Qxpiv May, 2007 By Shabbir Ahmed, M. D., Florida Chief Adviser and Editor: Hossein Kowsari, California Reviewed by: Abdullah Ali Bashoeb, Hijaz

Surah 6. Al-An’aam – The Cattle

[Author’s Note] This is the 6th Surah of the Qur’an. It has 165 verses. The main distinction between humans and other creations on earth is that of intellect and, with it, the free will.

With the Glorious Name of Allah, the Instant and Sustaining Source of all Mercy and Kindness

6:1 All Praise in word and action belongs to God, Who created the heavens and the earth, and appointed darkness and light. (All things in the Universe are witness to, and manifest His Glory.) Yet those who reject the Truth hold others as equal with their Sustainer.

6:2 He is the One Who created you from inorganic matter, and decreed a term for you, a term known to Him. It is determined according to His Laws, for individuals (3:144, 56:60) and nations (7:34, 10:49, 13:38). Yet you keep doubting and arguing about Him.

6:3 He is God in the heavens as well as on earth. He knows all that you keep secret as well as all that you do openly.

6:4 Yet whenever a Message from the revelations of their Sustainer came to them, they turned away from it.

6:5 And so they are denying this Truth as it has come to them. However, soon they will come to understand what they used to ridicule.

6:6 Do they not see how many a generation We (Our Law) annihilated before them? We had established them on earth better than We have established you, and We showered on them abundant blessings from the sky, and caused the rivers to flow beneath them. But, when they trailed behind in humanity, We (Our Law) annihilated them and raised in their stead other generations.

6:7 Even if We had sent down to you (O Prophet) a pre-printed book written upon parchment, so that they could feel it with their hands, the rejecters would have said, "This is nothing but obvious magic!"

6:8 They ask, "Why is not an angel sent down unto him (for them to see)?” Well, if We did send down an angel, the matter would be judged at once. And no further time would be granted them after that. [Angels to behold are sent only when the period of respite is over. 16:33, 25:22]

6:9 And even if We sent an angel, We would certainly have made him in the form of a man. And We (per our Law) would have kept them just as confused as they are confused now. [It would not fulfill their demand of seeing an angel as a messenger]

6:10 And indeed, messengers before you have been mocked. But the very thing they used to mock surrounded them in the end for their ridiculing.

6:11 Say, “Travel through the earth taking lessons from history (in order to comprehend the Laws of the Rise and Fall of nations), and notice the end of those who belied these Laws.”

6:12 (From history, let them turn their attention to the Universe.) Say, “To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth?” Say, “To God Who has prescribed for Himself Mercy.” (He nourishes the entire Universe as a mother’s womb nourishes the fetus with no returns, while meeting its needs at all stages of development. He does not task individuals and nations to doom, without giving them a period of respite to mend their behavior.) He will assemble all individuals and nations on the Day when humanity stands on its feet, and ultimately on the Day of Resurrection about which there is no doubt. Only those who have destroyed their ‘selves’ will keep denying the Truth.

6:13 To Him belongs all that dwells in the night and the day. He is the Knower, the Hearer.

6:14 Say, “Shall I take for my master other than God Who is the Initiator of the heavens and the earth? And He provides all without return. He feeds but is not fed.” Say, “Nay, but I have been commanded to be the foremost among those who submit to Him. And you shall not be (O Muhammad) of the idolaters.”

6:15 Say, "I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the retribution of an awesome Day."

6:16 Whoever is saved from retribution on that Day, has attained God’s Mercy, and that is the signal triumph.

6:17 Whatever adversity touches you for violating God’s Laws, the only way to redress it is to turn to His Laws. And you attain all blessings by following His Laws, for He is Able to do all things. He has appointed due measure for all things including harm and benefit.

6:18 He is Supreme over His servants, and He is the Wise, the Aware. [He uses his Authority with wisdom and knowledge]

6:19 Say (O Messenger), "What could be the greatest witness?” Say, “God is Witness between me and you. This Qur’an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you as well as whomever it reaches. Do you bear witness that there are other deities besides God?” Say, “I bear no such witness.” Say, “He is the One God. I disown what you associate with Him.”

6:20 Those who have been given the Scripture, recognize this (Message) as they recognize their sons. Yet those who have squandered their own ‘selves’ fail to accept such undeniable Truth.

