The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 481
PT. 8 AL-AN'ĀM 122. And eat not of that on which the name of Allah has not CH. 6 وَلَا تَأْكُلُوْا مَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقُ وَإِنَّ الشَّيْطِيْنَ لَيُوحُونَ been pronounced, for surely إلَى اَوْلِيهِمْ لِيُجَادِلُوكُمْ ۚ وَإِن certainly the evil ones inspire that is disobedience. And their friends that they may dispute with you. And if you obey them, you will indeed be setting up gods with God. 863 R. 15. أَطَعْتُمُوْهُمُ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُوْنَ ® اوَ مَنْ كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا Can he, who was dead and. 123 We gave him life and made for يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَنْ مَّثَلُهُ فِي him a light whereby he walks a5:4; 6:146. b8:25. die of themselves or such as are not duly slaughtered by pronouncing thereupon the name of God. The pronouncing of the name of God exercises only a subtle influence. It brings about no physical change in the flesh, but it does produce a sanctifying effect on the heart. The killing of an animal is likely to harden the heart. But when a man pronounces the name of God at the time of slaughter, he, as it were, says: "I have no right to kill this animal of my own accord, but Allah Whose creation and property it is, has granted me permission to do so. " This mental attitude will insure the heart against becoming hardened. Moreover, the pronouncing of the name of God is meant to be a guarantee that the animal is being slaughtered in the name of the Lord and Master of the universe and not in that of any other. 'Umar, the Second Successor of the Holy Prophet, acted when, while kissing the Black Stone at the time of performing the or circuit of the Ka'bah, he addressed it in the memorable words: "I know thou art only a stone, but I kiss thee because I saw the Prophet of God kiss thee" (Bukhārī, ch. on Ḥajj). By so saying, he pointed to the great truth that devotion to God should make man averse from paying homage to anything beside Him and that all actions of man should be performed for God. 863. Commentary: The verse points out that if believers eat of the flesh of those animals on which the name of God has not been pronounced, it will be an act of disobedience and transgression. One sin leads to another. If a believer fails to pronounce the name It was on a similar principle that of God on his food, his heart becomes 921