The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 497
PT. 8 R. 18. AL-AN'ĀM CH. 6 قُلْ لَا أَجِدُ فِي مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَى مُحَرَّمَا عَلَى Say, "I find not in what. 146 طَاعِمٍ يَطْعَمُةَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً eater who اَوْ دَمًا مَّسْفُوْحًا أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنْزِيرِ فَإِنَّهُ has been revealed to me aught forbidden to an wishes to eat it, except it be that which dies of itself, or blood swine for all that is unclean- رِجْسٌ أَوْ فِسْقًا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللهِ بِهِ فَمَنِ poured forth, or the flesh of اضْطَرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغِ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ or what is profane, on which is b invoked the name of other than Allah. But whoso is driven by necessity, being neither disobedient nor exceeding the "2:174; 5:4; 16:116. 6:122. غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمُ (6:140, 141). Now it gives its own religious reasons and the Jews look laws with regard to them. While speaking of sheep and goats in 6:144 above, the Holy Prophet is made here to ask the idolaters to inform him if these animals were unlawful, i. e. not fit for eating, and to bring forward (as hinted in the words بعلم نبونى i. e. inform me with knowledge) some rational argument or scientific reason to show that they should not be eaten. When, however, it speaks of oxen and camels in the present verse, the Quran asks idolaters whether they were witnesses when Allah forbade the eating of these animals. In other words, the verse here calls upon them to produce a religious authority showing that the cow and the camel were really forbidden. This is so because the cow and the camel are looked upon as forbidden by some on religious authority. For instance, the Hindus think it unlawful to eat beef for 937 upon the camel as forbidden by their scriptures. This restriction is, however, unjustified; for, as regards beef, it is clearly allowed by the Vedas and was freely used in ancient India not only as ordinary food but also as an essential part of many religious ceremonies (Indo-Aryans by R. Mitra, LL. D. , C. I. E. ; The Review of Religions for 1923). As regards the camel, it is indeed forbidden by the Bible, but that prohibition is not meant for all time, for the Bible announces the advent of another Law was to Lawgiver whose abrogate the Law of the Bible (Deut. 18:18). The words, Were you present when Allah enjoined, signify that when pagans do not believe in any revelation, they cannot possibly know that anything was forbidden by God.