SURAH AL-AN AAM (AYA 131 to 140)

ذَٰلِكَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ رَبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَىٰ بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غَافِلُونَ {6:131}

[Q6:131] Zaalika al lam yakkur Rabbuka muhlikal quraa bizulminw wa ahluhaa ghaafiloon.

[Q6:131] This is because your Lord would not destroy towns unjustly while their people were negligent.
[Q6:131] Yang demikian (kedatangan Rasul-rasul itu ialah), kerana Tuhanmu tidak membinasakan negeri-negeri secara zalim sedang penduduknya leka lalai. 

AS A PRINCIPLE NO ONE IS PUNISHED UNLESS THE DIVINE GUIDANCE IS MADE AVAILABLE TO HIM.

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(6:131) (They will be made to bear this witness to show that) it is not the way of your Lord to destroy cities unjustly while their people were unaware of the Truth. *100

*100. God does not want His creatures to have any valid reason to complain that He had left them ignorant of the Right Way, and then convicted them of error. God has forestalled any such grievance by sending Prophets and revealing Holy Books to warn both jinn and human beings. If people continue to falter in spite of God's arrangements for their guidance, they themselves are to blame for the punishment they will receive, and they have no justification for blaming their misfortune on God. 

وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَاتٌ مِمَّا عَمِلُوا ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ {6:132}

[Q6:132] Wa likullin darajaatum mimmaa 'amiloo; wa maa Rabbuka bighaafilin 'ammaa ya'maloon
[Q6:132] And all have degrees according to what they do; and your Lord is not heedless of what they do.

[Q6:132] Dan bagi tiap-tiap seorang (dari manusia atau jin), beberapa darjat (tingkatan balasan) disebabkan (amal baik atau jahat) yang mereka telah kerjakan dan (ingatlah) Tuhanmu tiadalah lalai dari apa yang mereka lakukan. 

THERE WILL BE DEGREES IN OUR SPIRITUAL POSITION ACCORDING TO THE DEGREES OF GOOD AND EVIL IN OUR DEEDS AND MOTIVES.

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(6:132) Everyone is assigned a degree according to his deed. Your Lord is not heedless of what they do.

وَرَبُّكَ الْغَنِيُّ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ ۚ إِنْ يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِنْ بَعْدِكُمْ مَا يَشَاءُ كَمَا أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ {6:133}

[Q6:133] Wa Rabbukal ghaniyyu zur rahmah; iny yashaaa yuz hibkum wa yastakhlif mim ba'dikum wa yastakhlif mim ba'dikum maa yashaaa'u kamaaa ansha akum min zurriyyati qawmin aakhareen. 

[Q6:133] And your Lord is the Self-sufficient one, the Lord of mercy; if He pleases, He may take you off, and make whom He pleases successors after you, even as He raised you up from the seed of another people.
[Q6:133] Dan Tuhanmu Maha Kaya, lagi Melimpah-limpah rahmatNya. Jika Dia kehendaki, nescaya Dia binasakan kamu dan menggantikan sesudah (binasanya) kamu dengan sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya, sebagaimana Dia telah menjadikan kamu dari keturunan kaum yang lain.

ALLAH (SWT) IS *SELF-SUFFICIENT, *INDEPENDENT, *STANDING IN NO NEED OF OUR WORSHIP OF HIM OR OUR GOOD, *NOR DOES OUR EVIL AFFECT HIM IN THE LEAST. IT IS OUT OF HIS MERCY THAT FOR OUR GOOD HE SENT HIS MESSENGERS. Any race or people whom He gives opportunities to follow the right path should know that in the event of their deviation and disobedience He may create others in their place, as He did in the past.

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(6:133) Your Lord is Self-Sufficient, full of compassion. *101 If He wills, He can put you away and cause whomever He wills to succeed you just as He has produced you from the seed of another people.

*101. The Qur'anic statement: 'Your Lord is Self-Sufficient' signifies THAT GOD IS IN NEED OF NOTHING FROM ANYONE, THAT NONE OF HIS INTERESTS WILL BE JEOPARDIZED BY DISOBEDIENCE TO HIM, AND THAT NO BENEFIT WILL ACCRUE TO HIM FROM OBEDIENCE. Even if all human beings became disobedient, God's dominion will not shrink. Nor will His dominion expand if everybody were to become obedient and serve and worship Him as they ought to. God is dependent neither upon their show of veneration nor upon their offerings. He lavishes His limitless treasures on human beings and seeks nothing in return.
The other statement, namely that 'Your Lord is full of compassion', has been made here to emphasize two things. First, that when God urges human beings to follow the Right Way, and asks them not to do anything in conflict with Ultimate Reality, He does not do so because their good behaviour benefits Him or their misconduct harms Him. He does so because good conduct is beneficial to man himself, as evil conduct is harmful to him. Hence it is out of sheer benevolence that God urges man to develop righteous conduct, for it will raise him to great heights, and He urges him to avoid evil conduct because it will lead to his own degradation. Second, that God is not unduly stern in judging man. He gets no pleasure from punishing people. He is not on the look-out for slight lapses for which to convict and persecute people. God is highly compassionate towards all His creatures and governs with utmost mercy and benevolence, and the same characterizes His dealings with human beings as well. Hence, He constantly forgives the sins of people. Many disobey, indulge in sins, commit crimes, disregard God's commands, even though they are nourished by the sustenance He provides. God, nevertheless, continually treats them with forbearance and forgives them. AGAIN AND AGAIN, HE GRANTS THEM RESPITE IN ORDER THAT THEY MAY TAKE HEED, UNDERSTAND THINGS PROPERLY AND REFORM THEMSELVES. HAD HE BEEN EXCESSIVELY STERN, HE COULD EVEN HAVE OBLITERATED THEM INSTANTLY AND RAISED UP ANOTHER PEOPLE. HE COULD HAVE PUT AN END TO HUMANITY AND BROUGHT INTO BEING AN ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT SPECIES OF CREATION.

إِنَّ مَا تُوعَدُونَ لَآتٍ ۖ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ {6:134}

[Q6:134] Inna maa too'adoona la aatinw wa maaa antum bimu'jizeen. 
[Q6:134] Surely what you are threatened with must come to pass and you cannot escape (it).

[Q6:134] Sesungguhnya apa yang dijanjikan kepada kamu (hari kiamat dan balasannya) tetap akan datang dan kamu tidak akan dapat melepaskan diri (dari balasan itu). 

Tu-aduna literally means "promised", BUT HERE it implies the warning of punishment to be inflicted upon the disbelievers on the day of judgement.

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(6:134) Surely what you have been promised shall come to pass; *102 and you do not have the power to frustrate (Allah).

*102. This refers to the Resurrection, when human beings of every epoch will be raised anew and made to stand before God for final judgement.

قُلْ يَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ ۖ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ تَكُونُ لَهُ عَاقِبَةُ الدَّارِ ۗ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ {6:135}

[Q6:135] Qul yaa qawmi' maloo 'alaa makaanatikum innee 'aamilun fasawfa ta'lamoona man takoonu lahoo 'aaqibatud daar; innahoo laa yuflihuz zaalimoon. 
[Q6:135] Say: O my people! Act according to your ability; I too am acting; so you will soon come to know, for whom (of us) will be the (good) end of the abode; surely the unjust shall not be successful.

[Q6:135] Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Wahai kaumku (yang masih kafir), buatlah sedaya upaya kamu (untuk menentang Islam), sesungguhnya aku juga tetap beramal (berusaha dengan bersungguh-sungguh untuk mempertahankan Islam); kemudian kamu akan ketahui siapakah yang akan beroleh kebaikan dan kejayaan di dunia ini. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang zalim itu tidak akan berjaya. 

"Do your utmost. Nothing will deter me (the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)) from my duty. We shall see who wins in the end" is a challenge and a warning to the disbelievers.

