Al-An'aam 6:140 · The Cattle · Arabic, translation, recitation

Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"Lost indeed are those who kill their own children out of folly, with no basis in knowledge, forbidding what God has provided for them, fabricating lies against Him: they have gone far astray and have heeded no guidance."

Pickthall (classic)+

"They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them, inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not guided."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"Lost are those who slay their children, from folly, without knowledge, and forbid food which Allah hath provided for them, inventing (lies) against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and heeded no guidance."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

Allah says that those who committed these evil acts have earned the loss of this life and the Hereafter.

As for this life, they lost when they killed their children and made it difficult for themselves by prohibiting some types of their wealth, as an act of innovation that they invented on their own. As for the Hereafter, they will end up in the worst dwellings, because they used to lie about Allah and invent falsehood about Him. Allah also said,

قُلْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لاَ يُفْلِحُونَ - مَتَـعٌ فِى الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ الْعَذَابَ الشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ

(Say: "Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah will never be successful." (A brief) enjoyment in this world! And then unto Us will be their return, then We shall make them taste the severest torment because they used to disbelieve.) 10:69-70 Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr bin Marduwyah recorded that Ibn `Abbas commented, "If it pleases you to know how ignorant the Arabs used to be, then recite the Ayat beyond Ayah one hundred and thirty in Surat Al-An`am,

قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُواْ أَوْلَـدَهُمْ سَفَهاً بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَحَرَّمُواْ مَا رَزَقَهُمُ اللَّهُ افْتِرَآءً عَلَى اللَّهِ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ وَمَا كَانُواْ مُهْتَدِينَ

(Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, foolishly, without knowledge, and they have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided.)" Al-Bukhari also recorded this in the section of his Sahih on the virtues of the Quraysh.

Tafsir Saʿdi

English translation, public domain

Аллах поведал об уроне, который понесли язычники, изобличив тем самым их безрассудство. Они лишились своей религии, своих детей и своего разума. Вместо здравого рассудка их неотъемлемым качеством стали жалкая глупость и заблуждение. Они запретили себе наслаждаться благами, которые Аллах по Своей милости сделал для них пропитанием. Они отвергли Его милость, но не довольствовались этим. Они назвали запрещенными блага, которые Аллах объявил дозволенными. При этом они возвели на Него чудовищный навет и посмели лгать так, как лгут только упорствующие неверующие. Они впали в глубокое заблуждение и не были ведомы прямым путем в своих многочисленных начинаниях.

Linkage of Verses

Described in the previous verses were false beliefs of the mushriks of Arabia while the present verses recount their practical errors and ignorant customs. The customs of Jahiliyyah mentioned in these verses are: (1) They took out a portion in the name of Allah from grains and fruits, and some in the name of idols and Jinns. Then, if by chance, some part of what belonged to the portion of Allah got mixed up with the portion reserved for idols, they would let it stay mixed as it was. When the position was the reverse of it, they would take it out and make the portion set for idols even. The excuse was that Allah is need-free. A cut in His share does not harm Him while the partners need it - so, their share should not be decreased. This evil custom was mentioned earlier in verse 136.

(2) The second custom was that they would release animals they called Bahirah and Sa'ibah in the name of idols and said that they were doing it for the pleasure of Allah. Here too, the portion allotted to idols was that the act of worship was intended for them - and the portion allotted to Allah was that they aimed to please Allah.

(3) The third custom was that of killing their female children.

(4) The fourth custom was that they would endow some tillage in the name of idols saying that only men could use its produce. Giving or not giving a share from it to women depended on their will. Women had no right to demand.

(5) They would do the same thing with cattle when they would restrict their use for men only.

(6) They considered the quadruped animals they released in the name of idols as unlawful for purposes of riding or carrying loads.

(7) There were quadruped animals they would specify. Using them at any time, they would not pronounce the name of Allah, neither when milking, nor when riding and nor when slaughtering.

(8) The eighth custom was that they would release animals in the name of idols, naming them as Bahirah or Sa'ibah. When, at the time

of slaughter, the calf came out alive, they would slaughter it as well - but, would take it as lawful for men only; for women, they took it to be unlawful - and if the calf was born still, it was supposed to be lawful for everyone.

(9) Even milk from some animals was considered lawful for men and unlawful for women.

(10) They took reverence for four kinds of animals: Bahirah, Sa'ibah, Wasilah and Hami, as an act of worship.

[ All these narrations appear in Ad-Durr Al-Manthur and Ruh al-Mani from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas, Mujahid, Ibn Zayd and As-Suddiy with exegetic deductions of Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Abi Ash-Shaybah and Ibn Humayd) [ As in Bayn al-Qur'an of Maulana Thanavi ]