Allah reminds His servants of the blessing in His creation of An`am, this
term includes camels, cows and sheep, as was explained in detail in Surat
Al-An`am where the "eight pairs'' are mentioned. The blessings include the
benefits derived from their wool and hair, from which clothes and furnishings
are made, from their milk which is drunk, and their young which are eaten. Their
beauty is a kind of adornment, thus Allah says,
[وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا
جَمَالٌ حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ]
(And there is beauty in them for you, when you bring them home in the
evening.) which is when they are brought back from the pasture in the evening.
This is a reference to how their flanks become fat, their udders fill with milk
and their humps become bigger.
[وَحِينَ
تَسْرَحُونَ]
(and as you lead them forth to pasture (in the morning).) meaning when you
send them out to the pasture in the morning.
[وَتَحْمِلُ
أَثْقَالَكُمْ]
(And they carry your loads) meaning the heavy burdens that you cannot move or
carry by yourselves
[إِلَى بَلَدٍ لَّمْ
تَكُونُواْ بَـلِغِيهِ إِلاَّ بِشِقِّ الأَنفُسِ]
(to a land that you could not reach except with great trouble to yourselves)
meaning journeys for Hajj, `Umrah, military campaigns, and journeys for the
purpose of trading, and so on. They use these animals for all kinds of purposes,
for riding and for carrying loads, as Allah says:
[وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِى
الاٌّنْعَـمِ لَعِبْرَةً نُّسْقِيكُمْ مِّمَّا فِى بُطُونِهَا وَلَكُمْ فيِهَا
مَنَـفِعُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ - وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ
تُحْمَلُونَ ]
(And verily, there is indeed a lesson for you in the An'am (cattle). We give
you to drink (milk) of that which is in their bellies. And there are numerous
(other) benefits in them for you. Of them you eat, and on them and on ships you
are carried.) (23:21-22)
[اللَّهُ الَّذِى
جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الاٌّنْعَـمَ لِتَرْكَـبُواْ مِنْهَا وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ -
وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَـفِعُ وَلِتَـبْلُغُواْ عَلَيْهَا حَاجَةً فِى صُدُورِكُمْ
وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ - وَيُرِيكُمْ ءَايَـتِهِ فَأَىَّ
ءَايَـتِ اللَّهِ تُنكِرُونَ ]
(Allah, it is He Who has made cattle for you, so that some you may ride, and
some you may eat. And you find (many other) benefits in them; you may reach by
their means a desire that is in your breasts (i.e. carry your goods, loads), and
on them and on ships you are carried. And He shows you His Ayat. Which, then of
the Ayat of Allah do you deny) (40:79-81). Thus here Allah says, after
enumerating these blessings,
[إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ
لَرَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ]
(Truly, your Lord is full of kindness, Most Merciful.) meaning, your Lord is
the One Who has subjugated the An`am (cattle) to you. This is like the Ayat:
[أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ
أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَآ أَنْعـماً فَهُمْ لَهَا
مَـلِكُونَ - وَذَلَّلْنَـهَا لَهُمْ فَمِنْهَا رَكُوبُهُمْ وَمِنْهَا يَأْكُلُونَ
]
(Do they not see, that of what Our Hands have created, We created the An'am
(cattle) for them, so that they may own them, and We subdued them so that they
may ride some and they may eat some.)(36:71-72).
[وَالَّذِى خَلَقَ
الأَزْوَجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِّنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالاٌّنْعَـمِ مَا
تَرْكَبُونَ - لِتَسْتَوُواْ عَلَى ظُهُورِهِ ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ
إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَتَقُولُواْ سُبْحَـنَ الَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَـذَا
وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ - وَإِنَّآ إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ ]
(And He made mounts for you out of ships and cattle. In order that you may
ride on their backs, and may then remember the favor of your Lord when you mount
upon them, and say: "Glory be to the One Who subjected this to us, and we could
never have it (by our efforts). And verily, to Our Lord we indeed are to
return!'') (43:12-14) Ibn `Abbas said,
[لَكُمْ فِيهَا
دِفْءٌ]
(In them there is warmth) refers to clothing;
[وَمَنَـفِعُ]
(and numerous benefits) refers to the ways in which they derive the benefits
of food and drink from them.''
[وَالْخَيْلَ
وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لاَ
تَعْلَمُونَ ]
(8. And (He has created) horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride, and as an
adornment. And He creates (other) things of which you have no knowledge.)