Ì  THIS DECLARATION IS TRUE FOR ALL TIME. The evil ones do their worst. Those who follow the right path do what they are told by ALLAH (SWT) and His Prophet. IN THE END ALLAH (SWT) WILL JUDGE, AND HIS JUDGEMENT IS ALWAYS TRUE AND JUST.

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(6:135) Say (O Muhammad!): 'O people! Work in your place; and I too am at work.  *103 Soon you will know in whose favour the ultimate decision will be. Surely the wrong-doers will not prosper.'

*103. If people prefer to ignore the Prophet's admonition and do not recant their misconduct, they are at liberty to follow their chosen path, but they should let the Prophet (peace be on him) follow his. The ultimate results of their conduct will, in due time, become evident to all - to the Prophet (peace be on him) as well as to his opponents. 

وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا هَٰذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَٰذَا لِشُرَكَائِنَا ۖ فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَائِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَىٰ شُرَكَائِهِمْ ۗ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ {6:136}

[Q6:136] Wa ja'aloo lillaahi mimmaa zara-a minal harsi walan'aami naseeban faqaaloo haazaa lillaahi biza'mihim wa haaza lishurakaa'inaa famaa kaana lishurakaaa'ihim falaa yasilu ilal laahi wa maa kaana lillaahi fahuwa yasilu ilaa shurakaaa'ihim; saaa'a maa yahkumoon. 

[Q6:136] And they set apart a portion for ALLAH (SWT) out of what He has created of tilth and cattle, and say: This is for ALLAH (SWT) -- so they assert-- and this for our associates; then what is for their associates, it reaches not to ALLAH (SWT), and whatever is (set apart) for ALLAH (SWT), it reaches to their associates; evil is that which they judge.
[Q6:136] Dan mereka (orang-orang musyrik) memperuntukkan dari hasil tanaman dan binatang-binatang ternak yang diciptakan oleh ALLAH (SwT) itu, sebahagian bagi ALLAH (SwT) (dan sebahagian lagi untuk berhala-berhala mereka), lalu mereka berkata: Ini untuk ALLAH (SwT) menurut anggapan mereka dan ini untuk berhala-berhala kami. Kemudian apa yang telah ditentukan untuk berhala-berhala mereka, maka ia tidak sampai kepada ALLAH (SwT) (kerana mereka tidak membelanjakannya pada jalan ALLAH (SwT)) dan apa yang telah ditentukan untuk ALLAH (SwT), sampai pula kepada berhala-berhala mereka (kerana mereka membelanjakannya pada jalan itu). Amatlah jahatnya apa yang mereka hukumkan itu. 

The pagans of Arabia had generally a big pantheon, though, above it, they had a vague idea of a supreme ALLAH (SWT). They used to set apart a certain portion of the produce of their fields and flocks and assign **a share to ALLAH (SWT) and **a share to their idols, which the priests took as the representatives of the idols. The share assigned to ALLAH (SWT) was meant to relieve the poor and the wayfarer BUT usually the priests appropriated it for their use. It is said that when heaps were thus laid out, if any portion of ALLAH (SWT)'s heap fell into the heaps of the idols, the priests greedily and promptly appropriated it, while in the contrary case they were careful to reclaim any such portion from what they called "ALLAH (SWT)'s heap". The absurdity of the whole ritual is ridiculed.

ALLAH (SWT) CREATED EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING IN THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND IN BETWEEN THEM BELONGS TO HIM. HE IS THE ABSOLUTE OWNER OF ALL THAT WHICH HAS BEEN CREATED.

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(6:136) They *104 assign to Allah a portion out of the produce and cattle that He has created, saying out of their fancy: 'This is for Allah' - so they deem -'and this is for the associates (of Allah) whom we have contrived.' *105 Then, the portion assigned to the beings whom they have set up as associates (of Allah) does not reach Allah, but the portion assigned to Allah reaches the beings they set up as associates (of Allah)!  *106 Indeed evil is what they decide!

