Surah 16:6
Show Full Scripture Context (16:5-7) — 3 Verses
وَٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمَ خَلَقَهَاۖ لَكُمۡ فِيهَا دِفۡءٞ وَمَنَٰفِعُ وَمِنۡهَا تَأۡكُلُونَ
And the cattle – He created them for you. (There is) warmth in them and (other) benefits, and from them you eat.
وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا جَمَالٌ حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ وَحِينَ تَسۡرَحُونَ
And (there is) beauty in them for you, when you bring them in and when you lead them out.
وَتَحۡمِلُ أَثۡقَالَكُمۡ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٖ لَّمۡ تَكُونُواْ بَٰلِغِيهِ إِلَّا بِشِقِّ ٱلۡأَنفُسِۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمۡ لَرَءُوفٞ رَّحِيمٞ
They carry your loads to a land you would (otherwise) not reach without exhausting yourselves. Surely your Lord is indeed kind, compassionate.
"6. And there is beauty in them for you, when you bring them home in the evening, and as you lead them forth to pasture (in the morning)."
"7. And they carry your loads to a land that you could not reach except with souls half-ruined. Truly, your Lord is full of kindness, Most Merciful."
Allah reminds His servants of the blessing of the An'am (cattle) and other such animals, which He has created for them. Among the many benefits they gain from them is clothing and furnishings made from their wool and hair. There are numerous other benefits, such as the milk they produce and the offspring they generate. We can also eat them if we slaughter them in a lawful manner. He also mentioned that there is beauty in them:
{when you bring them home in the evening} i.e., when they come back from the pasture in the evening.
i.e., when you take them out in the morning to the pasture. Thus they are an adornment to mankind, as well as providing him with food and clothing. And they can also be used as mounts, and to carry loads, to whichever city or region one may wish to travel. They carry heavy loads which a person could not possibly carry himself. Thus Allah says,
Thus people use animals for all kinds of purposes, for riding and for carrying loads, as Allah says:
Thus here Allah says, after enumerating these blessings,
meaning, your Lord is the One Who has subjugated the An'am (cattle) to you. This is like the Ayat:
Ibn 'Abbas said,
{In them there is warmth} refers to clothing;
{and numerous benefits} refers to the ways in which they derive the benefits of food and drink from them."