Surah An-Nahl: Verses (5 - 7)

{And the cattle He created for you; in them is warmth and [many] benefits, and of them you eat.}

It is known that the noblest beings in the lower world, after humans, are the various animals, due to their possession of noble faculties: the external and internal senses, desire, and anger.

These animals are divided into two categories: those from which humans benefit, and those from which they do not. The former category is nobler because, as humans are the noblest of creatures, the benefit derived from any animal should be more complete and superior.

Furthermore, the animals from which humans benefit are either for necessities of life (like food and clothing) or for non-necessities (like adornment). The former is nobler, and this category constitutes the An'am (cattle/livestock). This is why God began by mentioning them in this verse: {And the cattle He created for you}.

The term Al-An'am refers to the eight pairs (species): sheep, goats, camels, and cows. Sometimes it is said to be three: camels, cows, and sheep/goats (Ghanam). The author of Al-Kashshaf noted that this term most often refers to camels.

The word {And the cattle} (wa-l-an'ām) is in the accusative case (mansūb). This accusative state is due to an implied verb that the following explicit phrase explains, similar to His saying: {And the moon - We have ordained for it stages} (Yā-Sīn: 39). Alternatively, it could be coordinated with "human," meaning: "He created man and the cattle."

Al-Wāḥidī suggested that the sentence ends at {And the cattle He created}, and then a new sentence begins: {For you in them is warmth}. Another possibility is that the sentence ends at {for you}, and then a new sentence begins: {In them is warmth}.

The author of Al-Naẓm stated that the best view is to stop at {He created them}, because it is followed by coordination: {And for you in them is beauty}, implying: "For you in them is warmth, and for you in them is beauty."

After mentioning that God created cattle for the accountable beings, He followed it by enumerating those benefits. The benefits of cattle are either necessary or non-necessary. God, the Exalted, began by mentioning the necessary benefits.

The First Benefit: {In them is warmth} God mentioned this meaning in another verse: {And of their wool, and their fur, and their hair} (An-Nahl: 80). Linguistically, Daf’ (warmth) refers to what provides warmth through coverings. Al-Asma'ī said it can also mean heat, as in, "Sit in the warmth of this wall," meaning its core. It is also read as Daff (with the hamza dropped and its vowel moved to the fā’).

The Second Benefit: {and [many] benefits} They [the commentators] said this refers to their offspring (progeny) and their milk. God used the term "benefits" because offspring and milk can be used for eating, selling for currency, or exchanging for clothing and other necessities. Thus, the term "benefits" encompasses all these uses.

The Third Benefit: {and of them you eat}

Objection: The phrase {and of them you eat} implies exclusivity, yet people eat from other sources. Moreover, the benefit of eating precedes the benefit of clothing, so why was it mentioned later?

Response to the first objection: Eating from cattle is the primary basis of people's livelihoods. Eating from other sources (like chicken, duck, or hunting) is considered secondary or like a delicacy. Alternatively, the majority of your food comes from them because you use cows for plowing, and you acquire grains and fruits that you eat from them. Furthermore, you earn by hiring out camels, benefit from their milk, offspring, and hides, and use them to purchase all your food.

Response to the second objection: What is worn (derived from hides/wool) lasts longer than what is eaten (meat/milk). Therefore, it was mentioned before eating.

These three benefits are the necessary benefits derived from cattle. As for the non-necessary benefits:

The First Non-Necessary Benefit: {And for you in them is beauty when you bring them in at evening and when you lead them out to pasture in the morning} Al-Iraḥah (bringing them in at evening) is returning the camels to their resting place at dusk where they stay at night. Tasrīḥ (leading them out) is when people send their camels out in the morning to graze. Linguists say this practice is most common during the spring when rain has fallen, pasture is abundant, and Arabs go out for grazing, and the cattle are at their best condition then.

The beauty derived from this is that when the herdsman brings them in at evening and sends them out in the morning, the courtyards become adorned by this coming and going, the bleating and lowing echo, and their owners rejoice, gaining prestige among people due to their ownership.

Objection: Why was Iraḥah (evening return) mentioned before Tasrīḥ (morning departure)?

Response: The beauty in Iraḥah is greater because they return with full stomachs and heavy udders, gathered near their owners in the enclosures. In contrast, when they are sent out for Tasrīḥ, they leave hungry with little milk, and then they disperse. Thus, the beauty in the evening return is greater than in the morning departure.

The Second Non-Necessary Benefit: {And they carry your heavy loads to a land you could not have reached except with great hardship. Indeed, your Lord is full of kindness, Most Merciful.}

Al-Athqāl is the plural of thiql (load), referring to the traveler's baggage. {to a land you could not have reached except with great hardship}. Ibn 'Abbās interpreted this as traveling from Mecca to Medina, or to Yemen, Syria, or Egypt. Al-Wāḥidī said this applies to any land that would be difficult for you to reach without camels. Ibn 'Abbās specified these lands because they were the trade routes for the people of Mecca.

It is read as bi-shaqqi l-anfus (with shaddah on the shīn) or bi-shuqqi l-anfus (with ḍammah on the shīn). Most reciters use the kasra (i.e., shaqq). Shaqq means hardship, but it also means half of something. The word can be interpreted in both senses here: if interpreted as hardship, the meaning is that you could not reach it except with difficulty. If interpreted as half, it means you could not reach it except when half of your strength or body was gone, which ultimately reverts to meaning hardship. Some scholars suggest that {And the cattle He created for you} refers only to camels, based on the description {And they carry your heavy loads to a land you could not have reached}, a description fitting only camels.

Response: The purpose of these verses is to enumerate the benefits of cattle. Some benefits apply to all of them, and some are specific to certain types. The evidence for this is that the statement {And for you in them is beauty} applies to cows and sheep just as it applies to camels. (And God knows best.)

Those who deny the miracles of the Saints (Awliyā') use this verse as evidence, arguing that it proves humans cannot travel from one land to another except with great hardship while carrying loads. Those who affirm miracles argue that saints can travel long distances in a single night without fatigue or hardship, which contradicts this verse. If the miracle is invalidated in this instance, it should be invalidated in all other instances, as there is no basis for differentiation.

Response: We specialize the generality of this verse with the evidence that proves the occurrence of miracles. (And God knows best.)

{And horses, mules, and donkeys He created for you to ride and as an adornment. And He creates that which you do not know.}