Surah 16 An-Nahl — Ayah 8
وَٱلْخَيْلَ وَٱلْبِغَالَ وَٱلْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةًۭ ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
۽ گھوڙا ۽ خچر ۽ گڏھ ھن لاءِ (بڻايائين) ته انھن تي اوھين چڙھو ۽ (انھن) کي زينت ڄاڻو، ۽ جيڪي شيون (اوھين) نه ڄاڻندا آھيو سي (به) پيدا ڪندو آھي.
wal-khayla wal-bighāla wal-ḥamīra litarkabūhā wazīnatan wayakhluqu mā lā taʿlamūna
Word by word
- وَٱلْخَيْلَ wal-khayla And horses
- وَٱلْبِغَالَ wal-bighāla and mules
- وَٱلْحَمِيرَ wal-ḥamīra and donkeys
- لِتَرْكَبُوهَا litarkabūhā for you to ride them
- وَزِينَةًۭ ۚ wazīnatan and (as) adornment
- وَيَخْلُقُ wayakhluqu And He creates
- مَا mā what
- لَا lā not
- تَعْلَمُونَ taʿlamūna you know
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
This refers to another category of animals that Allah has created as a blessing for His servants; horses, mules and donkeys, all of which He made for riding and adornment.
This is the main purpose for which these animals were created. It was reported in the Two Sahihs that Jabir bin `Abdullah said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us to eat the meat of domestic donkeys, but he allowed us to eat the meat of horses." Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud reported with two chains of narration, each of which meet the conditions of Muslim, that Jabir said: "On the day of Khaybar we slaughtered horses, mules and donkeys. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us from eating the mules and donkeys, but he did not forbid us from eating the horses." According to Sahih Muslim, Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "At the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ we slaughtered a horse and ate it when we were in Al-Madinah."