(165 verses in total; revealed in Makkah)
THIS CHAPTER (SURAH) WAS REVEALED in one piece (with the exception of a few verses) on the eve of the Prophet Mohamad’s departure from Makkah to Madinah under difficult circumstance and uncertain future. Revealed at a juncture in his life when thirteen years of conveying the message of the Qur’an had produced few followers but enormous enmity and hostility to his person, safety, and dignity and the safety and well-being of his followers, this chapter repeats the unity of faith in One God and reaffirms prophets as agents of reminders from the Creator to the created beings, asking them to be mindful of people of other faiths, especially People of the Book (Jews and Christians), and the relevance of the Torah and the Bible as integral to the message of the Qur’an and condemning evil practices in the name of faith or in the name of superstitions.
The name of this chapter is derived from several mentions of superstitious practices about domesticated cattle where the idol worshippers of the Arabian Peninsula created practices and sacrifices in the name of God where no such injunctions or practices came from God but were of human creation out of ignorance and evil superstitions. Even in today’s world, there are faithful who exhibit unquestioned loyalty to clerics and to rituals, dress codes, political corruption, acts of terror, saint worship, and theology that have no basis in the scriptures and are justified in the name of God or scripture. This chapter stands as a constant reminder against such excesses, human folly, and perversion in the name of God or in the name of faithlessness alike.
Following are key concepts from this chapter that are detailed further at the end of the chapter:
1. The Unity of the Godhead in relationship with human destiny (6:1–3, 6,11, 46, 72–73, 94)
2. Faith cannot be arrived at by external means (6:7–9, 111,158)
3. Alignment with God is the real faith and source of success (6:12–17)
4. Denial of God is based on failure to understand reality (6:7, 20, 29, 31–32, 40–41, 46)
5. The Prophet is comforted for people’s apathy to his call (6:33–35, 56–58, 104)
6. Unity in the created world (6:38)
7. The mission of the Prophet defined (6:48,50)
8. God has intimate knowledge of the universe He created (6:59–60, 95–99)
9. God will account for all that we do in our lives (6:60–62)
10. God is ever powerful and challenges us to make the right choices (6:65)
11. Choose your discourse properly and with deliberation (6:68, 70)
12. Abraham’s search for God and truth (6:74–82)
13. Guidance and prophecy were given to many before Mohammad, a unified guidance to mankind (6:83–90, 92)
14. God has no children (6:100–101)
15. To God all is visible (6:102–103)
16. Respect for other religious practices (6:108)
17. God guides as He pleases (6:124–125)
18. Disbelief will be self-affirmed (6:130, 136)
19. Superstitious rituals and sacrifice are condemned (6:137–140, 143–144)
20. All human output and natural resources deserve sharing (6:141)
21. All assertions need to be verified and proven (6:143–144)
22. Real prohibitions and values that really matter (6:151–153)
23. The challenge of the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an (6:154–156)
24. Sectarian divides condemned (6:159)
25. Good works are rewarded disproportionately more than evil works are requited (6:160)
26. The faith of Abraham is what one should strive for (6:161–164)
27. We are constantly being asked to make informed choices and act responsibly (6:164–165)