SURAH AL-AN AAM (AYA 141 to 150)

SECTION 17

The Divine Gifts---The Self-Imposed Prohibition

The various kinds of Divine Gifts---The self imposed prohibitions of the idolaters.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنْشَأَ جَنَّاتٍ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَغَيْرَ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَالنَّخْلَ وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ ۚ كُلُوا مِنْ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَآتُوا حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ ۖ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ {6:141}

[Q6:141] Wa Huwal lazee ansha-a jannaatim ma'rooshaatinw wa ghaira ma'rooshaatinw wan nakhla wazzar'a mukhtalifan ukuluhoo wazzaitoona warrum maana mutashaabihanw wa ghaira mutashaabih; kuloo min samariheee izaaa asmara wa aatoo haqqahoo yawma hasaadihee wa laa tusrifoo; innahoo laa yuhibbul musrifeen. 
[Q6:141] And He it is Who produces gardens (of vine), trellised and untrellised, and palms and seed-produce of which the fruits are of various sorts, and olives and pomegranates, like and unlike; eat of its fruit when it bears fruit, and pay the due of it on the day of its reaping, and do not act extravagantly; surely He does not love the extravagant.

[Q6:141] Dan Dialah (ALLAH (SwT)) yang menjadikan (untuk kamu) kebun-kebun yang menjalar tanamannya dan yang tidak menjalar dan pohon-pohon tamar (kurma) dan tanaman-tanaman yang berlainan (bentuk, rupa dan) rasanya dan buah zaiton dan delima, yang bersamaan (warnanya atau daunnya) dan tidak bersamaan (rasanya). Makanlah dari buahnya ketika ia berbuah dan keluarkanlah haknya (zakatnya) pada hari memetik atau menuainya dan janganlah kamu melampau (pada apa-apa jua yang kamu makan atau belanjakan); sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) tidak suka kepada orang-orang yang melampau. 

THE BENEFICENT LORD (RAHMAN) HAS PROVIDED ENOUGH NATURAL RESOURCES ON THE EARTH FOR HUMAN BEINGS.

All can have necessary provisions IF MAN FOLLOWS THE RULES AND REGULATIONS THE RELIGION OF ALLAH (SWT), ISLAM, HAS LAID DOWN FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF ALL HUMANITY.

ä  "Give His share and do not be extravagant" is the guidance for the overall welfare of the human society.

For giving ALLAH (SWT)'s share (zakat, khums, sadqa etcetera) please refer to fiqh.

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(6:141) It is He Who has brought into being gardens *116 - the trellised and untrellised - and the palm trees, and crops, all varying in taste, and.the olive and pomegranates, all resembling one another and yet so different. Eat of their fruits when they come to fruition and pay His due on the day of harvesting. And do not exceed the proper limits, for He does not love those who exceed the proper limits.

*116. Tle Arabic expression "Jannaatim Ma'rushaatin wa khairu ma'rushatin" signifies two kinds of gardens: first, those consisting of trellised plants and, second, those consisting of trees which stand on their own.

وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ حَمُولَةً وَفَرْشًا ۚ كُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ {6:142}

[Q6:142] Wa minal an'aami hamoolatanw wa farshaa; kuloo mimmaa razaqakumul laahu wa laa tattabi'oo khutuwaatish Shaitaan; innahoo lakum 'aduwwum mubeen. 

[Q6:142] And of cattle (He created) beasts of burden and those which are fit for slaughter only; eat of what ALLAH (SWT) has given you and do not follow the footsteps of the Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy.
[Q6:142] Dan di antara binatang-binatang ternak itu, ada yang dijadikan untuk pengangkutan, dan ada yang untuk disembelih. Makanlah dari apa yang telah dikurniakan oleh ALLAH (SwT) kepada kamu dan janganlah kamu menurut jejak langkah Syaitan; kerana sesungguhnya Syaitan itu musuh bagi kamu yang terang nyata.

Farsh implies those animals (goats, sheep etcetera) which are thrown down on the ground for slaughter. Farasha means to spread on the floor. Also beds and mats are made from their skins and wool.

