Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 66

(Ayah66) ➊ {وَ اِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْاَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً …:’’ الْاَنْعَامِ ‘‘} is singular in wording; the 'af'al' pattern here is not for plural, rather it is a collective noun, like {’’رَهْطٌ‘‘، ’’قَوْمٌ‘‘} and {’’بَقْرٌ‘‘}, etc. Here, in consideration of the word, the singular masculine pronoun {’’ بُطُوْنِهٖ ‘‘} is used for it; in Surah Al-Mu’minun (21), the feminine pronoun is used in consideration of the plural meaning {’’ نُسْقِيْكُمْ مِّمَّا فِيْ بُطُوْنِهَا ‘‘}. { ’’الْاَنْعَامِ‘‘} originally refers to camels, because they are a very great blessing; along with them, cows and sheep/goats are also called {’’ الْاَنْعَامِ ‘‘}. Their detailed mention is present in Surah Al-An’am (143, 144). In { ’’ لَعِبْرَةً ‘‘ }, the tanween is for magnification, a very great lesson; the meaning is to cross, to reach from one place to another, to derive such a lesson from one thing that is useful elsewhere. In the Qur’an, both {’’نُسْقِيْكُمْ ‘‘}, {’’سَقٰي‘‘}, and {’’أَسْقٰي‘‘ } words have come; most people make them mean the same, whereas there is a difference: {’’سَقٰي يَسْقِيْ‘‘} means to make drink, and {’’أَسْقٰي يُسْقِيْ‘‘} means to give to drink, i.e., We give you to drink so that you may drink yourself or give someone else to drink. {’’فَرْثٍ ‘‘} is the digested food of cattle as long as it remains in the stomach; when it comes out, it is called {’’رَوْثٌ‘‘}. {’’ لَبَنًا خَالِصًا ‘‘}—pure, white, and delicious milk, free from the smell and color of dung and the redness of blood—is such a great sign of Allah’s power; is there anyone who can extract pure milk from dung and blood? {’’ سَآىِٕغًا لِّلشّٰرِبِيْنَ ‘‘ ’’سَاغَ يَسُوْغُ‘‘}—which easily passes down the throat. Milk is a complete food; that is why milk alone is sufficient for the complete nourishment of a child. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), mentioning the Mi’raj, said: Then a vessel of wine, a vessel of milk, and a vessel of honey were brought to me, so I chose the milk. So Jibril (peace be upon him) said: This is the natural disposition (fitrah); you are upon it, and so is your ummah. [ بخاری، الأشربۃ، باب شرب اللبن… : ۵۶۱۰، عن أنس بن مالک رضی اللہ عنہ ] The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ ثَلَاثٌ لَا تُرَدُّ الْوَسَائِدُ وَالدُّهْنُ وَاللَّبَنُ ] [ ترمذی الأدب، باب ما جاء في کراھیۃ رد الطیب : ۲۷۹۰، عن ابن عمر رضی اللہ عنھما۔ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الصحیحۃ : ۲ /۱۱۸، ح : ۶۱۹ ] “Three things are not to be refused: a cushion, oil (perfume), and milk.”

➋ Allah Almighty, as evidence for His being the only deity and for resurrecting the creation, mentioned one thing from among the cattle: see, the grass and fodder that animals eat is produced from water and soil. Turning soil and water into grass and fodder, then turning it into blood in the animal’s belly, then turning it into milk—how much of a lesson is it that Allah Almighty is fully capable of changing all things from one state to whatever state He wills.