*104. There now follows an elucidation of the 'ignorance' which those people-insistently clung to, and which they were not prepared to forsake. They are also told about that major 'wrong' which, if not abandoned, will bar their way to salvation. 
*105. They themselves acknowledged that the earth belongs to God, and that it is He Who causes the vegetation to grow. They also affirmed that God is the creator of the animals which were yoked to their service. They believed, however, that the grace of God for them was the outcome of the blessing and benediction of the angels, jinn, heavenly stars, spirits of their pious ancestors and so on, who cared for their well-being and were their patrons. They therefore used to make a two-fold division of their harvest and livestock offerings. One part was devoted to God in recognition of their gratitude to Him for having granted them farms and animals, while the rest was devoted to the household gods of either their family or tribes in order to ensure their continuing grace and benediction. 
First, God censures them for this iniquity and asks them - since all those animals were created and had been granted to them by God alone - what justification there is for making offerings to others. Is it not sheer ingratitude to ascribe the acts of benevolence and grace of the true Benefactor to the intercession of others, and to associate them with God in thanksgiving? Second, they are censured indirectly for assigning quite an arbitrary share in their offerings to God, as if they themselves were the law-maker who could ascribe shares to God and others as they wished. To God alone belong all the bounties He has given man, and only His Law should therefore determine what part of those bounties should be offered to Him in thanksgiving and how the remaining should be spent. Hence even if they spend something in the way of Allah, for the poor and the deprived, but according to their own will, that does not deserve to be accepted by Him.
*106. This is subtle sarcasm at the trickery to which the polytheists resorted while dividing the offerings between God and the partners whom they had set up with Him. By one device and another they increased the share of the false deities, which only showed that their heart lay with those sham partners of God rather than with Him.
It is instructive to recall those tricks. If, while they were apportioning God's share of cereals and fruits, anything belonging to His share fell out of its place, it used to be added to the portion earmarked for the share of God's partners. On the contrary, if any part of the, partners' share fell out or got mixed up with the portion earmarked for God, they were most careful to return it to where it belonged. Whenever they were criticized for this, they had a number of interesting apologies to offer. They said, for instance, that being the Creator, God is Self-Sufficient and hence He does not care if His portion is in some way reduced. As for the 'partners', they were not after all self-sufficient and would therefore take them to task for the slightest diminution in their share.
In order to grasp what lay at the root of these superstitions, it is essential to know that the portion which these ignorant people earmarked for God was devoted to helping the indigent, the poor, travellers, orphans and so on. On the other hand, the portion earmarked for offerings to the partners' actually went either directly to the coffers of the priestly class or was offered at the shrines and thus ultimately reached the priests and caretakers of those shrines. Over the course of centuries these selfish religious leaders had impressed upon those simple-minded people that there was no harm in God's share being reduced, but that of God's dear ones, far from being diminished, should be increased. 

وَكَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَادِهِمْ شُرَكَاؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ ۖ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ {6:137}

[Q6:137] Wa kazaalika zaiyana likaseerim minal mushrikeena qatla awlaadihim shurakaaa'uhum liyurdoohum wa liyalbisoo 'alaihim deenahum wa law shaaa'al laahu maa fa'aloohu fazarhum wa maa yaftaroon. 
[Q6:137] And thus their associates have made fair seeming to most of the polytheists the killing of their children that they may cause them to perish and obscure for them their religion; and if ALLAH (SWT) had pleased, they would not have done it, therefore leave them and that which they forge.

[Q6:137] Dan demikianlah juga (jahatnya) ketua-ketua yang orang-orang musyrik itu jadikan sekutu bagi ALLAH (SwT), menghasut kebanyakan dari mereka dengan kata-kata indah yang memperlihatkan eloknya perbuatan membunuh anak-anak mereka, untuk membinasakan mereka dan untuk mengelirukan mereka nengenai agama mereka dan kalau ALLAH (SwT) kehendaki, nescaya mereka tidak melakukannya. Oleh itu biarkanlah mereka dan apa yang mereka ada-adakan itu. 

The custodians of the temples had convinced their followers that the killing of their children was desirable in order to ruin them and falsify their faith; so their religion was a confused bundle of revolting superstitions.