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(6:142) And of the cattle (He has reared) some for burden, and some whose flesh you eat and whose skins and hair you use to spread the ground. *117 Eat of the sustenance Allah has provided you and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan, for surely he is your open enemy. *118

*117. The word "Farasha" (which means 'to spread, to pave, to cover the ground, floor or path') has been used in the context of cattle either (1) because they are relatively short, and in moving about seem to be touching the ground, (2) because when they are slaughtered, they have to be laid on the ground, or (3) because their skins and hair are used for furnishing purposes.
*118. It becomes clear from the context that God wants to emphasize three things. First, that the orchards, fields and cattle are all bounties of God. No one else has made any contribution to them and hence no one is entitled to any share in the thanks that man ought to give Him in return for these bounties. Second, since all those things are bounties of God, one ought to follow the laws of God alone while making use of them. No one else has the right to regulate their use. To acknowledge oneself bound by customs and practices laid down by others than God, and to make offerings out of a feeling of gratitude for beneficence to someone other than God constitute acts of rebellion and amount to following Satan. Third, as God has created all these things for the fulfilment of man's needs, they should not be unnecessarily suspended from use or be regarded as prohibited. All restrictions on the use of the means of sustenance and other bounties of God based on conjecture or superstition, are not to His liking at all. 

ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ ۖ مِنَ الضَّأْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْمَعْزِ اثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ آلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ ۖ نَبِّئُونِي بِعِلْمٍ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ {6:143}

[Q6:143] Samaaniyata azwaaj(im) minad daanis naini wa minal ma'zis nain; qul 'aazzaka raini harrama amil unsaiyayni ammash tamalat 'alaihi arhaamul unsayaini nabbi 'oonee bi'ilmin in kuntum saadiqeen. 

[Q6:143] Eight in pairs-- two of sheep and two of goats. Say: Has He forbidden the two males or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Inform me with knowledge if you are truthful.
[Q6:143] (Binatang ternak itu) delapan ekor (empat) pasangan; dari kambing biri-biri dua ekor (sepasang jantan betina) dan dari kambing biasa dua ekor (sepasang jantan betina). Tanyalah (wahai Muhammad kepada orang-orang musyrik itu): Adakah yang diharamkan ALLAH (SwT) itu, dua jantannya atau dua betinanya atau yang dikandung oleh rahim dua betinanya? Terangkanlah kepadaku dengan berdasarkan ilmu pengetahuan (Syarak dari ALLAH (SwT) yang menjadi dalil tentang haramnya), jika betul kamu orang-orang yang benar. 

The superstition referred to in verses 137 to 140 of this surah have been further ridiculed and condemned in these verses.

"WHO THEN IS MORE UNJUST THAN HE WHO FORGES A LIE AGAINST ALLAH (SWT) TO LEAD MANKIND ASTRAY WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE" IS APPLICABLE TO ALL KINDS OF CONJECTURES IN THE MATTERS OF RELIGION.

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(6:143) These are eight couples, two of sheep, two of goats. Now ask them: 'Is it either the two males that Allah has forbidden or the two females, or what the wombs of the two females may contain? Tell me about this on the basis of sure knowledge, if you speak the truth.' *119

*119. That is, they should come forward with arguments based on sound, reliable knowledge, rather than with arguments which have no authority except that of ancestral tradition, conjecture or superstition. 

وَمِنَ الْإِبِلِ اثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ اثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ آلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ ۖ أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ وَصَّاكُمُ اللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا لِيُضِلَّ النَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ {6:144}

[Q6:144] Wa minal ibilis naini wa minal baqaris nain; qul 'aaazzakaraini harrama amil unsayaini ammash tamalat 'alaihi arhaamul unsayaini am kuntum shuhadaaa'a iz wassaakumul laahu bihaazaa; faman azlamu mimmanif taraa 'alal laahi kazibal liyuddillan naasa bighari 'ilm; innal laaha laa yahdil qawmaz zaalimeen.
[Q6:144] And two of camels and two of cows. Say: Has He forbidden the two males or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Or were you witnesses when ALLAH (SWT) enjoined you this? Who, then, is more unjust than he who forges a lie against ALLAH (SWT) that he should lead astray men without knowledge? Surely ALLAH (SWT) does not guide the unjust people. 

