Tafseer No. 24
Tafseer No. 24
(Sura Yaseen, Verse 71 – 73)
Sura Yaseen continues in verse 71 and states:
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُمْ مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَا أَنْعَامًا فَهُمْ لَهَا مَالِكُونَ
- Do they not see that We have created for them of what Our Hands have created, the cattle, so that they are their owners.
In this verse, Allah reminds man of His favours, and mentions proofs of His power and Oneness, so that these will become well-established evidences for His existence and greatness. Here, He questions people, especially the unbelievers, and enquires from them as to whether they have looked at these favours or not. The questioning is one of reproach and astonishment, where He rebukes the unbelievers for not recognizing the signs of His existence, greatness and Oneness, which surround them in every direction. While using their intelligence and power of reasoning, they should have looked and pondered over the things Allah Has created for them directly. In creating these, Allah did not seek the help of a partner, nor was He assisted in doing so. Instead, He alone created other creations from among the animals, like that of the camels, buffaloes and goats for their benefit. If due thought and consideration were given to these, then these evidences would have been sufficient for the unbelievers to recognize the Oneness and greatness of Allah.
In the verse, Allah highlights another favour to men by saying that He has made them the ‘owners’ of these animals. Therefore, a man considers himself as the ‘master’, ‘ruler’ and ‘owner’ of animals that are under his care. However, he must remember at all times that Allah is the real Owner of everything including the animals, and he (man) is only an interim master and owner. He must therefore follow the commands of Allah with respect to the care and treatment of these animals.
Sura Yaseen goes further in verse 72 to highlight another favour which Allah has given to man regarding the animals which He has created for them. The verse states:
وَذَلَّلْنَاهَا لَهُمْ فَمِنْهَا رَكُوبُهُمْ وَمِنْهَا يَأْكُلُونَ
- And We have subdued them unto them so that some of them they have for riding and some they eat.
Here, Allah explains to man that it is He who has subdued these animals and brought them under his control. This is only on account of Allah’s great wisdom and kindness to man. If these animals were not subjugated to men, then it would have been impossible for them to benefit from these animals as they do. This is clearly seen from the fact that the animals like the camels, horses, elephants, buffaloes etc are far stronger than human beings. Man is very weak in comparison to these. On account of this, it would have been extremely difficult for a human being to tame/control any one of these animals. However, Allah, out of His wisdom and kindness to man, has created these animals in a manner that they become subservient and obedient to man. In this way, they follow the orders of man and also accept him as their master and owner. On account of this, man is able to use them in whatever manner he wishes, and in all situations, they will do what he orders them to do.
In the verse, Allah highlights His favours and says that from these animals, there are some which He has made for riding purposes. Man uses these for transportation and also for pleasure, and benefits tremendously from such animals. In a like manner, there are others which Allah Has created, so that their flesh can be eaten as food. Man also benefits greatly from such animals, and seeks delight and enjoyment in consuming the meat of these animals. These are great blessings granted to man, and he is expected to show gratitude to Allah for these.
Sura Yaseen continues in verse 73 and highlights other great benefits which man derives from the animals that Allah has created. The verse states:
وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ وَمَشَارِبُ ۖ أَفَلَا يَشْكُرُونَ
- And they have (other) benefits from them (besides), and they get (milk) to drink, will they not then be grateful?
It means that there are countless other benefits which man gets from the animals besides that of riding and eating the meat. The skin, the wool, the hooves, bones and other parts of the animals are used in many different ways for the benefit of man. Besides these, Allah has created milk, a pure drink, inside some animals, from which human beings are nourished. These are indeed from the great bounties of Allah given to man, from which he benefits in many different ways. From this single creation (of the animals), man is provided with food, drink, clothing (from the skin and wool), bedding (from the skin and wool), transportation (to ride on and to carry his load) and an equipment to plough and irrigate the fields. Glory be to Allah, the Great, the Mighty, who has created such benefits for man through the animals. It is therefore essential upon man to recognize these favours and acknowledge these as blessings from Allah. While doing so, he must show gratitude to Allah by believing in His existence and Oneness, and thereafter, be fully obedient to Him.
It is to highlight this teaching, the last part of the verse states, ‘Will they not then be grateful?’ It means that after reaping so much benefits from Allah’s favours and blessings, will man not thank Allah and be grateful? Certainly, he must be grateful to Him through his firm belief (Imaan) and obedience.