Summary of Quran
Chapter 6 Surah An-aam The Cattle 

Since this Surah was
revealed in Makkah (the city in Saudi Arabia) at a time when the Prophet’s call
to Islam was in its infancy, the basic tenets of Islam, namely Tawheed (The
Oneness of God, Prophet Hood and the Hereafter have been proved by various arguments.
In addition, the beliefs that were raised by the disbelievers have been
answered. 

At that time the Muslims
were being subjected to all kinds of oppression by the infidels of Makkah,
therefore they have been given consolation. The disbelievers of Makkah have
been subjected to baseless rituals and baseless ideas because of their
polytheistic beliefs. In Arabic, “An’aam is called cattle.” The
polytheists of Arabia had many misconceptions about cattle. For example, by
dedicating them in the name of idols, their food was considered haram
(forbidden). 

Since these baseless
beliefs are refuted in this surah (see verses: 136-146), it is named Surat
al-An’aam. It is known from some narrations that except for a few verses, this
entire surah was revealed in a single order, but Allama Loy (may Allah have
mercy on him) has criticized these narrations in his commentary on
Ruh-ul-Ma’ani. God knows best. 

If we look at the
opening verses of this surah, it is clear that Allah Almighty has included very
important topics in it. The first thing we should pay attention to is that
Allah, the Lord of the worlds, has said that all praise is due to Him and He is
the one who deserves all praise, Who created the heavens and the earth and who
Made darkness and made light. After this, attention is drawn to the fact that
Allah, the Lord of the worlds, is so powerful that we can never comprehend the
extent of His power, and we acknowledge that He is the Creator of human beings
and the earth. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Moreover, what
Allah Almighty is bringing to our observation? 

All this is His creation
and our nature recognizes it. Therefore, the disbelievers are sometimes forced
to respond to the demands of their nature. Allah Almighty also says about them.
If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will say,
“Allah is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.” This is not
because they are saying this after reading from a book or after hearing this
from a guide, but it is a voice of their nature and their belief is based on
their nature. Recognize this fact of nature and every human being is compelled
to have this belief according to the requirements of his nature, then how vile
they speak. That they should leave Allah and prostrate before their carved
idols. 

Thanks be to Allah, Who
created the heavens and the earth. Who created darkness and light? Those who
disbelieve are equating others with their Lord, that is to say, on the Day of
Resurrection; these polytheists will say to their false gods, we used to be
equal to the Lord of the worlds. 

It has two meanings. One
is to love another as much as one loves Allah or to love anything such as
position, wealth, children, fame so much that love overwhelms the love of
Allah. ۔ The second is that we should do the
same deeds for others that are special for Allah. Such as prostration,
circumambulation of Bait Ullah, bowing, supplication, request, considering
someone to be in need. These are deeds exclusively for Allah. When we do this
for someone else, we will make him equal to Allah. 

Once a person spoke in
front of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, May
Allah has mercy on you, Whatever God wills, and you will, O Messenger of God He
said, “I have been found equal to Allah. I have been associated with
Allah. Say only what Allah wills.” 

Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be
pleased with him) narrated that when this Surah was revealed, the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said ‘Subhan Allah’ (GOD be praised
–Glory be to Allah) and said that seventy thousand angels from heaven to earth
were with him at the time of the revelation of this Surah. This surah contains
the essential rules of monotheism, prophecy, and resurrection.