IF ALLAH (SWT) HAD SO WILLED HE WOULD HAVE STOPPED THEM but as man has been given freedom of choice and action it would have been contrary to the divine universal plan.

MAN MUST UNDERSTAND THE LAW MADE BY ALLAH (SWT) AND FOLLOW THE RIGHT COURSE IN ORDER TO FIND PEACE, HARMONY AND HAPPINESS.

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(6:137) And, likewise, the beings supposed to have a share in Allah's divinity have made the slaying of their offspring seem lawful to many of those who associate others with Allah in His divinity *107 so that they may ruin them *108 and confound them regarding their faith. *109 If Allah had so willed, they would not have done that. Leave them alone to persist in their fabrication. *110

*107. The word 'partners' is now used in a different sense. In this verse the word 'partners' denotes those human beings and devils who had legitimized infanticide and even represented it as a commendable act.
The reason for calling such people 'partners' is that just as God alone deserves to be worshipped, so He alone has the right to make laws for His creatures and to determine the limits of what is lawful and what is unlawful. Also, just as consecrating acts of devotion to anyone other than God amounts to setting up partners with Him, so to follow man-made laws in the belief that human beings have the right to be their own law-makers amounts to acknowledging others as partners of God. Both these acts amount to setting up partners with Him, irrespective of whether or not man applies the word 'God' to those before whom he makes ritual offerings, or to those whose laws he considers to be essentially right and binding for men.
It is pertinent to recall that three forms of infanticide were practised among the Arabs, and the Qur'an alludes to each: 
(1) Girls were put to death either to forestall the intrusion of a son-in-law, to prevent them from falling into the hands of enemies in the event of an outbreak of tribal feuding or to stop them from becoming a source of disgrace for any other reason. 
(2) Both male and female children were killed if parents thought they would not be able to support them and that they would thus become an unendurable burden. 
(3) Children of both sexes were placed as sacrificial offerings on the altars of the deities in order to gratify them. 
*108. The use of the word 'ruin' in this verse is significant. It denotes, in the first place, the moral ruination of a people. A man whose callousness and cruelty reach the point where he begins to kill his offspring with his own hands not only becomes bereft of the essence of humanity, but has sunk even lower than the animals. Moreover, this signifies the ruin of a people and of the human race. This is because infanticide necessarily leads to loss of population which is detrimental to the interests of mankind and also of each nation, since it prevents those who could have carried the legacy of a nation from either being born or puts an end to their lives after, they are born. This rule also signifies the ultimate ruin, i.e. in the Hereafter. For indeed anyone who treats innocent children with such high-handedness, who cold-bloodedly slaughters the essence of his humanity, who acts so sordidly towards the human species as such, and even towards his own people, deserves severe punishment from God.
*109. In the Jahiliyah, the Age of Ignorance, the Arabs both identified themselves with Abraham and Ishmael and were quite convinced that they were indeed followers of Abraham and Ishmael. They therefore considered their religion to be one that had been prescribed by God. The fact, however, was that over the course of centuries a number of innovations had overgrown the religion preached by Abraham and Ishmael. These innovations, which had been introduced by their religious leaders, the tribal chiefs and the elders of noted families, had become hallowed with the passage of time, and were considered an integral part of their original religion. No authentic traces of this original religion, however, existed in the Arab traditions, nor in written sources nor in historical records as such. Hence, when innovations made their inroads into their religious life, they failed to perceive both the innovations and the innovators. This rendered the entire religious tradition of the Arabs unauthentic in the sight of the people of Arabia themselves. They could not assert with conviction which elements were part of the original God-given religion, and which were mere innovations.
*110. Had God not so willed, they could never have kept to their false ways. But God willed that everybody should be allowed to pursue his own choice. Hence, if people do not believe in spite of the Prophet's admonition, and persist in their false ways, they must be allowed to do as they please. One need not hound such people and pester them into accepting the Truth. 

