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wa-mina l-ʾanʿāmi ḥamūlatan wa-farshan kulū mimmā razaqakumu llāhu wa-lā tattabiʿū khuṭuwāti sh-shayṭāni ʾinnahū lakum ʿaduwwun mubīnun
Of the cattle [some] are for burden and [some] for slaughter. Eat of what Allah has provided you and do not follow in Satan’s footsteps; he is indeed your manifest enemy.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-‘An’am, Verse 142
142. "And of the cattle some are bearers of burden and some (low fit) for spreading. Eat of what Allah has provided you with, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, verily he is a manifest foe for you."
The objective meaning of the Arabic word 'farsh', in this verse, is some cattle like sheep which for the nearness of their bodies to the ground are considered as spread; or that some spreads are waved from their wool, down, and hair. The usage of wool, hair and skin of cattle is also pointed out in Surah An- 'Nahl. 'No.16. verse 80. It says:
In the previous verse, the names of a few fruits were mentioned, and here, in this verse, some of the blessings of cattle are referred to. Thus, bearers of burden and spread have been connected to the fruits and gardens which were mentioned in the previous verse.
Most of the commentators have rendered the 'bearers of burden' into those cattle which carry burdens, and 'spreading' into cattle which do not carry burdens. In the former verse agriculture was referred to, and in this verse it points to keeping cattle. Therefore, the existence of the world and all His created things are purposefully and wisely tamed to humankind. Concerning cattles, the general law and principal is that their meat is lawful to be consumed, except that there is a reason for their prohibition.