[Q6:144] Dan dari unta dua ekor (sepasang jantan betina) dan dari lembu dua ekor (sepasang jantan betina). Tanyalah (wahai Muhammad): Adakah yang diharamkan ALLAH (SwT) itu dua jantannya atau dua betinanya atau yang dikandung oleh rahim dua betinanya? Ataupun kamu ada menyaksikan ketika ALLAH (SwT) menyuruh serta menentukan kepada kamu (atau kepada datuk nenek kamu) dengan yang demikian ini? Oleh itu, siapakah yang lebih zalim daripada orang yang berdusta terhadap ALLAH (SwT) untuk menyesatkan manusia dengan tidak berdasarkan ilmu pengetahuan? Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) tidak memberi petunjuk kepada kaum yang zalim. 

(see commentary for verse 143)

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(6:144) And likewise, of camels there are two, and of oxen there are two. Ask them: 'Is it either the two males that He has forbidden or the two females, or that which the wombs of the two females may contain? *120 Or were you present when Allah enjoined this commandment upon you?' Who, then, would be more unjust than he who fabricates a lie against Allah that he might lead people astray without knowledge. Surely Allah never guides such a wrong-doing folk.

*120. Questions as to whether the male offspring is lawful and the female is unlawful are presented in some detail to show how unreasonable their superstitions are. That the male offspring of an animal should be considered lawful for eating while the female be prohibited, or vice versa; and that an animal should itself be considered lawful, but not its offspring, is so manifestly unreasonable that common sense simply refuses to accept it, and no intelligent man can ever conceive such absurdities to have been sanctioned by God. Just as the superstitions in vogue among the Arabs were absurd, as the Qur'an stresses, likewise many other nations of the world follow even now irrational dietary restrictions, and believe that food and drink become polluted merely by the touch of some other people.

SECTION 18

The Forbidden Food---The Vain Excuses

The forbidden food---The vain excuses of the disbelievers---ALLAH’s wrath cannot be averted by the guilty ones.

قُلْ لَا أَجِدُ فِي مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلَىٰ طَاعِمٍ يَطْعَمُهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً أَوْ دَمًا مَسْفُوحًا أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنْزِيرٍ فَإِنَّهُ رِجْسٌ أَوْ فِسْقًا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ ۚ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ {6:145}

[Q6:145] Qul laaa ajidu fee maaa oohiya ilaiya muharraman 'alaa taa'iminy yat'amuhooo illaaa ai yakoona maitatan aw damam masfoohan aw lahma khinzeerin fa innahoo rijsun aw fisqan uhilla lighairil laahi bih; famanid turra ghaira baa ghinw wa laa 'aadin fa inna Rabbaka Ghafoorur Raheem. 
[Q6:145] Say: I do not find in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden for an eater to eat of except that it be what has died of itself, or blood poured forth, or flesh of swine-- for that surely is unclean-- or that which is a transgression, other than (the name of) ALLAH (SWT) having been invoked on it; but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring nor exceeding the limit, then surely your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Q6:145] Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Aku tidak dapati dalam apa yang telah diwahyukan kepadaku, sesuatu yang diharamkan bagi orang yang hendak memakannya melainkan kalau benda itu bangkai atau darah yang mengalir atau daging babi kerana sesungguhnya ia adalah kotor atau sesuatu yang dilakukan secara fasik, iaitu binatang yang disembelih atas nama yang lain dari ALLAH (SwT). Kemudian sesiapa yang terpaksa (memakannya kerana darurat) sedang dia tidak mengingininya dan tidak melampaui batas, maka sesungguhnya Tuhan mu Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani. 

PLEASE REFER TO THE COMMENTARY OF AL BAQARAH 2:173.

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(6:145) Tell them (O Muhammad!): 'I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden for anyone who wants to eat unless it is carrion, outpoured blood and the flesh of swine, all of which is unclean; or that which is profane having been slaughtered in a name other than that of Allah. *121 But whosoever is constrained to it by necessity - neither desiring to disobey nor exceeding the limit of necessity - your Lord is surely AllForgiving, All-Compassionate.