6:21 Who can be a greater transgressor than the one who invents a lie against God and belies His revelations? The wrongdoers who displace reality with falsehood, will not succeed.

6:22 On the Day We assemble them, We will ask the idolaters, “Where are now those partners of God that you conceived?”

6:23 They will hardly have a response, but they will swear," By God, our Lord, we were never idolaters.”

6:24 Imagine how they lie against themselves, and how their fabricated gods abandon them.

6:25 Some of them pretend to listen to you, but We (Our Laws) have already veiled their hearts from understanding and caused deafness in their ears. Blind followers fail to believe even when they see all kinds of proofs. When they come to argue with you, they say about the Qur’an, "These are stories of the bygones."

6:26 They repel others from the Qur’an and deprive themselves of it. They hurt their own ‘selves’ without even knowing it.

6:27 If only you could see them when they face the Fire! They would say then, “Woe to us. Oh, we wish we could go back and never reject our Lord's revelations, and join the believers.”

6:28 Nay, they will be making excuses since the Truth they used to conceal from themselves, has become obvious to them. If they were sent back, they would commit exactly the same crimes. They are indeed liars.

6:29 There are people who think that the only life is the life of this world and that they will not be raised again.

6:30 But if only you could see when they stand before their Lord! He will ask, “Is not this real?” They will say “Yes, by our Lord!” God will then say, “Taste the Requital for your rejection of the Truth.”

6:31 Losers indeed are those who deny meeting with God, until the Hour suddenly comes upon them. Then they will say, “We deeply regret wasting our lives in this world!” They will bear their burdens on their backs. Evil indeed are the burdens that they bear.

6:32 The life of this world is a play and a passing delight in comparison to the Eternal Life. The abode of the Hereafter is far better for those who live according to the Divine Laws. Will you not use Reason?

6:33 We know well how their talk grieves you (O Messenger). In Truth they do not deny you. It is the revelations of God that the wicked deny.

6:34 messengers before you, were denied and opposed. They steadfastly faced persecution until Our help reached them. There is none to alter the decisions, Laws and Words of God. Some history of the messengers has already come to you and sets examples for you. [6:116, 10:64, 17:77, 18:27, 33:38, 33:62, 40:85, 48:23]

6:35 If their turning aside is troublesome for you, then if you were able to dig a tunnel in the ground, or climbed a ladder to the sky and brought them a miracle (they still would not believe). If it were God’s Will, He could assemble them together unto true Guidance. So, do not be among those who are swayed by ignorance (about free will given to humans). [God wants His servants to reflect and make free choices. 10:98-99, 12:108]

6:36 Only those can accept the Truth who hear and listen with an open mind (10:100). The living dead will only hear when God raises them (to use their faculties (2:260), or when God will raise them to the second life. Ultimately, unto Him they be returned.

6:37 They say, “If only a miracle could come down to him from his Lord!” Say, “God surely has the Power to send down a miracle, but most of them do not use their knowledge.” [He does not wish to stun the human intellect with supernatural phenomena. He wants people to reflect and use reason. 12:108]

6:38 [There are signs in the Universe to behold] All creatures on earth and all the birds that fly on its wings, are communities like you. We did not omit any knowledge from this Book (that was essential to be given through Revelation.) And they all will be gathered to their Lord in the end.

6:39 Those who deny Our signs are deaf and dumb, in total darkness. Straying and Guidance take place according to the Divine Laws. [4:88]

6:40 Ask them, “If a natural disaster strikes you as Divine retribution, or when the Hour comes, would you call upon others besides God? Answer if you are truthful.”

6:41 Nay, you will call unto Him alone, and He removes your affliction that caused to you call upon Him, if He wills. At that time you forget your idols.

6:42 We sent messengers to nations before you. (They compassionately advised their people that the Supreme Law is operative on the earth, as it is in the heavens.) When those nations violated Our Laws in their societies, they had to face the consequences. They should have become humble and taken corrective action right away.

