obey His archetypal Plan, the Book which is also mentioned here.
They are all answerable in their several degrees to His Plan ("shall be gathered to their Lord in the end"). This is not Pantheism: it is ascribing all life, activity, and existence to the Will and Plan of Allah.
...مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الكِتَابِ مِن شَيْءٍ ...
Nothing have We omitted from the Book,
... ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ ﴿٣٨﴾
and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.
وَالَّذِينَ
كَذَّبُواْ
بِآيَاتِنَا
صُمٌّ وَبُكْمٌ
فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ...
6: 39. Those who reject Our Signs are deaf and dumb, in the midst of darkness profound:
C860. The limited free will of man makes a little difference. If he sees the Signs but shuts his ears to the true Message, and refuses (like a dumb thing) to speak out the Message which all Nature proclaims, then according to the Plan ( of his limited free-will) he must suffer and wander, just as, in the opposite case, he will receive grace and salvation.
...مَن يَشَإِ اللّهُ يُضْلِلْهُ وَمَن يَشَأْ يَجْعَلْهُ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ ﴿٣٩﴾
whom Allah willeth, He leaveth to wander,
whom He willeth, He placeth on the way that is straight.
Other Versions:
6: 38
Asad although there is no beast that walks on earth and no bird that flies on its two wings which is not [God’s] creature [note 30] like yourselves: no single thing have We neglected n Our decree. And once again [note 31]: Unto their Sustainer shall they [all] be gathered.
Pickthall There is not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like unto you. We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees). Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.
Transliteration Wa ma_ min da_bbatin fil ardi wa la_ ta_'iriy yatiru bi jana_haihi illa_ umamun amsa_lukum, ma_ farratna_ fil kita_bi min syai'in summa ila_ rabbihim yuhsyaru_n(a).
6: 39
Pickthall Those who deny our revelations are deaf and dumb in darkness. Whom Allah will He sendeth astray, and whom He will He placeth on a straight path.
Transliteration Wallazina kazabu_ bi a_ya_tina_ summuw wa bukmun fiz zuluma_t(i), may yasya'illa_hu yudlilhu wa may yasya' yaj'alhu 'ala_ sira_tim mustaqim(in).
[[Asad’s note 30 – Lit., “but they are [God’s] creatures (unam)” The word ‘ummah’ [of which ‘umam’ is the plural] primarily denotes a group of living beings having certain characteristics of circumstances in common. Thus, it is often synonymous with “community”, “people”, “nation”, “genus”, “generation”, and so forth. [Lisan al-Arab, with particular eference to this very Quran verse; also Lane I, 90].
Thus, the meaning of the above passage is this; Man can detect God’s “signs” or “miracles” in all the life-phenomena that surround him, and should, therefore, try to observe them with a view to better understanding ‘God’s way” [sunnat Allah] – which is the Quranic term for what we call “laws of nature”.]]
[[ Ali’s notes - 858 Sins are all around them, but they do not understand. If they want a particular Sign to suit their gross ignorance, they will not be humoured, for they can always pick holes in anything that descends to their level. (6.37)
859 "Animals living on the earth" include those living in the water, - fishes, reptiles, crustaceans, insects, as well as four-footed beasts. Life on the wing is separately mentioned. "Tair," which is ordinarily translated as "bird," is anything that flies, including mammals like bats. In our pride we may exclude animals from our purview, but they all live a life, social and individual, like ourselves, and all life is subject to the Plan and the Will of God. In vi. 59 we are told that not a leaf falls but by His Will, and things dry and green are recorded in His Book. In other words they all obey His archetypal Plan, the Book which is also mentioned here. They are all answerable in their several degrees to His Plan ("shall be gathered to their Lord in the end"). This is not Pantheism: it is ascribing all life, activity, and existence to the Will and Plan of God. (6.38)
860 The limited free will of man makes a little difference. If he sees the Signs but shuts his ears to the true Message, and refuses (like a dumb thing) to speak out the Message which all Nature proclaims, then according to the Plan ( of his limited free-will) he must suffer and wander, just as, in the opposite case, he will receive grace and salvation.
(6.39) ]]
6: 142 and of the cattle reared for work and for the sake of their flesh, eat whatever God has provided for you as sustenance, and follow not Satan’s footsteps: behold, he is your open foe!
[ Adad note 129: .......superstitiously declaring as forbidden what God has made lawful to man. All the references of pre-Islamic taboos given in verses 138-140 and 142-144 are meant to stress the lawfulness of any food which God has not expressly forbidden through revelation.]
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16. [an-Nahl, Mecca 70]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَالأَنْعَامَ
خَلَقَهَا
لَكُمْ ...
16: 5. And cattle He has created for you (men):
C2023. Why will you go back to material things, considering that material things are made subservient to your use and enjoyment in various ways as suggested in the clauses that follow.
... فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ...
from them ye derive warmth, and numerous benefits,
C2024. From wool, and hair, and skins, and milk.
