Surah Al-An’am Ayat 146 (6:146 Quran) With Tafsir

Ala-Maududi

(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 Al-Imran, ayat 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, ayat 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, ayat 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, ayat 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.

Ibn-Kathir

146. And unto those who are Jews, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep except what adheres to their backs or their Hawaya, or is mixed up with a bone. Thus We recompensed them for their rebellion. And verily, We are Truthful.

Allah says, We forbade for the Jews every bird and animal with undivided hoof, such as the camel, ostrich, duck and goose. Allah said here,

(and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep…) The Jews used to forbid these types of foods saying that Isra’il, or Ya`qub, used to forbid them for himself so they too forbid them. This was mentioned by As-Suddi. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said that,

(except what adheres to their backs) refers to the fat that clings to their backs. Allah said next,

(or their Hawaya) that is, the entrails, according to Abu Ja`far bin Jarir. He also said, “The meaning here is, `And from ox and sheep, We forbade their fat for the Jews, except the fat on their backs and what the entrails carry.” `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that, Ibn `Abbas said that the, Hawaya, are the entrails. Similar was reported from Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Ad-Dahhak. Allah’s statement,

(….or is mixed up with a bone.) means, We allowed the Jews the fat that is mixed with bones. Ibn Jurayj commented, “The fat on the rump that is mixed with the tailbone was allowed for them, and also the fat on the legs, head, eyes and what adheres to the bones.” As-Suddi said similarly. Allah said,

(Thus We recompensed them for their rebellion.) meaning, We imposed this restriction on them as recompense for their rebellion and defying Our commandments. Allah said in another Ayah,

(For the wrongdoing of the Jews, We made unlawful for them certain good foods which had been lawful for them — and for their hindering many from Allah’s way) ﴿4:160﴾. Allah’s statement,

(And verily, We are Truthful.) means, We were justified in the penalty We gave them. Ibn Jarir commented, “We are Truthful in what We informed you of, O Muhammad; Our forbidding these foods for them, not as they claimed, that Israel merely forbade these things for himself (so they imitated him, they claimed).”

`Abdullah bin `Abbas narrated, “When `Umar bin Al-Khattab was told that Samurah sold liquor, he commented, `May Allah fight Samurah! Did he not know that the Messenger of Allah said,

(May Allah curse the Jews! The fats were forbidden for them, so they melted the fat and sold it.)” This Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs. Jabir bin `Abdullah said, “In the year of the victory of Makkah, I heard Allah’s Messenger saying;

(Allah and His Messenger have forbidden selling alcoholic drinks (intoxicants), dead animals, swine and idols.) He was asked, `What about the fat of dead animals They are used to dye skins, paint ships and are used as light by the people.’ He said,

(No, it is still unlawful.) He then said,

(May Allah fight the Jews! When Allah forbade them the fats of animals, they melted the fat, sold it and ate its price.)” The Group recorded this Hadith.