6:43 But, instead of being humble when Our Requital touched them, their selfish desire led their minds into rationalizing their actions. This is because their hearts had been hardened with arrogance and repeated rejection of the Truth. [2:74, 5:13]

6:44 When they forgot the reminder given to them, We opened for them the gates of all (good) things … Until just as they were enjoying Our gifts, suddenly We called them to account. Then indeed, they were plunged in despair. [16:112]

6:45 When nations violated human rights with their unjust systems they were uprooted (6:6, 7:129). God replaced them with people who were not like them (10:14, 11:57). You can understand that all Praise in word and action belongs to the Lord of the Worlds. [His Rule is the Rule of Law 8:53, 13:11]

6:46 (The exploiters of the masses think that they are smarter, and hence, they deserve to take advantage of people 28:76-82). Say, “Will you think? If God took away your hearing and your sight and sealed up your hearts, which god other than God could restore them to you? Note how We explain the verses by various facets, and note how they still turn aside.

6:47 Tell them that the punishment according to the Law of Requital, sneaks up or suddenly hits nations that are transgressors (11:104). Would any people perish unless they are oppressors of the masses? [Nations are not annihilated unless they violate human rights. [11:117]

6:48 We have sent Our messengers to give good news and to warn. Those who attain belief, mend their ways and work for social equity fulfilling the needs of others, will have nothing to fear nor will they have any regrets.

6:49 But those who deny Our revelations, retribution will afflict them, for they keep drifting from the secure path. [Retribution is a logical and built-in consequence of their wrongdoing. [7:147, 91:9-10]

6:50 Say, (O Messenger), “I do not claim that I have the Treasures of God, nor do I have the knowledge of the Unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I follow what is revealed to me. (You blindly follow your ancestors.) Say, “Is the blind of the heart the same as the seer who uses reason? Would you not reflect?”

6:51 Give this warning to those who fear that they will be brought to judgment before their Lord. Except for Him, they will have no protector and no intercessor. (Counsel them) so that they may live upright.

6:52 Do not send away those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Countenance (devoting themselves to Him alone). You are, by no means, accountable for them, and they are not accountable for you. (In spite of the demands of the rich and powerful leaders, you shall not turn away the sincere servants of God.) If you send them away, then you will be among the unjust.

6:53 We thus let people test some of them by others, that they say, “Is it these then that God has favored among us?” Does not God know best those who are appreciative?

6:54 When those who believe in Our revelations come to you, say, Salamun Alaikum (Peace be upon you! = Salutes unto you!) Your Lord has decreed for Himself Mercy. Thus anyone among you who commits a bad deed out of ignorance, and then repents and makes amends should know that He is Forgiving, Merciful.

6:55 We explain Our Laws to distinguish (between minor, unintended violations and) the way of the criminals who steal the fruit of others’ labor.

6:56 Say, “I am forbidden to worship and obey on whom you call instead of God.” Say, “I will not follow your desires, otherwise I will go astray and not be among the rightly guided.”

6:57 Say, “I have a manifest Proof from my Lord that you deny. I do not control the retribution you challenge me to bring. Judgment belongs to none but God. And no one has the Ultimate Rule. He declares the Truth and He is the Best of deciders.”

6:58 Say, “If the ultimate decision you are hastening for was up to me, the case would have been already decided. God is best Aware of the wrongdoers.”

6:59 With Him are the keys of the Unseen. (None but He knows the subtle processes and their stages where actions culminate into their logical outcome.) He knows everything in the land and in the sea. Not even a leaf falls without His knowledge. Neither is there a grain in the dark depths of the soil, nor anything fresh or withered, that He knows not. But all is written in the Open Book of the Universe around you.

6:60 He suspends your consciousness during sleep at night, and knows what you do by day, when awake. He resurrects you every morning until your life span is completed. Death is, likewise, a temporary suspension of consciousness and afterward to Him is your return (39:42). Then, He will inform you of what you really accomplished.

6:61 He is Supreme over His servants. His Laws guard your life until the inescapable Law of death approaches you. When death comes to one of you, Our couriers receive him without delay.

6:62 Then they are restored to God, their Rightful Master. Surely, His is the Command and His is the Judgment. And He is the Swiftest of reckoners.

6:63 Say, “ Who saves you, in the darkness of the land and the sea, when you call upon Him humbly and quietly saying, “If He saves us this time, we will always be thankful?”

6:64 Say, “It is God (Whose Laws you trust never to change), Who protects you from different afflictions. Even then you attribute partners to Him!”