Camel's hair makes warm robes and blankets; and certain kinds of goats yield hair which makes similar fabrics.
Sheep yield wool, and Ilamas alpaca for similar uses. The skins and furs of many animals yield warm raiment or make warm rugs or bedding.
The females of many of these animals yield good warm milk, a nourishing and wholesome diet. Then the flesh of many of these animals is good to eat.
There are other uses, which the animals serve, and which are referred to later.
... وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ ﴿٥﴾
and of their (meat) ye eat.
وَلَكُمْ
فِيهَا جَمَالٌ
حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ
وَحِينَ تَسْرَحُونَ ﴿٦﴾
16: 6. And ye have a sense of pride and beauty in them as ye drive them home in the evening, and as ye lead them forth to pasture in the morning.
C2025. The good man is proud of his cattle and is good to them. As they go to, and return from, pasture, morning and evening, he has a sense of his power and wealth and their beauty and docility.
Will not man turn from these material facts to the great spiritual truths and purpose behind them?
وَتَحْمِلُ
أَثْقَالَكُمْ
إِلَى بَلَدٍ
لَّمْ تَكُونُواْ
بَالِغِيهِ
إِلاَّ بِشِقِّ
الأَنفُسِ...
16: 7. And they carry your heavy loads to lands that ye could not (otherwise) reach except with souls distressed:
C2026. The cattle and animals also carry loads, and thus make inter-communication between different lands easy. But for them there would have been many difficulties, not only physical, but psychological.
Weary men carrying loads are in no mood for social and spiritual intercourse. This intercourse is made possible by the kindness and mercy of Allah.
... إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٧﴾
for your Lord is indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful.
وَالْخَيْلَ
وَالْبِغَالَ
وَالْحَمِيرَ
لِتَرْكَبُوهَا
وَزِينَةً...
16: 8. And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use for show;
C2027. Horse, mules, and donkeys as well as other animals may be beasts of burden, but they may also be pedigree animals bred for beauty and for all those more refined uses, such as processions, in which grace and elegance is the predominant feature.
... وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٨﴾
and He has created (other) things of what ye have no knowledge.
C2028. If we examine the history of transport, there have been vast changes through the ages, from rude pack animals to fine equipages, and then through mechanical contrivances, such means of transport as elegant coaches, tramways and railways, useful motor lorries and Rolls-Royce cars, and air-ships and aeroplanes of all descriptions.
At any given point of time, many of these were yet unknown to man. Nor can we suppose the limit to have been reached now or that it will ever be reached at any future time.
Through the mind and ingenuity of man it is Allah that creates new things hitherto unknown to man.
وَعَلَى
اللّهِ قَصْدُ
السَّبِيلِ
وَمِنْهَا
جَآئِرٌ...
16: 9. And unto Allah leads straight the Way, but there are ways that turn aside:
C2029. Through material things "the Way" does always lead to Allah. But some minds are so obsessed with material things that they miss the pointers to the spiritual.
Allah could have forced all to the true Way, but in His Will and Plan is the training of man's will, and that is done by the Signs in nature and Revelation.
... وَلَوْ شَاء لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿٩﴾
if Allah had willed, He could have guided all of you.
وَإِنَّ
لَكُمْ فِي الأَنْعَامِ
لَعِبْرَةً...
16: 66. And verily in cattle (too) will ye find an instructive Sign.
C2093. The spiritual sustenance which Allah gives is typified by the wonderful ways of sustenance in the physical world, which figure forth Allah's providence and loving care for His creation. And the wonderful transformations in the physical world, which all tend to the benefit of man, are also Signs of His supreme wisdom.
In the previous verse rain was mentioned, which gives new life to dead nature. In this and the following two verses our attention is drawn to milk, the products of the date and the vine, and honey.
... نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ ...
From what is within their bodies,
C2094. Their; in the Arabic, it is "its", in the singular number, for two reasons:
- cattle is the generic plural, and may be treated as a singular noun;
- the instructive Sign is in cattle collectively, but the milk is the product of each single individual.
... مِن بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَنًا خَالِصًا...
between excretions and blood, We produce, for your drink, milk, pure
C2095. Milk is a secretion in the female body, like other secretions, but more specialized.
Is it not wonderful that the same food, eaten by males and females, produces in the latter, when they have young, the wholesome and complete food, known as milk?
Then, when cattle are tamed and specially bred for milk, the supply of milk is vastly greater than is necessary for their young and lasts for a longer time than during the period they give suck to their young.
And it is a wholesome and agreeable diet for man. It is pure, as typified by its whiteness. Yet it is a secretion like other secretions, between the excretions which the body rejects as worthless and the precious blood-stream which circulates within the body and is the symbol of life itself to the animal which produces it.
... سَآئِغًا لِلشَّارِبِينَ ﴿٦٦﴾
and agreeable to those who drink it.