*121. See for this Surah al-Baqarah 2: 173, Surah al-Md'idah 5: 3 and Surah al-Nahl 16: 115. The slight difference between this verse and Surah al-Baqarah 2:173 is that whereas the latter mentions 'blood' as prohibited, the present verse qualifies it with 'outpoured', i.e. the blood which has flowed as a result of either injuring or slaughtering an animal. This, in fact, constitutes an elucidation of the former injunction rather than the revelation of a different one. Likewise, Surah al-Ma'idah 5: 3 mentions the prohibition of certain other categories - animals strangled or killed by blows, those which have died from either falling or goring, and those devoured by a beast of prey, in addition to the four classes mentioned here. This is not an independent, divergent injunction; it is rather an explanation signifying that the animals thus killed fall into the category of 'carrion'.
There is a group of Muslim jurists who believe that prohibition is confined to these four classes of animal food, and that the eating of everything else is lawful. This was also the view of 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas and 'A'ishah. Several traditions, however, indicate that the Prophet (peace be on him) either told people not to eat certain things or expressed his disapproval at their eating them, for example, domesticated donkeys, beasts with canine teeth and birds with claws. It is for this reason that the majority of jurists do not consider prohibition confined to these four classes but extend it to several others. These jurists disagree, however, on which of those things are unlawful and which are lawful. Abu Hanifah, Malik and Shafi'i, for example, consider domesticated donkeys to be unlawful. Others argue that the Prophet (peace be on him) forbade them on a special occasion and because of a special reason. To cite another example, the Hanafi jurists hold wild beasts, birds of prey and animals which feed on carrion to be absolutely unlawful, whereas Milik and Awza'i hold birds of prey to be lawful. Layth considers the cat to be lawful. In the same way, Shafi'i considers prohibition to be confined only to those beasts which actually attack man, such as lion, wolf, tiger and so on. In the opinion of another jurist, 'Ikrimah, both crow and badger are lawful. Likewise, whereas the Hanafi jurists declare all crawling creatures to be prohibited, Ibn Abi Layla, Malik and Awza'i hold the snake to be lawful.
Upon reflection of these divergent opinions and the arguments adduced in support of them, it becomes clear that categorical prohibition embraces only those four classes mentioned in the Qur'an. As for other types of animal food, regarding which the jurists have expressed a negative view, they seem to carry varying degrees of religious disapprobation. The things whose disapprobation is established by statements of the Prophet (peace be on him) transmitted to us through sound traditions, are relatively close to 'prohibition'. As for things regarding which them is disagreement among jurists, their religious disapprobation becomes doubtful.
Temperamental dislike, however, is quite a different matter. The Law Of God does not force anyone to eat everything which is not prohibited. At the same time, the Law does not entitle anybody to exalt his personal likes and dislikes into a criterion of what is lawful and unlawful. No one is justified in reproaching others for consuming lawful things which offend his tastes. 

وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِي ظُفُرٍ ۖ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَا إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَا أَوِ الْحَوَايَا أَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُمْ بِبَغْيِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ {6:146}

[Q6:146] Wa 'alal lazeena haadoo harramnaa kulla zee zufurinw wa minal baqari walghanami harramnaa 'alihim shuh oomahumaaa illaa maa hamalat zuhooruhumaaa awil hawaayaaa aw makhtalata bi'azm zaalika jazainaahum bibaghyihim wa innaa lasaa diqoon. 

[Q6:146] And to those who were Jews We made unlawful every animal having claws, and of oxen and sheep We made unlawful to them the fat of both, except such as was on their backs or the entrails or what was mixed with bones: this was a punishment We gave them on account of their rebellion, and We are surely Truthful.
[Q6:146] Dan Kami haramkan atas orang-orang Yahudi segala binatang yang berkuku dan dari lembu dan kambing pula Kami haramkan kepada mereka lemaknya, kecuali (lemak) yang ada pada belakangnya atau yang menyelaputi perkakas dalam perutnya atau yang bercampur dengan tulang. Demikianlah Kami balas mereka dengan sebab kederhakaan mereka dan sesungguhnya Kamilah yang benar. 

Zufur means claw or hoof. Zu Zufurin means the animals or the birds who have undivided hoofs - camel, ostrich, goose and duck.

The camel, the coney and the hare were made unlawful to the Jews as a punishment.

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(6:146) And to those who had Judaized We have forbidden all beasts with claws, and the fat of oxen and sheep except the fat which is either on their backs or their entrails, or that which sticks to the bones. Thus did We requite them for their rebellion. *122 Surely We state the Truth.