6:65 Say, “He is Able to send punishment upon you from above you or from beneath your feet, or to bewilder you with dissension and make you taste the tyranny of one another. (Violation of His Laws can inflict you from the top in the form of tyrannical rule, or from the bottom in the form of popular rebellion. You could then divide into hateful parties, and taste smite of one another.) Note how We use Tasreef, explaining Our verses from various vantage points, that men and women may understand.

6:66 Even then, (O Messenger) Your people deny the Truth. Tell them, “I have not been appointed a guardian over you.”

6:67 Every tiding given in the Qur’an shall come to pass and you (mankind) will surely find out.

6:68 When you see them engaged in vain discourse about Our verses, turn away from them unless they engage in a different subject. If Satan ever makes you forget (your mind gets engrossed in their discourse,) then as soon as you recollect, no longer sit in the company of the people who confound the Truth with falsehood. [Zaalimeen = Those who relegate the Truth from its rightful place = In this verse, trying to displace or confound the Truth with falsehood]

6:69 Those who live upright bear no responsibility for them, except to remind them, that they may protect themselves against personal detriment. [See Taqwa, 2:41]

6:70 Leave to themselves those who take their religion as nothing but pastime, amusement, games of ritual, and social partying; their life revolving around quick gains of the worldly life. But follow up with Reminders with the Qur’an on appropriate occasions. Remind people lest a ‘self’ be ruined for its own actions. No ‘self’ has a protecting friend, master or intercessor against the Law of God even if it offered any conceivable ransom. Such is the end of those who land themselves into ruin with their own actions. For them is a draught of burning despair and a painful doom. They had kept denying the Truth.

6:71 Say, “Should we call unto those who can neither benefit nor harm us, and turn back on our heels after God has guided us right? In that situation we would be like the person who is left wandering enticed by his satanic thoughts, stranded in the desert of doubt. And, his companions try to guide him: Come to us! Say, “The Guidance of God is Guidance, and we are commanded to submit to the Lord of the Worlds.”

6:72 “And to establish the Divine System and live upright. He it is to Whom you will be summoned."

6:73 And He it is Who has created the heavens and the earth with a definite Purpose. Whenever He says “Be!” it is. His Word is the Truth. And His will be the Dominion on the Day the Trumpet (of Resurrection) is blown. Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, for, He is the Wise, the Aware. [3:191, 38:27]

6:74 Remember when Abraham said to his father Azar (Terah), “How could you worship idols as gods? I see you and your people are in obvious error.” [Azar is called Terah in the Bible and Zarah in Talmud]

6:75 And to this end, We gave Abraham insight into the Mighty Dominion of the Universe so that he might attain firm conviction.

6:76 (Some of his people were idolaters and others were Nature-worshipers.) One night when it grew dark upon him he saw a planet (Venus). Abraham exclaimed to them, “This is my Lord!” But when it went down, he said, “I do not love things that go down.”

6:77 (Another night) when the moon was rising, he exclaimed, “This is my Lord." But when it went down, he said to himself and to the people, “Unless my Lord guides me, I surely will go astray.”

6:78 (In the morning) he saw the sun rising in splendor, and he said, “This is my Lord! This is greater!” But, as the sun went down, Abraham exclaimed, “O My people! I am free from all that you associate with God.” [Of course, Abraham knew that the celestial bodies were not gods. He is only preaching his people by example]

6:79 “I have focused firmly on Him Who initiated the heavens and the earth; as an upright man I turn away from all that is false. I will never be an idol worshiper in any form.”

6:80 His people argued with him, but Abraham said, “Do you dispute with me about God when He has guided me? I do not no fear those you associate with Him. Nothing can happen to me contrary to the Laws of God. My Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge. Will you not then, reflect and use your intellect?” [This is how Abraham tried that his people reflect and be rational]

6:81 He said, “Why should I fear what you set up beside Him, when you do not fear to set up besides God, deities for which He has sent no Authority and are utterly powerless. Think which of the two sides among us deserves peace and security? Answer me if you have the answer.” [3:150-151, 29:41, 33:39]

6:82 Those who attain belief and do not cloak their belief with wrong doctrines, for them is inner peace and security. They are rightly guided.

6:83 This is the logic (examples of the star, the moon and the sun) that We taught Abraham (Ibrahim) against his people. We exalt people in ranks when they follow Our Laws. Your Lord is Wise, All Knowing.