                        

وَقَالُوا هَٰذِهِ أَنْعَامٌ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌ لَا يَطْعَمُهَا إِلَّا مَنْ نَشَاءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَأَنْعَامٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنْعَامٌ لَا يَذْكُرُونَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا افْتِرَاءً عَلَيْهِ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ {6:138}

[Q6:138] Wa qaaloo haaziheee an'aamunw wa harsun hijrun laa yat'amuhaaa illaa man nashaaa'u biza'mihim wa an'aamun hurrimat zuhooruhaa wa an'aamul laa yazkuroonas mal laahi 'alaihaf tiraaa'an 'alaih; sa yajzeehim bimaa kaanoo yaftaroon. 
[Q6:138] And they say: These are cattle and tilth prohibited, none shall eat them except such as We please-- so they assert-- and cattle whose backs are forbidden, and cattle on which they would not mention ALLAH (SWT)'s name-- forging a lie against Him; He shall requite them for what they forged.

[Q6:138] Dan mereka berkata lagi: Ini adalah binatang-binatang ternak dan tanaman-tanaman yang dilarang, yang tidak boleh seorang pun memakannya kecuali sesiapa yang kami kehendaki, menurut anggapan mereka dan (sejenis lagi) binatang-binatang ternak yang dilarang menunggangnya dan (sejenis lagi) bintang-bintang ternak yang tidak mereka sebutkan nama ALLAH (SwT) ketika menyembelihnya; (semuanya itu mereka lakukan dengan) berdusta terhadap ALLAH (SwT). ALLAH (SwT) akan membalas mereka disebabkan apa yang mereka telah ada-adakan itu. 

To dedicate cattle and produce to idols and declare them as taboo was a device of the priests to get special things for themselves. They never pronounced the name of ALLAH (SWT) at any time, either when milching them, or riding them, or slaughtering them. They took all these superstitious customs as acts of devotion and service to Him. IT WAS A LIE AGAINST HIM. MOST SUPERSTITIONS ARE.

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(6:138) They say: 'These animals and these crops are sacrosanct: none may eat of them save those whom we will' - imposing interdictions of their own contriving. *111 And they declare that it is forbidden to burden the backs of certain cattle, and these are the cattle over which they do not pronounce the name of Allah.  *112 All these are false fabrications against Allah, *113 and He will soon requite them for all that they fabricate.

*111. There was a practice among the people of Arabia whereby they used to consecrate certain animals and farms to certain shrines, and at offerings at certain altars. These consecrated offerings could not be used by everybody. An elaborate code laid down what kind of offering could be used by what kind of people. God not only judges such practices to be polytheistic, but also censures them as man-made innovations. God was the master of all that they had consecrated as offerings to the deities. He had neither encumbered human beings with the need to make any of those offerings and consecrations nor imposed those restrictions on what they might consume. These were the wilful inventions of headstrong and rebellious people who attributed to themselves the authority to make laws as they pleased. 
*112. Traditions indicate that there were certain ritual offerings, and that on certain occasions animals were consecrated for sacrifice at which it was deemed unlawful to pronounce the name of God. It was also prohibited to ride such animals during the Pilgrimage, since at that time the pilgrim pronounced the name of God when he recited the formula: Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk. Every care was taken not to pronounce the name of God at the time of milking, mounting, slaughtering and eating of such animals.
*113. Even though those rules had not been laid down by God, people followed them under the false impression that they had been prescribed by Him. They could not adduce any injunction from God in support of such a belief, and all that they could claim was that it was an integral part of their ancestors' way of life. 

وَقَالُوا مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَٰذِهِ الْأَنْعَامِ خَالِصَةٌ لِذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِنَا ۖ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مَيْتَةً فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ {6:139}

[Q6:139] Wa qaaloo maa fee butooni haazihil an'aami khaalisatul lizukoorinaa wa muharramun 'alaaa azwaajinaa wa iny yakum maitatan fahum feehi shurakaaa'; sa yajzeehim wasfahum; innahoo Hakeemun 'Aleem. 
[Q6:139] And they say: What is in the wombs of these cattle is specially for our males, and forbidden to our wives, and if it be stillborn, then they are all partners in it; He will reward them for their attributing (falsehood to ALLAH (SWT)); surely He is Wise, Knowing.

