Signs & Science: The Blessing of Cattle

وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍۢ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًۭا لِّيَذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ ۗ فَإِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌۭ وَٰحِدٌۭ فَلَهُۥٓ أَسْلِمُوا۟ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُخْبِتِينَ ٣٤

[Translation: Dr Mustafa Khattab] For every community We appointed a rite of sacrifice so that they may pronounce the Name of Allah over the sacrificial animals He has provided for them. For your God is only One God, so submit yourselves to Him ˹alone˺. And give good news ˹O Prophet˺ to the humble:

[Translation: Pickthall] And for every nation have We appointed a ritual, that they may mention the name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He hath given them for food; and your god is One God, therefor surrender unto Him. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the humble,

[Al-Quran, Surah al-Hajj Ayat 34]

The Quran informs us that all religions have been appointed rituals to celebrate the blessing of cattle. Though religious scriptures ordain animal sacrifice, presently Muslims and Hindus perform their ritual of cattle sacrifice.

Among the Abrahamic religions, the Jews stopped offering sacrifice after their Temple of Solomon was destroyed completely. The Christians have absolved themselves of the Law.

Muslim pilgrims offer the ritual sacrifice during the annual pilgrimage, the Hajj, to the Kaaba, the Ancient House. Many Muslims the world over also offer cattle sacrifice on the tenth of Dhu al Hijjah, which is the annual celebration called Eid al Adha.

Cattle are assets, valuable possessions, containing many benefits and are a source of much wealth.

Many human needs are provided through cattle: meat for food, and milk to drink and make yogurt, to extract butter, and cooking fat; hide and fur for clothing and shelter; their strength for tilling the land, carrying loads, riding upon, and so on and so forth. Even their dung is useful as manure, in cooling mud huts, and for making biogas.

Cattle have been especially created for humans, and they have been subjugated to humans.

Humans have been especially created to worship Allah ﷻ , and they have been granted the free-will to willingly submit to Him.

While Allah ﷻ provides so many benefit through cattle to humans, He expects gratitude in return.

Allah ﷻ has appointed rituals of cattle sacrifice for each nation. Humans are expected to sacrifice precious cattle on appointed days to eat and share, and especially feed those who cannot afford to purchase meat.

Allah ﷻ has ordained that Allah ﷻ ’s name must be pronounced whenever slaughtering cattle, whether it be the annual ritual of sacrifice offerings or regular eating throughout the year. Also, it is not permitted to eat the meat of animals when Allah ﷻ ’s name has not been pronounced while slaughtering, or if someone else’s name has been pronounced along with or instead of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى‎

The triliteral root nūn ʿayn mīm (ن ع م) occurs 140 times in the Quran, in nine derived forms. Most of the words formed from this root are translated as good, excellent, bestowed, favour, grace, pleasant things, delight, bliss, joyful, and around thirty three times as cattle, as can be seen at https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=nEm#(3:14:15), and

33 times as the noun naʿam (نَّعَم)

Noun

(3:14:15) wal-anʿāmi	and [the] cattle	وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنْطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ
(4:119:6) l-anʿāmi	(of) the cattle	وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ
(5:1:9) l-anʿāmi	(of) the grazing livestock	أُحِلَّتْ لَكُمْ بَهِيمَةُ الْأَنْعَامِ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ غَيْرَ مُحِلِّي الصَّيْدِ
(5:95:18) l-naʿami	the cattle	وَمَنْ قَتَلَهُ مِنْكُمْ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاءٌ مِثْلُ مَا قَتَلَ مِنَ النَّعَمِ
(6:136:7) wal-anʿāmi	and the cattle	وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا
(6:138:3) anʿāmun	(are) cattle	وَقَالُوا هَٰذِهِ أَنْعَامٌ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌ لَا يَطْعَمُهَا إِلَّا مَنْ نَشَاءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ
(6:138:12) wa-anʿāmun	And cattle	وَأَنْعَامٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا
(6:138:15) wa-anʿāmun	and cattle	وَأَنْعَامٌ لَا يَذْكُرُونَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا افْتِرَاءً عَلَيْهِ
(6:139:6) l-anʿāmi	cattle	وَقَالُوا مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَٰذِهِ الْأَنْعَامِ خَالِصَةٌ لِذُكُورِنَا
(6:142:2) l-anʿāmi	the cattle	وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ حَمُولَةً وَفَرْشًا
(7:179:24) kal-anʿāmi	(are) like cattle	أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ
(10:24:16) wal-anʿāmu	and the cattle	فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ وَالْأَنْعَامُ
(16:5:1) wal-anʿāma	And the cattle	وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ
(16:66:4) l-anʿāmi	the cattle	وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً
(16:80:11) l-anʿāmi	(of) the cattle	وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ جُلُودِ الْأَنْعَامِ بُيُوتًا تَسْتَخِفُّونَهَا يَوْمَ ظَعْنِكُمْ
(20:54:3) anʿāmakum	your cattle	كُلُوا وَارْعَوْا أَنْعَامَكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي النُّهَىٰ
(22:28:15) l-anʿāmi	(of) cattle	وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَعْلُومَاتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُمْ مِنْ بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ
(22:30:13) l-anʿāmu	the cattle	وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ الْأَنْعَامُ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ
(22:34:13) l-anʿāmi	(of) cattle	وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنْسَكًا لِيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُمْ مِنْ بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ
(23:21:4) l-anʿāmi	the cattle	وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُسْقِيكُمْ مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهَا
(25:44:11) kal-anʿāmi	like cattle	إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
(25:49:8) anʿāman	cattle	لِنُحْيِيَ بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَيْتًا وَنُسْقِيَهُ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَا أَنْعَامًاوَأَنَاسِيَّ كَثِيرًا
(26:133:2) bi-anʿāmin	with cattle	أَمَدَّكُمْ بِأَنْعَامٍ وَبَنِينَ
(32:27:14) anʿāmuhum	their cattle	فَنُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا تَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ أَنْعَامُهُمْ وَأَنْفُسُهُمْ
(35:28:4) wal-anʿāmi	and the cattle	وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ
(36:71:9) anʿāman	cattle	أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُمْ مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَا أَنْعَامًا فَهُمْ لَهَا مَالِكُونَ
(39:6:12) l-anʿāmi	the cattle	وَأَنْزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ
(40:79:5) l-anʿāma	the cattle	اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَنْعَامَ لِتَرْكَبُوا مِنْهَا وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ
(42:11:10) l-anʿāmi	the cattle	جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا
(43:12:9) wal-anʿāmi	and the cattle	وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ
(47:12:19) l-anʿāmu	the cattle	وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأْكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ الْأَنْعَامُ
(79:33:3) wali-anʿāmikum	and for your cattle	مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ
(80:32:3) wali-anʿāmikum	and for your cattle	مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