6:84 We gave him Isaac the son, and Jacob the grandson, and We guided them. Before Abraham, We guided Noah and from his descendants, We guided David (Dawood), Solomon (Sulaiman), Job (Ayub), Joseph (Yusuf), Moses (Musa), and Aaron (Haroon). We thus reward the benefactors of humanity.

6:85 And Zachariah (Zakariya), John (Yahya), Jesus (‘Isa) and Elijah (Ilyas); all in the ranks of the righteous who fulfilled the needs of mankind.

6:86 And Ishmael (Ismail), Elisha (Al-Yasa’), Jonah (Yunus), and Lot (Lut). To all of them We gave distinction over people of their times.

6:87 And We gave distinction to some of their ancestors, children and siblings and guided them to the Straight Path. [This verse also negates the myth of Virgin Birth, as Jesus is included among prophets whose fathers were blessed. [Aaba = Fathers = Forefathers = Ancestors]

6:88 This is the Guidance of God. He guides His servants according to His Laws (4:88). If they had associated others with God, their actions would have been vain.

6:89 They were the ones to whom We gave the Scripture, Sound Judgment and prophethood. Now, if these people reject these Truths, We have entrusted these Truths to people who will not refuse to acknowledge them.

6:90 Those were the ones guided by God, so follow their Guidance. Say, (O Messenger), “I ask of you no wage for this. This (Guidance in the Qur’an) is but a Reminder to all nations.”

6:91 People do not value God as He must be valued when they say, "God has not revealed His Message to any human being." Ask them, “Who then revealed the Scripture which Moses brought, a Light and Guidance for people? Although you put it down on parchment which you show, but you conceal a lot. You were taught what neither you, nor your ancestors knew before.” Say, “God (revealed it).” Then leave them to enjoy their vain talk.

6:92 And this Qur’an is the Blessed Book that We have sent down, confirming the (Truth in) what was revealed before it, that you (O Prophet) may warn the Central Town, Makkah, and places around it. (From this Center, the Message will fan out 6:90, 12:104, 2:101.) Those who believe in (the Law of Recompense and) the Hereafter, accept this Book as a comprehensive Guide. And they ensure that following the Divine Commands is facilitated in the society. [Wa hum ‘ala salaatihim yuhaafizoon = They guard their prime commitment = They protect the Divine System that they have established. The common translation, “They guard their prayers,” makes no sense here]

6:93 Who can be a greater wrongdoer than the one who fabricates a lie and attributes it to God, or claims receiving Revelation while he has received none? Or someone who says, “I, too, can write the same as what God has revealed.” If only you could see such transgressors at the time of death! The angels extend their power to them saying, “Bring out your egos. This day you will be awarded a punishment of disgrace for speaking lies concerning God, and for being too arrogant to accept His revelations.” [Angels = God’s Forces in Nature. Yadd = Hand = Powers = Abilities. 5:38]

6:94 Now you have come to Us, alone just as We created you individuals the first time. You have left behind all your belongings. We do not see with you the intercessors you idolized. Now all ties among you have been cut off and your assumptions have failed you.

6:95 God is the One Who causes the grains and the seeds to split and germinate. He produces the living from the dead, and the dead from the living. Such is God. Where are you headed in bewilderment?

[Similar are the Laws that apply to individuals and nations. They must develop their inherent potentials in order to prosper]

6:96 He is the Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for stillness, (rest and tranquility) and the sun and the moon to run their well-calculated courses. They become means of calculating time for you (10:5). Such is the Design of the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing.

6:97 He it is Who has made the stars to guide you through the darkness of the land and the sea. (And they never fail to guide you 21:33, 36:40.) We have scattered Our signs throughout the Universe for people who use their knowledge.

6:98 And He it is Who initiated you from a single life cell. Then in the process of evolution He appointed stages, from one station to the next destination. (Thus goes on the journey of life here and in the Hereafter.) Thus We explain Our messages for people who use their insight. [11:6]

6:99 (He took care of your provision even before you were created.) He it is Who sends down water from the heights. With it We produce vegetation of all kind; green multitudes, complex grains, palm trees, from their pollens spring pendant clusters, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranate; fruits that are similar and diverse. Look upon the fruit thereof and look upon its ripening. These are signs for those who reach conviction through reason.