[Q6:139] Dan mereka berkata lagi: Apa yang ada dalam perut binatang-binatang ternak itu (jika ia dilahirkan hidup) adalah halal bagi lelaki-lelaki kami dan haram bagi perempuan-perempuan kami dan jika ia (dilahirkan) mati, maka mereka (lelaki perempuan) bersekutu padanya (bersama-sama memakannya). ALLAH (SwT) akan membalas mereka tentang apa yang mereka tetapkan (mengenai halal dan haram) itu. Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Bijaksana, lagi Maha Mengetahui. 

These are some more pagan superstitions about cattle.

The superstitious rites and rituals of the pagans, mentioned in verses 137 to 140, were deliberately introduced by the priests to exploit the ignorant people in the name of god.

©  THE LAWS AND ORDINANCES DECREED BY ALLAH (SWT) ARE BASED UPON REASON AND WISDOM.

THOSE WHO ATTRIBUTE SUCH STUPID SUPERSTITIONS TO HIM WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED.

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(6:139) And they say: 'What is within the bellies of such-and-such cattle is exclusively for our males and is forbidden to our females; but if it be born dead, they all may share in it.' *114 He will soon requite them for all that they (falsely) attribute to Allah. He is All-Wise, All-Knowing.

*114. One of the provisions of this self-contrived religious code of the Arabs was that the flesh of the young, born of the animals consecrated as offerings to the deities, might be eaten by males but not by females. Persons of both sexes were allowed to eat its flesh if it had died either a natural death or was dead at birth. 

قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُوا أَوْلَادَهُمْ سَفَهًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَحَرَّمُوا مَا رَزَقَهُمُ اللَّهُ افْتِرَاءً عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ قَدْ ضَلُّوا وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ {6:140}

[Q6:140] Qad khasiral lazeena qatalooo awlaadahum safaham bighairi 'ilminw wa harramoo maa razaqahumul laahuf tiraaa'an 'alal laah; qad dalloo wa maa kaanoo muhtadeen. 
[Q6:140] They are lost indeed who kill their children foolishly without knowledge, and forbid what ALLAH (SWT) has given to them forging a lie against ALLAH (SWT); they have indeed gone astray, and they are not the followers of the right course.

[Q6:140] Sesungguhnya rugilah orang-orang yang membunuh anak-anak mereka kerana kebodohan, lagi tidak berpengetahuan (sedang ALLAH (SwT) yang memberi rezeki kepada sekalian makhluknya) dan juga (rugilah orang-orang yang) mengharamkan apa yang telah dikurniakan oleh ALLAH (SwT) kepada mereka, dengan berdusta terhadap ALLAH (SwT). Sesungguhnya sesatlah mereka dan tiadalah mereka mendapat petunjuk. 

Refer to verse 138 of this surah.

The practice of infanticide was almost universal. THE REFORM EFFECTED BY ISLAM IS A WORLD REFORM. 1. The Arab pagans used to bury alive their daughters because, as the females were neither allowed to earn their livelihood nor to own property, they were considered a burden. 2. Moreover the more powerful among them usually took away the females by force and in this way the relatives of the female were put to shame.

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(6:140) Those who slayed their children in folly, without knowledge,.and forbade the sustenance that Allah has provided them, falsely ascribing that to Allah, are utter losers; they have gone astray, and are certainly not among those guided to the right way. *115

*115. It is put to them plainly that even though such practices had been introduced by their forefathers, religious guides and outstanding leaders, the fact remained that those practices were inherently unsound. That those practices had come down from their ancestors and venerated elders did not necessarily legitimize them. These callous people had introduced such inhuman customs as infanticide, and, without any justification whatsoever, had prohibited to the creatures of God food and drink which He had created. They had also introduced many innovations themselves, making them part of their religion and ascribing them to God. How could such people be considered either to have attained salvation or to be rightlyguided? Even though venerated by them as their ancestors, they were nevertheless misguided and were destined to see the evil consequences of their misdeeds.