16: 5
Asad And He creates cattle: you derive warmth from them, and [various other] uses; and from them you obtain food;
Yuksel The livestock He created for you, in them is warmth and benefits, and from them you eat.
Pickthall And the cattle hath He created, whence ye have warm clothing and uses, and whereof ye eat.
Transliteration Wal an'a_ma khalaqaha_ lakum fiha_ dif'uw wa mana_fi'u wa minha_ ta'kulu_n(a).
16: 6
Yuksel For you in them is attraction, when you relax and when you travel.
Pickthall And wherein is beauty for you, when ye bring them home, and when ye take them out to pasture.
Transliteration Wa lakum fiha_ jama_lun hina turihu_na wa hina tasrahu_n(a),
16: 7
Yuksel They carry your loads to a place you would not have been able to reach except with great strain. Your Lord is Kind, Compassionate.
Pickthall And they bear your loads for you unto a land ye could not reach save with great trouble to yourselves. Lo! your Lord is Full of Pity, Merciful.
Transliteration Wa tahmilu asqa_lakum ila_ baladil lam taku_nu_ ba_ligihi illaa_ bi syiqqil anfus(i), inna rabbakum la ra'u_fur rahim(uw),
16: 8
Asad ……and He will yet create things of which [today] you have no knowledge.
Yuksel The horses, the mules, and the donkeys, that you may ride them and as an adornment. He creates what you do not know.*
Pickthall And horses and mules and asses (hath He created) that ye may ride them, and for ornament. And He createth that which ye know not.
Transliteration Wal khaila wal biga_la wal hamira litarkabu_ha_ wa zinah(tan), wa yakhluqu ma_ la_ ta'lamu_n(a).
[Asad note 6: The use, in this context, of the aorist “yakhluqu” implies the future tense ( “He will create” ) in contrast with the past tense “khalaqa” employed in the preceding passages. Since this reference to God’s continuing creation comes immediately after a mention of primitive means of transport……to new means of transport which God unceasingly creates through the instrumentality of the inventiveness with which He has endowed man’s mind (cf. 36:42).
16: 9
Asad And it rests with God alone to show you the right path: yet there is who swerves from it. However, had He so willed, He would have guided you all aright.
Yusuf Ali And unto Allah leads straight the Way but there are ways that turn aside: if Allah had willed He could have guided all of you.
Pickthall And Allah's is the direction of the way, and some (roads) go not straight. And had He willed He would have led you all aright.
Transliteration Wa 'alalla_hi qasdus sabili wa minha_ ja_'ir(un), wa lau sya_'a lahada_kum ajma'in(a).
[Asad note 8: Since the concept of morality is linked with man’s God-given freedom of choice between good and evil, God does not “impose” His guidance upon man but leaves it to him to accept or reject it. ]
16: 66
Asad And, behold, in the cattle there is indeed a lesson for you: We give you to drink of that which is within their bellies between that which is to be eliminated and life-blood: milk pure and pleasant to those who drink it.
Yusuf Ali And verily in cattle (too) will ye find an instructive Sign. From what is within their bodies between excretions and blood We produce for your drink milk pure and agreeable to those who drink it.
Pickthall And lo! in the cattle there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from betwixt the refuse and the blood, pure milk palatable to the drinkers.
Transliteration Wa inna lakum fil an'a_mi la'ibrah(tan), nusqikum mimma_ fi butu_nihi mim baini farsiw wa damil labanan kha_lisan sa_'igal lisy sya_ribin(a).
[Asad note 75: Milk – in itself a glandular secretion – is not necessary for the mother-animal’s life; on the other hand, it is not just something that the body eliminates as being of no further use to tits metabolism: hence it is referred to as a substance “between that which is to be eliminated and [its] life-blood”. ]
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23. Surah Al-Muminun
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَإِنَّ
لَكُمْ
فِي الْأَنْعَامِ
لَعِبْرَةً...
23: 21. And in cattle (too) ye have an instructive example:
C2881. 'Ibrat. the root meaning of the verb is "to interpret, or expound, or instruct", as in 12:43;
the noun means, an interpretation, or example or Sign that instructs, as here and in 16:66, or gives warning, as in 3:13.
- From cattle we get milk and meat; also from their skins we make leather for shoes, boots, straps, saddlery, and numerous other uses;
- from camel's hair and sheep's wool we weave cloth, hangings, carpets, etc.;
- from the horns of cattle we make cups and articles of ornament or use; and camels, horses, donkeys, mules, etc., are used for riding, carrying loads, or drawing vehicles.
...نُّسقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهَا...
from within their bodies We produce (milk) for you to drink;
...وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ ﴿٢١﴾
there are, in them, (besides), numerous (other) benefits for you;
will ye not fear (Him)?"
Asad’s Version:
23:21
And, behold, in the cattle [too] there is indeed a lesson for you: We give you to drink of that
[milk) which is within their bellies; and you derive many [other] uses from them: for, you eat
of their flesh,'