6:100 Yet, they set up besides God idols among the Jinns, though He is the One Who created them. They even assign to Him sons and daughters, without any knowledge. Be He Glorified! He is Exalted above all that they attribute unto Him. [Jinn = The mythical invisible creatures with occult powers. For details, see introduction to Surah 72, Al-Jinn]

6:101 Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth; how can He have a son when He never chose for Himself a mate? He creates all things (and does not procreate 112:3.) and He is the Profound Knower of all things and events.

6:102 Such is God, your Sustainer. There is no god but He. No one is worthy of worship and obedience but He, the Creator of all things. Hence, obey Him! He is the Guardian of all and takes care of every thing.

6:103 No vision can grasp Him while He grasps all vision. He is Unfathomable, Aware.

6:104 (You are not expected to know His Essence.) Say (O Prophet), “The manifest Enlightenment has come to you from your Lord. Whoever sees the Truth, does so for his own good. And whoever turns blind, hurts himself. I am not your keeper or guardian.”

6:105 Thus We give many facets to Our verses so that they may admit that you (O Prophet) have indeed taken all this to heart in the most excellent manner. And (through this method of Tasreef) We make it clear to people who use what they learn.

6:106 Follow what is revealed to you from your Lord. There is no god but He. And disregard those who associate others with Him. [21:20-22, 29:61-63]

6:107 We could have created all people without free will and they would then not associate any partners with Him. (But Guidance has been distinguished from straying 2:256.) And We have not appointed you (O Messenger) as their guardian, nor are you responsible for them.

6:108 (O Believers) Do not insult the idols they set up besides God. They might insult God in their ignorance and hurt themselves. To every community We have made their deeds seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return and He will tell them what they used to do.

6:109 They swear by God that if a miracle comes to them, they would surely believe in it (the Book). Say, “All miracles are with God (if you reflect on the Universe). What can make you understand that even if a physical miracle came to them, they will find other excuses and still not believe?

6:110 Our Law keeps their hearts and their eyes turned away from the Truth. Since they have preemptively rejected it (the Qur’an), We let them wander blindly in their rebellious attitude.

6:111 Even if We caused the angels to descend to them, and the dead to speak to them, and lined up all the miracles before them, they would not believe. People can be guided only according to God’s Laws, but most of them choose the way of ignorance.

6:112 Remember, We have appointed to every Prophet enemies. The rebellious among the urban and the rural populations rose in opposition, (since the Message struck at their personal interests.) They plotted and inspired each other with fancy words. If your Lord willed, they would not do that. Disregard them and whatever they fabricate.

6:113 Those who love quick gains and neglect the long-term benefits and the Hereafter, are parties to such fabrications. Let them delight in it and let them earn from it what they may.

6:114 Say, “Shall I seek for Judge and Ruler someone other than God? He it is Who has revealed this Book, well expounded in detail for you.” Those whom We have given the Book know that this is revealed in Truth from your Lord. Be not among those who argue for the sake of argument.

6:115 Perfected is the Word of your Lord in Truth and Justice. None can change His Words and His Laws. And He is the Profound Hearer, the Knower. [6:34, 6:115, 10:64, 17:77, 18:27, 33:38, 33:62, 40:85, 48:23]

6:116 (People will confront you with what the majority is doing.) Now if you pay heed to, or get intimidated by majority of those who live on earth, they will lead you astray from God’s Way. Most of the people follow nothing but conjecture and they only live by guesswork.

6:117 Only your Lord (shows the Right Path and) knows best those who stray and those who are rightly guided.

6:118 So eat of what God has made Permissible, if you are indeed believers in His revelations. [People wonder why different things have been made Lawful or Unlawful in the Qur’an. But what the majority thinks, shall never be the criterion 3:93]

6:119 Why should you not eat of that on which God’s Name has been pronounced (i.e. it is not dedicated to other than Him)? He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden along with certain exceptions in dire need. Numerous of the clergy mislead people in this matter without knowledge, and with their personal opinions. Surely, your Lord! He is best Aware of those who transgress and go beyond limits. [5:3]

6:120 Abstain from violating the Divine Commands, whether openly or secretly. Those who drag down their ‘selves’ by such violations will be awarded what they have earned. [They will live a subhuman existence and meet a befitting consequence]

6:121 Pronounce the Name of God before eating anything (not just meat). For, not doing so will mean drifting away from Commands. Satans (the rebellious among people) inspire their companions to dispute with you. If you were to obey them, you will indeed be Pagans.

[6:145, 6:173. Using Tasreef, this verse has been translated differently, but correctly for clear understanding. Mushrikoon = Idolaters = Pagans = Those who ascribe divinity besides God = Those who prefer human ‘authorities’ or clergy over Revelation = Who ‘worship’ their own desire]

6:122 (Our Light revives the living dead and makes them walk honorably among mankind.) Is one who was living dead and We gave him life, and a Light whereby he sees his way (honorably) among people, - Is he like one who is lost in total darkness out of which he cannot emerge? Thus it is: goodly seem their own deeds to the deniers. [When people have their belief systems jumbled up, they lose the power to distinguish between the right and wrong]

6:123 This is how We allow the greatest ones in every community to become its greatest criminals, to weave their schemes. Yet it is only against themselves that they scheme without even knowing it.

6:124 When a Message comes to them, they say, "We will not believe until we are directly given what God’s messengers are given.” But, God knows best with whom to place His Message. Such criminals will be humiliated by God’s Law of Requital, and suffer a heavy punishment for their scheming.

6:125 Whoever follows God’s Law of Guidance, He expands his chest wide open to submission. And whoever violates God’s Law of Guidance, feels his chest tight and narrowed as if he were climbing to the sky. Thus God’s Law appoints disgrace for those who continue to reject the Truth.

6:126 And this (Qur’an) is the Path of your Lord, a Straight Path. Clearly indeed We have detailed Our revelations for those who pay attention and take them to heart!

6:127 For them is the wonderful Abode of Peace with their Sustainer. He will be their Protecting Friend because of what they used to do.

6:128 The day will come when He gathers all of them and says, “O You nomads! You have seduced many of the urban.” Their urbanite friends will say, “Our Lord! We enjoyed each other’s company (and both used each other opportunistically as happens in a chaotic society) until we wasted a life span You had given us." He will say, “Fire is your home. Abide therein forever according to God's Design." Surely, (O Messenger) your Lord is Wise, Knowing. (He has designed His Laws in all wisdom and knowledge.)

6:129 Thus Our Law makes the wrongdoers keep company towards a common earning. [The criminals of the same kind tend to hang around together]

6:130 O You, assembly of the nomads and the urbanites! Did not messengers come to you from among you, who conveyed to you My messages and warned you of the meeting of this your Day? They will say, "We testify against ourselves.” Pursuit of only the worldly life preoccupied their hearts and minds. They will bear witness against themselves that they disregarded the Truth.

6:131 And so it is that your Lord never destroys communities while their people are unaware of their wrongdoings.

6:132 The ranks of all individuals and nations are determined solely by their deeds, and your Lord is not unaware of what they do. [Calling yourselves ‘believers’ will not help. 2:8]

6:133 Your Lord is Self-sufficient, Full of Mercy. If it were His Will, He could destroy you and replace you with whomever He wills, just as He produced you from the posterity of other creation. [Please see ‘evolution’ 22:5]

6:134 That which you are promised will surely come to pass, and you can never evade the Divine Laws.

6:135 Say, "O My people! Go on doing what you wish, and so will I. Soon, you will know to whom belongs the ultimate (success). Most certainly, the wrongdoers will never prosper." [‘Uqba = End = The final outcome = The ultimate destination = Life Hereafter. The last is probably not applicable here because of the context]

6:136 [How can they succeed when their beliefs and actions are wrong?] They set aside a portion of God's provision of crops and cattle and claim, "This is for God, and this is for our idols.” But the share of their idols never reaches God, and the share of God does reach their idols. What an unjust decision they make! [Their priesthood devours both portions of their making, and the poor remain wanting. To God reaches what you spend on the needy. 6:141]

6:137 (At the prompting of the mystics and monks, and in the name of their temples, idols, sanctuaries, and the dead "holy" men and women), the Mushrikeen (idolaters) do acts of omission and commission against their own children! They inflict great pain upon themselves and their families in the name of religion. If God had willed (they would have followed the Laws of Guidance and), they would not have done it. (Since they take this abuse as a part of their plan to salvation), leave them alone and what they fabricate.

6:138 And they say, “Such and such cattle and fruits of the field are sacred. No one will eat of them except whom we permit.” They also arbitrarily prohibit the riding of some animals. And there are cattle over which they do not pronounce the Name of God (but of someone else, to please people). Such are their fabrications in His Name. Soon He will reward them for their false imagery.

[They claim that it has been dedicated to some saint. Are not such VIP favors very much alive in the modern day Jahilyah?]

6:139 (They display their bias toward women in weird ways.) They say, “What is in the bellies of these cattle is reserved for the males among us, and forbidden to our wives.” But if it is a stillbirth, they permit their wives to share it. He, the Wise, the Knower, will repay them for their innovations.

6:140 Lost indeed are those who kill their children foolishly, and forbid what God has provided them as sustenance. And they attribute their innovations to God! Their straying is far from the way of the rightly guided.

[They deprive their children to the point of starvation and death in the name of religious service, when under the instructions of the priesthood they abandon their families]

6:141 He it is Who creates Bounties for you, such as gardens that are cultivated, greens that are wild, palm trees of various kinds, crops in diversity, olives and pomegranates, fruits that are similar and diverse. Enjoy them, but give Him His Right on the Day of the Harvest. And waste not the Bounty of God. Surely, He does not love the wasteful. [‘give Him His Right’ = Give God His Right = Render to the poor what is their Divinely ordained right. Time to reflect on Zakaat: See 2:3, 11:64, 55:10]

6:142 Among the large and small quadrupeds some are for work and transportation and others for flesh, and their skins for bedding materials. Enjoy what God has provided you. And do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Satan (your selfish desire) is your open enemy.

6:143 Take the example of eight quadrupeds: Two sheep, one male and one female, two goats, one male and one female. Say, “Is it the two males that He has forbidden, or the two females, or the calves in the wombs of the females? Tell me if you have true knowledge.

6:144 Then two camels, one male and one female, two cows, one male and one female. Say, “Is it the two males that He has forbidden, or the two females, or the calves in the wombs of the two females? Were you witnesses when God made such prohibitions? Who can be a greater transgressor than the one who invents a lie and attributes it to God? They mislead people without knowledge. God does not intervene to guide those who displace knowledge with conjecture.”

6:145 Say, "I do not find in the Revelation given to me, any food that is prohibited for one who wishes to eat except: Carrion (dead meat), or running blood, or the flesh of swine – for, certainly, it is a barrier to the moral development. Or, anything (not just meat) that has been, in defiance to Commands, has been dedicated to other than God.” If one is forced by dire need without being deliberate and without transgressing, your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

[2:173, 5:3. Rijs = Unclean = Disapproved = Contaminated = Foul = A barrier to moral development. Science still needs to learn how pork can be a barrier to morality. Fisq = Deviation = Abomination = In defiance of Divine Commands = Disobedience of God = Drifting away from reason]

6:146 For those who are Jewish, We had prohibited some edibles, such as animals with undivided hoof, the fat of the cow and the sheep, except what is attached to their backs or their intestines, or what is mixed-up in the bone. But that was only a temporary retribution for their disobedience (4:160). We are indeed True to Our Word.

6:147 If they accuse you of falsehood (O Prophet), tell them, “Your Lord is the Lord of Infinite Mercy, but His Requital will not be averted from the guilty.”

6:148 Those who associate others with God will say, “Had God willed, we would not have practiced idolatry, nor would our ancestors, nor would we have prohibited anything.” So did their ancestors argue falsely until they tasted Our Requital. Say, “Do you have any proven knowledge that you can present (that the human being is created without free will 18:29, 76:3, 90:10)? Nay, you follow nothing but conjecture and you only run after guess-work.”

6:149 Say, "The most Powerful Reasoning, the Final Evidence belongs to God. If He willed, He could have made all of you innately guided (like other creation who spontaneously follow Divine Laws 16:49, 41:11.)”

6:150 Say, “Come, bring forward your witnesses who can bear witness that God forbade all this. And if they bear witness falsely, do not bear witness with them. You shall not follow the opinions of those who deny Our revelations, nor of those who do not believe in the life to come, and deem others equal with their Lord. [8:53,