Allāh has not appointed [such innovations as] baḥīrah or sā’ibah or waṣīlah or ḥām.288 But those who disbelieve invent falsehood about Allāh, and most of them do not reason.
Notes
[288] Categories of particular camels which were dedicated to the idols and set free to pasture, liberated from the service of man.
Verse 103 of Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:103), a Medinan surah, is in juz 7, on page 124 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
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Tafsir of verse 103
Al-Mukhtasar
Allah has made livestock lawful for you to consume. He has not made unlawful what the idolaters declared unlawful for themselves when dedicating them to their idols, such as: baḥīrah, a she-camel whose ear is cut after it gives birth to a certain number; or sā’ibah, a she-camel that is left for the idols after it reaches a certain age; or waṣīlah, a she-camel that gives birth to one female after another; or ḥāmī, a male camel stud that mates with other camels and produces a given number of offspring. Allah did not make any of these; but the disbelievers falsely claimed that Allah had forbidden these things. Most of the disbelievers do not differentiate between truth and falsehood and between the lawful and the unlawful.
Allah did not ordain any such thing as the Bahīrah, Sā’ibah, Wasīlah, and Hām [i.e., dedicated camels to idols]69. Rather those who disbelieve fabricate lies against Allah, and most of them do not understand.
Notes
[69] Camels dedicated to idols and set free to pasture, liberated from the service of man. Bahīrah: a she-camel whose riding and milking were forbidden. Sā’ibah: a she-camel that was let loose for free pasture for their idols and nothing was allowed to be carried on it. Waṣīlah: a she-camel set free for idols for it has given birth to a she-camel at its first and second delivery. Hām: a stallion-camel freed from work for the sake of their idols, after breeding ten live births.
Allâh has not instituted things like Bahîrah33, or Sâ’ibah34, or Wasîlah35, or Hâm36, (all these animals were liberated in honour of idols as practised by pagan Arabs in the pre-Islâmic period). But those who disbelieve invent lies against Allâh, and most of them have no understanding.
Notes
[33] (V.5:103) Bahîrah: a she-camel whose milk was spared for the sake of the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it.
[34] (V.5:103) Sâ’ibah: a she-camel let loose for free pasture for their false gods, e.g. idols and nothing was allowed to be carried on it.
[35] (V.5:103) Wasîlah: a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and second delivery.
[36] (V.5:103) Hâm: a stallion-camel freed from work for the sake of their idols, after it had finished a number of copulations assigned for it.
Allah hath not appointed anything in the nature of a Bahirah or a Sa'ibah or a Wasilah or a Hami, but those who disbelieve invent a lie against Allah. Most of them have no sense.
It was not Allah who instituted (superstitions like those of) a slit-ear she-camel, or a she-camel let loose for free pasture, or idol sacrifices for twin-births in animals, or stallion-camels freed from work: It is blasphemers who invent a lie against Allah; but most of them lack wisdom.
Allah has not ordained (the making of) a bahirah or a saibah or a wasilah or a hami but those who disbelieve fabricate a lie against Allah, and most of them do not understand.
In no way has Allah appointed (anything) as a Bahîrah or a SaÉibah, or a Wasilah or a Ham; (3) but the ones who have disbelieved fabricate against Allah lies, and most of them do not consider.
And nothing has prevented Us from sending signs [i.e., miracles] except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave Thamūd the she-camel as a visible sign, but they wronged her. And We send not the signs except as a warning.
And they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with [i.e., from] Allāh." And what will make you perceive that even if it [i.e., a sign] came, they would not believe. …
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
And what will be the supposition of those who invent falsehood about Allāh on the Day of Resurrection? Indeed, Allāh is the possessor of bounty for the people, but most of them are not grateful.
And do not say about what your tongues assert of untruth, "This is lawful and this is unlawful," to invent falsehood about Allāh. Indeed, those who invent falsehood about Allāh will not succeed.
