What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And upon those who were Jews, We forbade every animal with a claw, and from the cattle and sheep, We forbade their fat, except what their backs carried, or the intestines, or what was mixed with bone. That was Our retribution upon them for their transgression, and We are indeed the Truthful.”
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The questioner : He says, what is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-An'am 6:146]?
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, the meaning of this verse is that Allah informs that He forbade upon those who were Jews, and they are the Jews, He forbade upon them every animal with a claw among the livestock.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And “with a claw,” the scholars said, is that which has no split in its hands or feet, so its hands and feet are a single layer, meaning it is like the hoof of a camel, for example.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Not split, because the legs of livestock are of two types: some are split, like goats and cattle, and some are not split, like camels.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So they were forbidden every animal with a claw, and they were forbidden the fat of the cattle and sheep, except for what was excluded, except what their backs carried, or the intestines, or what was mixed with bone, for that is lawful for them. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, made clear that this prohibition is only because of their transgression and aggression, and that when they transgressed and aggressed, He forbade upon them some of the good things, as He said, the Exalted, in another verse:[An-Nisa 4:160].
The questioner : Does this mean it is a type of punishment in this world?
The Shaykh : Yes, it is a type of punishment:[Al-An'am 6:146].
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Here, the pronoun refers to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and it was mentioned in the plural form for the sake of magnification. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the most truthful of speakers and the most just of judges. It is understood from these noble verses that a person, by his disobedience to his Lord and his transgression, may be deprived of some of the good things, either by the Shari'ah, as happened to the Jews, or by divine decree, for a person may be afflicted with calamities that prevent him from consuming some of the good things because of his aggression and transgression. Also, Allah the Exalted may cause drought and scarcity of fruits because of sins and disobedience. So the provision of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and the good things He has made lawful for the servants, if they transgress and aggress, they may be deprived of them, either by the Shari'ah, or by the natural order, or by divine decree. But if people fear Allah and adhere to what Allah and His Messenger have commanded, and they fulfill the obedience of their Lord, then Allah says:[Al-A'raf 7:96] We ask Allah the Exalted to grant the Muslims faith and righteousness.
And to those who are Jews We prohibited every animal of uncloven hoof; and of the cattle and the sheep We prohibited to them their fat, except what adheres to their backs or the entrails or what is joined with bone. [By] that We repaid them for their injustice. And indeed, We are truthful.
وعلى الذين هادوا حرمنا كل ذي ظفر ومن البقر والغنم حرّمنا عليهم شحومهما إلا ما حملت ظهورهما أو الحوايا أو ما اختلط بعظم ذلك جزيناهم ببغيهم وإنا لصادقونThe Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, the meaning of this verse is that Allah informs that He forbade upon those who were Jews, and they are the Jews, He forbade upon them every animal with a claw among the livestock.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And “with a claw,” the scholars said, is that which has no split in its hands or feet, so its hands and feet are a single layer, meaning it is like the hoof of a camel, for example.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Not split, because the legs of livestock are of two types: some are split, like goats and cattle, and some are not split, like camels.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So they were forbidden every animal with a claw, and they were forbidden the fat of the cattle and sheep, except for what was excluded, except what their backs carried, or the intestines, or what was mixed with bone, for that is lawful for them. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, made clear that this prohibition is only because of their transgression and aggression, and that when they transgressed and aggressed, He forbade upon them some of the good things, as He said, the Exalted, in another verse:
For wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for them [certain] good foods which had been lawful to them, and for their averting from the way of Allah many [people],
فبظلم من الذين هادوا حرمنا عليهم طيبات أحلت لهم وبصدهم عن سبيل الله كثيراThe questioner : Does this mean it is a type of punishment in this world?
The Shaykh : Yes, it is a type of punishment:
[By] that We repaid them for their injustice. And indeed, We are truthful.
ذلك جزيناهم ببغيهم وإنا لصادقونThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Here, the pronoun refers to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and it was mentioned in the plural form for the sake of magnification. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the most truthful of speakers and the most just of judges. It is understood from these noble verses that a person, by his disobedience to his Lord and his transgression, may be deprived of some of the good things, either by the Shari'ah, as happened to the Jews, or by divine decree, for a person may be afflicted with calamities that prevent him from consuming some of the good things because of his aggression and transgression. Also, Allah the Exalted may cause drought and scarcity of fruits because of sins and disobedience. So the provision of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and the good things He has made lawful for the servants, if they transgress and aggress, they may be deprived of them, either by the Shari'ah, or by the natural order, or by divine decree. But if people fear Allah and adhere to what Allah and His Messenger have commanded, and they fulfill the obedience of their Lord, then Allah says: