Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:8

Surah An-Nahl (The Bee): Verse 8

{And horses, mules, and donkeys, that you may ride them and as an adornment.}

The Almighty, having mentioned the benefits derived from livestock (An'am) concerning essential needs, now mentions animals that provide non-essential benefits, stating: {And horses, mules, and donkeys, that you may ride them and as an adornment.}

There are several issues concerning this verse:

Issue 1: The Grammatical Structure

The phrase {And horses, mules, and donkeys} is coordinated (connected by 'atf) with the mention of the livestock previously discussed. This means: Just as Allah created livestock for such-and-such benefits, He created these animals for riding.

The phrase {and as an adornment} (wa zinah) means Allah created them as an adornment. This is similar to His statement: {We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as a guard} (Fussilat: 12), meaning, "and We have guarded it with a guard."

Al-Zajjaj stated that the accusative case (nasb) of {and as an adornment} is due to being an object of purpose (maf'ul lah). The meaning is: "And He created them for adornment."

Issue 2: The Prohibition of Eating Horse Meat

Those who argue for the prohibition of eating horse meat use this verse as evidence. They argue:

1. The benefit of eating is greater than the benefit of riding. If eating horse meat were permissible, this benefit (eating) would have been mentioned first. Since Allah did not mention it, we know that eating it is forbidden.
2. This argument can be strengthened further: Allah stated regarding livestock: {And of them you eat} (An-Nahl: 5). This phrasing implies exclusivity (hasr), suggesting that eating is permissible only from livestock. Therefore, eating horse meat must be forbidden based on this exclusivity.
3. Furthermore, after mentioning livestock, Allah specifically mentions horses, mules, and donkeys, stating they are created {that you may ride them}. This implies that the purpose of eating is exclusive to livestock, and this benefit is not present in these latter animals.
4. A third line of reasoning: The phrase {that you may ride them} implies that the complete purpose (tamam al-maqsood) of creating these three types of animals is riding and adornment. If eating them were permissible, then eating them would also be a complete purpose of their creation, meaning the permissibility of riding would cease to be the complete purpose, becoming only part of the purpose.

The Response (Al-Wahidi's Excellent Answer):

Al-Wahidi offered an excellent and strong rebuttal: If this verse indicated the prohibition of eating these animals, then the prohibition would have been known in Mecca, as this Surah is Meccan. If that were the case, the consensus among most exegetes and traditionists that the meat of domestic donkeys was forbidden in the year of Khaybar would be false. If the prohibition was already established before that time, there would be no point in specifying that prohibition later with that particular context (Khaybar). This is a sound and robust answer.

Issue 3: Divine Actions and Purpose

Those who maintain that the actions of Allah are motivated by underlying benefits and wisdom (masalih wa hikam) use the apparent meaning of this verse as proof. It implies that these animals were created for specific benefits. This is analogous to His statement: {A Book which We have revealed to you so that you may bring mankind out of darknesses into light} (Ibrahim: 1), and {And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me} (Adh-Dhariyat: 56). The discussion regarding this principle is already known.

Issue 4: Why the wording "and as an adornment"?

Someone might ask: Since the meaning is that Allah created horses, mules, and donkeys {that you may ride them and as an adornment for you}, why did Allah use this phrasing?

The Answer: If Allah had stated that He created them for adornment, it would imply that adorning oneself with them is a primary objective considered in their creation. This is impermissible because adorning oneself with something often leads to conceit, arrogance, and pride—blameworthy traits from which Allah has warned.

Instead, Allah said He created them {that you may ride them} so that you may repel the hardship and fatigue from yourselves through them. As for adornment, it is an incidental reality that occurs, but it is not the primary, inherent purpose (maqsood bi-dh-dhat). This is the wisdom behind choosing this specific wording.

Having first mentioned animals for necessary sustenance, and secondly, animals for non-necessary benefits, the Almighty proceeds to the third category: animals that humanity generally does not benefit from, mentioning them summarily:

{And He creates what you do not know.}

This is because their types, species, and divisions are too numerous to be counted or enumerated. If one were to delve into explaining the wonders of their conditions, the resulting text would be like a drop in the ocean compared to the many volumes required. Therefore, the best course of action was to mention them summarily, as Allah has done here.

It is narrated by 'Ata', Muqatil, and Ad-Dahhak from Ibn 'Abbas that: "Indeed, to the right of the Throne, there is a river of light, like the seven heavens and the seven earths and the seven seas. Every morning, Gabriel (peace be upon him) enters it, bathes, and thus increases in light upon his light and beauty upon his beauty. Then, when he shakes himself, Allah creates from every drop that falls from his feathers such and such thousands of angels. Every day, seventy thousand of them enter the Bayt al-Ma'mur (The Inhabited House), and seventy thousand enter the Ka'bah. Then they will not return to it until the Hour is established."

{And upon Allah is the explanation of the way, and among them are those that deviate. And had He willed, He would have guided you all together.}