The Meaning of Allah’s Saying: “Did He forbid the two males or the two females?”

Question:
The questioner asks: What is the meaning of Allah the Exalted’s saying: ?

Answer:
This is a response to the polytheists who forbade certain things from among the livestock. They forbade certain things from among the livestock for the sake of their idols: the *bahirah*, the *sā’ibah*, the *wasīlah*, and the *hāmī*. These are types of animals they made forbidden for the idols, refuge from Allah, they made them forbidden to them; they did not ride them, they did not milk them, and they did not eat their meat, even though Allah has made the livestock of the animals lawful for us. “Lawful to you are the livestock of the animals.” At the beginning of the surah, He made them lawful for you except what is recited to you of carrion and that which is killed by a beast, and so on. So they forbade them for the idols. This is a need; this is something Allah did not legislate. Rather, they are the ones who legislated it for their idols. And Allah challenges them regarding the animal, the livestock, the livestock of the animals. Because the livestock are of males and females. They are born; the livestock are born from males and females. So which of them did Allah forbid: the males specifically, or the females specifically, or what is born between them? Allah did not forbid any of this. Allah did not forbid the males of the livestock, nor did He forbid the females of the livestock, nor did He forbid the offspring of the livestock born from between the males and the females. Rather, this is something from their own selves. Yes.