Sūrah al-Anʿām

Overview

Sūrah al-Anʿām is a Makkan sūrah with 165 āyāt. The word anʿām refers to cattle and livestock. The sūrah derives its name from this theme: monotheism in light of animal slaughter and sacrifice. It primarily focuses on the dichotomy between tawḥīd (monotheism) and shirk (polytheism). Pagan practices had deeply entrenched themselves within pre-Islamic Arabia at various levels, a fundamental one being sacrificing for other than Allah. Being a Makkan sūrah, the discourse aims to awaken within the idolatrous Arabs their dormant fiṭrah (original disposition) which naturally inclines towards pure tawḥīd. The sūrah begins in magnificent praise of the creator of the heavens and the earth, originator of darkness and light, emphasising this point. This opening also laments that, despite their recognition of His divinity, the heathen Arabs still bi-Rabbihim yaʿdilūn—equate false deities with their Lord. It is no surprise that Ibrāhīm is constantly referred to in the sūrah. He is the central uniting figure among all factions—people of scripture as well as idolators—in this ancient milieu, and he is the devoted monotheist whom the message of Islam ultimately came to fulfil. The sūrah beautifully concludes with a reminder that the ṣirāt mustaqīm (straight path) and dīn qayyim (upright religion) that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was guided to were indeed millat Ibrāhīm ḥanīfā (the pure way of Ibrāhīm)—recognition, worship, and adoration of Allah alone, without partners or associates.

Context

One of the stickling points of the disbelievers was that the Qur’an was revealed in parts over time (munajjaman) as opposed to altogether in one go (jumlatan wāḥidah). The revelation of Sūrah al-Anʿām dispelled the notion that Allah was incapable of sending down the whole Qur’an in an instant had He so willed. It is the longest sūrah to be revealed as a single revelatory unit. Another argument which the pagans posed to the Messenger ﷺ, borrowed from their Magian Persian allies, was that the maytah (carcass) should be lawful to consume. They posited that if man slaughters an animal, it is lawful, yet when God kills it, it is unlawful, claiming this to be an inconsistency. Allah revealed: “Do not eat from what did not have Allah’s name pronounced upon it, for that is indeed an abomination. Surely the devils inspire their allies to dispute with you, and if you obey them, you are indeed polytheists” (6:121). The heinous practice of waʾd is perhaps not rebuked anywhere more severely than in this sūrah: baby girls would often be buried alive in shame among chauvinistic pre-Islamic Arabs. Allah says: “Their idols have induced many of the pagans to kill their own children, bringing them ruin and confusion in their faith” (6:137); “Lost indeed are those who kill their own children out of folly, with no basis in knowledge, forbidding what Allah has provided for them by fabricating lies against Allah; they have gone far astray and have heeded no guidance” (6:140).

Themes

Like almost all Makkan sūrahs, the primary theme of Sūrah al-Anʿām is tawḥīd. It does not follow the style of pithy and terse āyāt, though nonetheless emphasises the core message of monotheism in the following ways:

• Allah’s sovereignty and dominion:
  • Say, “To whom belong the heavens and the earth?” Say, “To Allah.” (6:12)
  • Say, “What thing is greatest to witness?” Say, “Allah.” (6:19)
  • He is the Overpowering over His slaves. (6:18, 61)
• Allah’s bounties and favours in creation. (6:95-99, 141-144)
• Allah can send a severe punishment or even establish the Hour at any moment. (6:40-41, 47-49, 63-65)
• Allah is the Lord of Ibrāhīm. (6:74-83, 161)
• Allah sent many emissaries and exemplars who all came with the same monotheistic message. (6:83-92)
• Worshipping other than Allah is nonsensical and leads to confusion as well as moral depravity. (6:136-140)

Unique Features

• It is the longest sūrah of the Qur’an to be revealed altogether.
• It contains the most densely populated passage with prophet names of any sūrah. (6:83-86)
• It relays the story of Ibrāhīm when he gazed at the heavens and rationalised the supremacy of Allah to his people. (6:74-83)
• Only place where the Name of Majesty (Lafẓ al-Jalālah; i.e. the name of Allah) is mentioned twice, one time after the other, immediately without any other words or prepositions in between. (6:124)

Lessons

• Everything, animal slaughter and prayer, overtly religious rites as well as day-to-day activities, the mundane and the grand, is for the sake of Allah. (6:162)
• The truth gives life to the dead soul and illuminates the darkness with light: “Is he who was dead and We have raised him unto life, and set for him a light wherein he walks among men, as him whose similitude is in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge?” (6:122)
• In calling others to tawḥīd, do not insult their deities as this simply inflames their prejudices against the truth: “Do not insult those they call upon apart from Allah lest they insult Allah out of hostility, without knowledge.” (6:108)
• Contrary to what many believe, Islam is not restrictive in that it makes everything unlawful. The fact that it is the unlawful that is listed in divine law as opposed to the lawful is itself an indication that all is permissible but for a minority of harmful categories. Allah says: “Say, ‘I find nothing in what has been revealed to me as impermissible for a consumer to consume except that it be carrion, poured blood, swine meat—for it is filthy—or some abomination sacrificed for other than Allah.” (6:145)
• There is a brilliant ethical exposition towards the end of the sūrah which encompasses all the overarching moral injunctions incumbent upon humanity (6:151-153). These universal commandments are:
  • Do not associate partners with Allah.
  • Be good to your parents.
  • Do not kill your children for fear of poverty.
  • Forsake all obscenity and lewdness, external and internal.
  • Do not kill unjustly.
  • Do not consume the orphan’s wealth.
  • Be equitable in your dealings and transactions.
  • Testify for truth even if against kith and kin.
  • Fulfil your covenant with Allah.
  • Follow the straight path of Allah and shun all other paths.

Virtues and Valuable Information

• Ibn ʿAbbās is reported to have said: “Sūrah al-Anʿām was sent down in Makkah, and with it was a procession of angels escorting it, filling what is between the heavens and the earth, reciting glorifications so loudly that the earth almost shook from their praises.”
• On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, the āyah: “Is he who was dead and We have raised him unto life, and set for him a light wherein he walks among men, as him whose similitude is in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge? (6:122)” was revealed in reference to Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and Abū Jahl.