*122. This is discussed at three places in the Qur'an. Surah AI 'Imran 3:93 states: 'All food was lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel made unlawful to themselves before the revelation of the Torah. Tell them: "Bring the Torah and recite any passage of it if you are truthful".' Surah al-Nisa' 4:160 mentions that because of the misdeeds of the Children of Israel: 'We forbade them many clean things which had earlier been made lawful to them.' And now the present verse says that because of the transgression of the Jews, God forbade unto them 'all beasts with claws; and the fat of oxen and the sheep except the fat which is either on their backs or their entrails or that which sticks to the bones'. If these three verses are taken together, it becomes clear that the differences between Islamic law and Jewish law with regard to what is lawful and what is unlawful in animal foods stem from two considerations. First, that several centuries before the revelation of the Torah, Isra'il (Jacob, peace be on him) had given up the use of certain things, which his descendants also abstained from consuming. The result was that Jewish jurists considered them to be absolutely unlawful and recorded their prohibition in the Torah. They included the camel, the hare and the rock-badger, the prohibition of which is mentioned in the fragments of the Torah embodied in the Bible. (See Leviticus ll: 4; Deuteronomy 14: 7) But the Our'an challenges the Jews to come forward with the Torah itself and show where any of those things had been declared unlawful. Their inability to do so shows that those interdictions must have been later interpolations into the Torah.
Second, when the Jews rebelled against the Law revealed by God and set themselves up as their own law-givers, they made several things unlawful for themselves, and as a punishment God allowed them to remain a prey to that misunderstanding. These include birds with claws such as the ostrich, seagull and water-hen, and also the fat of oxen and sheep. In the Bible prohibitions of these kinds have been interpolated among the injunctions of the Torah. (See Leviticus 3:17; 7:22-3; ll:16-18; Deuteronomy 14:14-16.) But Surah al-Nisa' 4:160 shows that those things had not been made unlawful by the Torah itself. They had rather been prohibited after the time of Jesus, and history bears witness to the fact that the present Jewish law was given a definitive formulation by the Jewish jurist, Yehudah, towards the end of the second century of the Christian calendar.
It might be asked in view of what has been mentioned above, why the expression 'We forbade for them' is employed in Surah al-Nisa' 4:160 The answer is that declaration through a Prophet or a heavenly Book is not God's only way of prohibiting. Another way is to allow fraudulent law-makers and sham jurists to gain predominating influence upon God's rebels. These in turn deprive them of many good, clean things of life by making them believe that they are prohibited. The first kind of prohibition is an act of His mercy, whereas the second kind is in the nature of a curse and punishment from God. 

فَإِنْ كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُلْ رَبُّكُمْ ذُو رَحْمَةٍ وَاسِعَةٍ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُهُ عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ {6:147}

[Q6:147] Fa in kazzabooka faqur Rabbukum zoo rahmatinw waasi'atinw waasi'atinw wa laa yuraddu baasuhoo 'anil qawmil mujrimeen. 

[Q6:147] But if they give you the lie, then say: Your Lord is the Lord of All-encompassing mercy; and His punishment cannot be averted from the guilty people.
[Q6:147] Kemudian jika mereka mendustakanmu (wahai Muhammad) maka katakanlah: Tuhan kamu mempunyai rahmat yang luas melimpah-ruah dan azab seksaNya tidak dapat ditolak dari kaum yang berdosa. 

THE LORD OF THE WORLDS IS FULL OF ALL-EMBRACING MERCY, SO HE IS NOT HASTY IN HIS JUDGEMENT, BUT His wrath will not be turned back from the guilty beliers and slayers of the prophets.

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(6:147) 'Then if they give you the lie, say: 'Your Lord is of unbounded mercy; but His punishment shall not be averted from the guilty folk.' *123

*123. If they could still give up their disobedience and return to the true service of God, they would find Him ready to embrace them with His mercy. But if they persisted, they should remember that no one could save them from His wrath.

سَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَا آبَاؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ ذَاقُوا بَأْسَنَا ۗ قُلْ هَلْ عِنْدَكُمْ مِنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَا ۖ إِنْ تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا تَخْرُصُونَ {6:148}

[Q6:148] Sayaqoolul lazeena ashrakoo law shaaa'al laahu maaa ashraknaa wa laaa aabaa'unaa wa laa harramnaa min shai'; kazaalika kazzabal lazeena min qablihim hattaa zaaqoo baasanaa; qul hal 'indakum min 'ilmin fatukh rijoohu lanaa in tattabi'oona illaz zanna wa in antum illaa takhhrusoon. 
[Q6:148] Those who are polytheists will say: If ALLAH (SWT) had pleased we would not have associated (aught with Him) nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden (to ourselves) anything; even so did those before them reject until they tasted Our punishment. Say: Have you any knowledge with you so you should bring it forth to us? You only follow a conjecture and you only tell lies.

[Q6:148] Orang-orang musyrik akan mengatakan: Kalau ALLAH (SwT) menghendaki tentulah kami dan datuk nenek kami tidak mempersekutukanNya (dengan sesuatu yang lain) dan tidak pula kami haramkan sesuatu apa pun. Demikianlah juga orang-orang yang dahulu sebelum mereka telah mendustakan (Rasul-rasul) sehingga mereka merasai azab seksa Kami. Katakanlah: Adakah kamu mempunyai (sesuatu keterangan yang berdasarkan) ilmu supaya dapat kamu tunjukkan kepada kami? Tiadalah kamu menurut melainkan sangkaan semata-mata dan kamu pula tidak lain hanyalah berdusta. 

THE ARGUMENTS [1] That man has no personal responsibility, [2] That he is the victim of a determinism against which he is helpless. And [3] That he may therefore go on doing what he is doing, have been attributed to the polytheists in this verse.

THEREFORE THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN [*] DETERMINISM and REJECT [*] FREEDOM OF ACTION AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES THEREOF, UNWITTINGLY JOIN THE CAMP OF THE POLYTHEISTS WHO WILL BE THE FUEL OF THE HELL-FIRE.

ALLAH (SWT) IS OMNIPOTENT. HE DOES WHAT HE WILLS. But He, in His universal plan, has given man the **freedom of choice and **action. **He has helped man to find the right path by sending His messenger - guides.

IT IS HIS MERCY AND GRACE. MAN CAN THANKFULLY ACCEPT ALLAH (SWT)'S GUIDANCE OR UNGRATEFULLY DENY IT TO GO ASTRAY.

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(6:148) Those who associate others with Allah in His divinity will now surely say: 'Had Allah willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated others with Allah in His divinity, nor would we have declared anything (which Allah did not forbid) as forbidden.' *124 Even so those who had lived before them gave the lie (to the Truth) until they tasted Our chastisement. Tell them: 'Have you any sure knowledge that you can produce before us? In fact you are only following idle fancies, merely conjecturing.'

*124. Their apology for their crimes and misdeeds would be that which has always been advanced by criminals and wrong-doers - an apology based on the assumption of absolute determinism. They would plead that when they associated others with God in His divinity, or unwarrantedly regarded certain things as prohibited, they did so because those acts had been willed for them by God. Had He not so willed, they would not have been able to do what they did. Hence, since they were doing everything according to the will of God, everything was proper. If anyone was to blame, it was God and not they. They were under compulsion to do what they did, for the ability to do otherwise lay beyond their power. 

قُلْ فَلِلَّهِ الْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ ۖ فَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ {6:149}

[Q6:149] Qul falillaahil hujjatul baalighatu falaw shaaa'a lahadaakum ajma'een. 

[Q6:149] Say: Then ALLAH (SWT)'s is the conclusive argument; so if He please, He would certainly guide you all.
[Q6:149] Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad: Kalau kamu sudah tidak ada sesuatu bukti) maka ALLAH (SwT) mempunyai bukti yang tegas nyata. Oleh itu, jika Dia menghendaki tentulah Dia akan memberi hidayat petunjuk kepada kamu semuanya.  

