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wa-qālū hādhihī ʾanʿāmun wa-ḥarthun ḥijrun lā yaṭʿamuhā ʾillā man nashāʾu bi-zaʿmihim wa-ʾanʿāmun ḥurrimat ẓuhūruhā wa-ʾanʿāmun lā yadhkurūna sma llāhi ʿalayhā ftirāʾan ʿalayhi sa-yajzīhim bi-mā kānū yaftarūna
And they say, ‘These cattle and tillage are a taboo: none may eat them except whom we please,’ so they maintain, and there are cattle whose backs are forbidden and cattle over which they do not mention Allah’s Name, fabricating a lie against Him. Soon He will requite them for what they used to fabricate.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-‘An’am, Verse 138
138. "And they said: ' These are cattle and tillage prohibited, None may eat them except whom we please' -so they assert -'and (there are) cattle whose back are forbidden and cattle over which they do not mention Allah’s name' - forging a lie against Him, Soon He will requite them for what they used to for."
The Qur'an has referred to another false belief of idolaters' notion in this verse. They considered camels, cows, sheep, and filth unlawful, with their own imagination, and they divided them for gods. They said that none could eat from their meat unless they would let.
When the holy verse says "So they assert" it means that they had no reason for this action of theirs, but they encumbered themselves only imaginarily.
The objective meaning of the cattle on whose backs they believed was unlawful to ride, were as follows: A she-camel that had brought forth ten she-camel issues; and a she-camel which had brought forth five issues and her ears were slit; and a male camel which had caused ten issues.1
Mujahid, a commentator, says that there were some cattle over which, and over their limbs, they did not mention the name of Allah, and they did not perform pilgrimage rites on them as well. Or, when slaughtering them, they mentioned the names of idols over them, not the name of Allah. They used to do these things with the reason that Allah had commanded them to do so. But that was a lie and a calumny.
Allah will give them soon their retribution for the lies and calumnies they used to forge against Him.
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