And they say, “That which is within the wombs of these livestock is purely for our men and forbidden for our wives; and if it is dead, then all have a share therein.” Soon Allah willrecompense them for their statements. Indeed, He is the Most-Wise, All-Knowing. [1]
Commentary
[1]
This verse mentions some evil deeds of the disbelievers. They would devote
some of their crops to their idols and only allow males serving the idols to
consume or profit from the crops. They would allow animals to roam free in the
name of their idols (thus considered forbidden). Depending on the exact reason
and type of animal, they would label the animal as either Baḥīrah or Sāʾibah. Such animals were
neither used in any way nor moved from any field. Both aforementioned actions were Shirk
(polytheism) but the meat of these animals was not unlawful. Moreover, they
would slaughter animals in the name of their deities. This is a polytheistic
action and the meat of the slaughtered animal is unlawful for consumption. This
falls under the category of ‘مَا اُھِلَّ بِہٖ لِغَیْرِ
اللّٰہِ’.