(see commentary for verse 148)

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(6:149) 'Then say to them: '(As against your argument) Allah's is the conclusive argument. Surely, had He willed, He would have guided you all to the Truth. *125

*125. This provides a complete refutation of their apology. In order to appreciate it fully, careful analysis is required. In the first place they are told that citing God's will to justify one's errors and misdeeds, and making it a pretext for refusing to accept true guidance was the practice of the evil-doers before them. But they should remember that this had led to their ruin and they themselves were witnesses to the evil consequences of deviation from the Truth.
Furthermore, it is being clarified that the plea of the unbelievers that the only reason for their error was that God had not willed that they be guided to the Truth, is based on fancy and conjecture rather than on sound knowledge. They refer to God's will without understanding the relationship between God's will and man's action. They entertain the misconception that if a man commits theft under the will of God, that does not mean that he will not be reckoned a criminal. For the fact is that whichever path a man chooses, be it that of gratitude or ungratitude to God of guidance or error, obedience or disobedience, God will open that path for him, and thereafter God will permit and enable him within the framework of His universal scheme, and to the extent that He deems fit - to do whatever he chooses to do whether it is right or wrong.
If their forefathers had been enabled by God's will to associate others with Him in His divinity and prohibit clean things, that did not mean that they were not answerable for their misdeeds. On the contrary, everyone will be held responsible for choosing false ways, for having a false intent, and for having striven for false ends.
The crucial point is succinctly made at the end in the words: 'Then say to- them, (As against your argument) Allah's is the conclusive argument. Surely, had He willed, He would have guided you all to the Truth.' The argument which they put forward, viz. 'If Allah had willed, neither we nor our forefathers could have associated others with Allah in His divinity', does not embody the whole truth. The whole truth is that 'had He willed, He would have guided you all to the Truth'. In other words, they were not prepared to take the Straight Way of their own choice and volition. As it was not God's intent to create them with inherent right guidance like the angels, they would be allowed to persist in the error they had chosen for themselves. 

قُلْ هَلُمَّ شُهَدَاءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ هَٰذَا ۖ فَإِنْ شَهِدُوا فَلَا تَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمْ ۚ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَالَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ وَهُمْ بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ {6:150}

[Q6:150] Qul halumma shuhadaaa'akumul lazeena yash hadoona annal laaha harrama haazaa fa in shahidoo falaa tashhad ma'ahum; wa laa tattabi' ahwaaa'al lazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wallazeena laa yu'minoona bil Aakhirati wa hum bi Rabbihim ya'diloon. 

[Q6:150] Say: Bring your witnesses who should bear witness that ALLAH (SWT) has forbidden this, then if they bear witness, do not bear witness with them; and follow not the low desires of those who reject Our communications and of those who do not believe in the hereafter, and they make (others) equal to their Lord.
[Q6:150] Katakanlah: Bawalah saksi-saksi kamu memberi keterangan bahawa ALLAH (SwT) mengharamkan (benda-benda yang kamu haramkan) ini. Kemudian jika mereka (tergamak) menjadi saksi (secara dusta), maka janganlah engkau turut sama membenarkan mereka; dan janganlah engkau turut hawa nafsu orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat keterangan Kami dan orang-orang yang tidak beriman kepada hari akhirat, sedang mereka pula menyamakan (sesuatu yang lain) dengan Tuhan mereka. 

The pagan superstitions were baseless, harmful and debasing. If ALLAH (SWT)'s name was pronounced to support their falsehood, no true believer in ALLAH (SWT) could be deceived.

THOSE WHO SET UP FALSE GODS FAIL TO UNDERSTAND ALLAH (SWT)'S TRUE AUTHORITY AND THEIR OWN TRUE DESTINY.

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(6:150) Say to them: 'Call your witnesses to testify that Allah forbade such-and-such.' Then if they do testify, neither testify with them *126 nor follow the desires of those who have given the lie to Our signs and who do not believe in the Hereafter and set up equals with their Lord.

*126. A person who is conscious that he should testify only to that which he knows, can never testify that the taboos regarding food and other customs prevalent in their society had been enjoined by God. But if some people are brazen enough to feel no compunction in bearing false witness, then at least the believers should not become their partners in lying. The real purpose in asking them to testify honestly whether their customs and practices had in fact been sanctioned by God, is to stimulate those with some sense of honesty to reflect on the character of their customs and practices. Perhaps when they realize that there is no evidence of those prohibitions having been prescribed by God, some of them may decide to get rid of them.