Surah Al-Haj 22:34-38 - Quran Translation Commentary

34. And for every community we have ordained a ritual, that they may pronounce the name of Allah over the animals which He has given them (for food),⁶¹ and your God is one God, therefore, surrender to Him. And (O Prophet!) give good tidings to the humble,⁶²

35. Whose hearts are filled with awe⁶³ when Allah is mentioned; and who are patient in whatever (misfortune) befalls them and offer salat (prayer) and give in charity of what We have bestowed on them.

36. And the sacrificial camels, We have appointed them among the symbols⁶⁴ of Allah. There is much good for you in them. So pronounce the name of Allah⁶⁵over them when they are drawn up in lines, and when they have fallen down on their sides, eat⁶⁶ of their flesh and feed with it the contented and the beggar.⁶⁷Thus We have subjected them to you so that you may give thanks.

37. Their flesh and their blood reach not Allah, but the piety from you reaches Him.⁶⁸ Thus have We made them subject to you, so that you may glorify Him⁶⁹ for having guided you. And (O Prophet !) give good tidings to the those who do good.

38. Verily⁷⁰ Allah will defend those who are believers. Verily Allah does not like any treacherous and ungrateful person ! ⁷¹

Commentary

61.That is: Before this in other shariah the methods of sacrifice were different, e.g. among the people of the Book the sacrifice by fire was customary (Levrticius 22: 17 to 33) But in all Shariah the principle of sacrifice was only that sacrifice should be offered only for Allah. To Sacrifice animals given by Allah in the name of others or to slaughter them pronouncing names of others was never considered proper in any shariah. Therefore in any religion in which sacrifice for any being other than Allah is allowed is polytheistic innovation. It has no relation with Allah’s religion and its Shariah.

62. This is the real spirit behind the sacrifice that man may acknowledge Allah’s oneness, may submit himself totally to Him, and create an attribute in himself of humility and meekness. To fell the animal on the ground in reality means that man has felled himself to the ground.

63.This is the most important speciality of the people of faith that when Allah’s name is mentioned their hearts shake in awe. They are very sensitive where Allah is concerned. Their hearts beat faster whenever Allah’s name is mentioned in their presence.

64.The Jews did not consider the Sacrifice of camels as proper, and the idolaters used to assign camels to other deities: As against this Quran declared lawful the sacrifice of the camels in the name of Allah and termed its sacrifice as the divine rite.

65. The method of sacrificing camel is like this: ‘The camel is made to stand and its throat is pricked by a lance. This method is called ‘Nahr’. In this way the camel bleeds and it falls down on its side by itself. If the camel were to be slaughtered by making it first lie down, then it would have presented a lot of difficulties. By making them stand in a row, there is manifestation of divine worship.

66. That is: When after slaughtering them, they are dead, then their flesh be utilised for eating.

67. The flesh of the sacrificed animal (hadi) can be utilised for eating by the sacrificer and also for feeding others. Directions are given to feed the needy, whether they be contented or beggars.

68. This is the real spirit of sacrifice and its objective : that its blood and flesh are not desired by Allah. But what is desired is a sense of God-fearing and piety. And the worship of sacrifice is desired in the Shariah for it develops the spirit of piety.The reason for not accepting the sacrifice of Cain was that behind that sacrifice the spirit of piety was not there (Surah Maidah. ayah No.27).

69. In obeying this command, the words ‘Bismillah. Allahu Akbar’ (In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest) are pronounced while slaughtering the animal.

70. The narrative concerning Hajj ended above. Now it turns to Jihad, which is necessary to halt the wrong-doing, and also for freeing the Sacred Mosque from the control of the polytheists.

71. Before giving the command for jihad,Allah gives good tidings to the people of faith that he will provide help in their defence, that is: in the battle of Kufr and Islam (belief and unbelief) Allah’s support and help will be available to the people of faith only. It will be so because Allah does not like those who are treacherous and thankless. The Quraish and their companions were dishonest and treacherous, because the maintenance of the House of Ka’ba which was entrusted to them, had been subjected to treachery and idols were installed in it, and instead of appreciating the blessings of Allah and thanking him for that they became ungrateful.