6. Sura al-Anam

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

قُلْ تَعَالَوْاْ أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ ...

6: 151. Say:

"Come, I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from":

C976. Instead of following Pagan superstitions, and being in constant terror of imaginary taboos and prohibitions, we should study the true moral law, whose sanction is Allah's Law.

The first step is that we should recognise that He is the One and Only Lord and Cherisher. The mention of goodness to parents immediately afterwards suggests:

- that Allah's love of us and care for us may -on an infinitely higher plane- be understood by our ideal of parental love, which is purely unselfish;

- that our first duty among our fellow creatures is to our father and mother, whose love leads us to the conception of divine love.

Arising from that is the conception of our converse duties to our children. Allah provides sustenance (material and spiritual) not only for us, but for them; hence any custom like the Pagan custom of sacrificing children of Moloch stands condemned.

Then come the moral prohibitions against lewdness and all unseemly acts, relating to sex or otherwise, open or secret. This is followed by the prohibition of killing or fighting.

All these things are conformable to our own interests, and therefore true wisdom from our own point of view.

...أَلاَّ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا ...

- join not anything as equal with Him;

...وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا...

- be good to your parents:

...وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلاَدَكُم مِّنْ إمْلاَقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ...

- kill not your children on a plea of want; -- We provide sustenance for you and for them; --

...وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ...

- come not nigh to shameful deeds, whether open or secret;

...وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ...

- take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law:

C977. For the comprehensive word haqq I have used the two words "justice and law"; other significations implied are:

right, truth, what is becoming, etc.

It is not only that human life is sacred, but all life is sacred. Even in killing animals for food, a dedicatory formula "in the name of Allah" has to be employed, to make it lawful:

see 698 to 5:4, and n. 962 to 6:138.

...ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿١٥١﴾

thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.

Other versions:

6: 151 [al-Anam, Cattle, Mecca 55]

Yusuf Ali Say: "Come I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from": join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents: kill not your children on a plea of want; We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not nigh to shameful deeds whether open or secret; take not life which Allah hath made sacred except by way of justice and law: thus does He command you that ye may learn wisdom.

Pickthall Say: Come, I will recite unto you that which your Lord hath made a sacred duty for you: that ye ascribe no thing as partner unto Him and that ye do good to parents, and that ye slay not your children because of penury--We provide for you and for them--and that ye draw not nigh to lewd things whether open or concealed. And that ye slay not the life which Allah hath made sacred, save in the course of justice. This He hath commanded you, in order that ye may discern.

Yuksel Say, "Come let me recite to you what your Lord has forbidden for you: that you should not set up anything with Him; and be kind to your parents; and do not kill your born children for fear of poverty, We provide for you and for them; and do not come near lewdness, what is plain of it or subtle; and do not kill the person which God has forbidden, except in justice. That is what He enjoined you that you may comprehend."

Transliteration Qul ta'a_lau atlu ma_ harrama rabbukum 'alaikum alla_ tusyriku_ bihi syai'aw wa bil wa_lidaini ihsa_na_(n), wa la_ taqtulu_ aul_dakum min imla_q(in), nahnu narzuqukum wa iyya_hum, wa la_ taqrabul fawa_hisya ma_ zahara minha_ wa ma_ batan(a), wa la_ taqtulun nafsal lati harramalla_hu illa_ bil haqq(i), za_likum wassa_kum bihi la'allakum ta'qilu_n(a).