Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:142

"And of the grazing livestock, [He produced] beasts of burden and those for slaughter..."

• "Beasts of burden and those for slaughter" (حمولة وفرشا): This is a conjunction linked to "gardens" (جنات). It means: He created from the livestock those that carry heavy loads, and those that are slaughtered, or from whose fur, wool, and hair carpets and furnishings are woven.
• Another view: "The beasts of burden" (الحمولة) are the large ones suitable for carrying loads. "Those for slaughter" (الفرش) are the small ones, such as young camels, calves, and sheep, because they are close to the ground due to their small size, like a spread-out carpet (فرش).
• "And do not follow the footsteps of Satan": Do not follow his path in declaring things lawful or unlawful based on your own whims, as the people of the Pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah) did.

"Eight mates: two of the sheep and two of the goats..."

• "Eight mates": This is a substitute (badal) for "beasts of burden and those for slaughter."
• "Two": Meaning two pairs. He intends the male and the female, such as the camel and the she-camel, the bull and the cow, the ram and the ewe, the he-goat and the she-goat.
• Linguistic note: If an individual is alone, it is called a "single" (فرد). If it is accompanied by another of its kind, each is called a "mate" (زوج), and together they are "two mates." The evidence for this is His saying: "He created the two mates, the male and the female" (An-Najm: 45). Further evidence is His explanation: "Two of the sheep and two of the goats, and of the camels two and of the cattle two."
• Analogy: Just as they call a single item a "mate" on the condition that another of its kind is present, they call a glass a "cup" (كأس) only on the condition that it contains wine.
• Grammar: Al-Da'n (sheep) and Al-Ma'z (goats) are collective nouns for Da'in and Ma'iz, similar to Tajir (merchant) and Tujjar (merchants). They are also read with a fatha on the 'ayn. Ubayy read it as Al-Ma'za. It is also read as ithnan (two) as an initial subject.

"Say, 'Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females...'"

• The interrogative (hamza) in "Is it the two males": This is for denial. By "the two males," He means the male of the sheep and the male of the goats. By "the two females," He means the female of the sheep and the female of the goats, used in a generic sense.
• The meaning: It is a denial that Allah has forbidden anything from the two types of sheep and goats—neither their males, nor their females, nor what the wombs of the females contain. The same applies to the males and females of camels and cattle, and what their wombs contain.
• Context: They used to forbid the males of the livestock at times, the females at other times, and their offspring—whether male, female, or mixed—claiming, "Allah has forbidden this." Thus, He denied this claim against them.
• "Inform me with knowledge": Tell me based on something known from Allah that indicates the prohibition of what you have forbidden, "if you are truthful" in your claim that Allah forbade it.
• "Or were you witnesses": Rather, were you witnesses? The interrogative is for denial. It means: Did you witness your Lord when He commanded you with this prohibition?
• Sarcasm: Mentioning "witnessing" is according to their own logic, as they did not believe in the Messenger. Since they claimed, "Allah forbade what we forbid," He mocks them by saying, "Were you witnesses?" meaning: Did you learn of this commandment by witnessing it yourselves, since you do not believe in the Messengers?
• "And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah": By attributing to Him the prohibition of what He did not forbid, "to mislead the people." This refers to 'Amr ibn Luhayy ibn Qama'ah, who initiated the practices of the Bahirah and the Sa'ibah.

"Say, 'I do not find within that which was revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine - for indeed, it is impure - or it be [that slaughtered in] disobedience, dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], then indeed, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.'"