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قQuranicpediaEncyclopedia of the Glorious Qur’an

Grazing Livestock (An'am) الْأَنْعَام

In review — pending scholar verification

A Quranic category for the cattle, sheep, goats, and camels that humans use for milk, meat, transport, and clothing — repeatedly cited as a sign of Allah's providence.

Overview

Al-Anʿām (Arabic: الْأَنْعَام; "grazing livestock" — eight pairs: the camel, the cow, the sheep, and the goat, in male and female pairs) is a Quranic category for the domesticated grazing animals on which human society depends for milk, meat, transport, hide, wool, and other benefits. Surah Al-Anʿām (Surah 6) is named after the category. Surah An-Naba includes the rains as Allah's provision "that We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation, and gardens of entwined growth" — feeding humanity and livestock together.

Quranic references

  • Surah Al-Anʿām 6:142–144 — extensive passage on the eight pairs.
  • Surah An-Nahl 16:5–8 — "And the grazing livestock He has created for you; in them is warmth and [numerous] benefits, and from them you eat. And for you in them is [the enjoyment of] beauty when you bring them in [for the evening] and when you send them out [in the morning]."
  • Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:21 — "Indeed, in the grazing livestock there is a sign for you. We give you drink from what is in their bellies, and for you in them are numerous benefits."
  • Surah Yā-Sīn 36:71–73 — "Have they not seen that We created for them — from what Our hands have made — grazing livestock?"
  • Surah An-Naba 78:14–16 — implicit in the rain that brings forth food for them and for humans.

See also

References

  1. The Quran: Surahs Al-Anʿām 6:142–144; An-Nahl 16:5–8; Al-Mu'minun 23:21; Yā-Sīn 36:71–73; An-Naba 78:14–16.
  2. Ibn Kathir, Tafsīr, on Surah Al-Anʿām and An-Nahl.