Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:138

(And they said) – a narrative of another type of disbelief of those disbelievers; it is said it is a continuation of what preceded. (This) – meaning what they designated for their idols; the feminine pronoun is used because of the predicate. (is cattle and crops) – meaning plants. (Forbidden) – meaning forbidden from being consumed; it is a verbal noun in the meaning of a passive participle, like al-dhabh (slaughter), applying equally to the singular, plural, male, and female, because its origin is the infinitive, which is why it functioned as an adjective for "cattle" and "crops."

Al-Hasan and Qatadah read hujr with a damma on the ha. They also read it with a fatha on the ha and a sukun on the jim, and with a damma on both the ha and the jim. It is possible in this case that it is an infinitive like al-hulm, or a plural like saqf and rahn. Ibn Abbas and Ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with both, read it as haraj with a kasra on the ha and the ra preceding the jim, meaning "restricted/tight." Its origin is harij with a fatha on the ha and a kasra on the ra. It is also said it is an inversion of hujr, like amiq and ma'iq. (None shall eat it) – meaning consume it. (except whom we will) – meaning, as narrated from Ibn Zayd, the men to the exclusion of the women. Others say they meant this group and the servants of the idols. The sentence is another adjective for "cattle" and "crops."

His saying—the Almighty—"by their claim" is related to an omitted element serving as a state (hal) for the subject of "they said," meaning: they said that while clothed in their false claim, devoid of any proof.

(And cattle) – the predicate of an omitted subject, and the sentence is conjoined to His saying: "(This) is cattle," meaning they said—pointing to a group of their cattle—"and this is cattle." It is said that the first pointing refers to what was previously designated for their idols, and what is between them is an interruption; this is a conjunction to the preceding "cattle," and its inclusion here is because it refers to the sawa'ib (freed grazing livestock) and similar creatures, which, by their claim, were set free and abandoned for the sake of the idols. (Forbidden) – meaning restricted. (Their backs) – so they are not to be ridden nor burdened. (And cattle) – meaning, and this is cattle according to what has passed.

His saying—the Almighty—(They do not mention the name of Allah over them) is an adjective for the cattle, brought forth by Him—the Almighty—to specify the described object and distinguish it from others, as in His saying: "And their saying: 'Indeed we killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah,'" in one view, not that it actually occurred in their narrated speech, as is the case with similar examples. It is as if it were said: "And cattle slaughtered for the idols, for they are those over which the name of Allah the Almighty is not mentioned; rather, the names of the idols are mentioned over them." Ibn al-Mundhir and others narrated from Abu Wa'il that the meaning is: "They do not perform Hajj upon them and do not recite the talbiyah." From Mujahid: "They had a group of their cattle over which they would not mention the name of Allah the Almighty in any of their affairs—neither when they rode them, nor when they milked them, nor..."

(An invention against Him) – meaning against Allah—the Almighty. "Invention" is in the accusative as an infinitive, either because their narrated saying has the meaning of "inventing," or on the estimation of an agent from its own root, i.e., "they invented an invention," or as a state (hal) from the subject of "they said," i.e., "being inventors," or as a cause, i.e., "for the sake of invention." This is distant in meaning. On this, it is said it relates to "they said" or to an estimated "invention" according to the first two possibilities, and to "invention" according to the latter two. It is not hidden that its relation to "they said" is far-fetched. What prompted them to prevent its relation to the infinitive, as is said, is that when the infinitive occurs as an absolute object, it does not act as a verb because it is not interpreted as "that" and the verb. This is subject to scrutiny, as interpreting it as such is not necessary for the prepositional phrase to relate to it, for the scent of the verb is sufficient for it. Abu al-Baqa' permitted the prepositional phrase to relate to an omitted element serving as an adjective for "invention," meaning: "an invention that is against Him." (He will recompense them) – inevitably (for what they were inventing) – meaning because of it or in exchange for it. He left the recompense indefinite to inspire dread.