Translatiion
They assign from which God has created for them of produce and cattle a portion to God—at least that is what they assert, and a portion to other deities (whom they associate with God). The portion assigned to other deities never comes to God but what is assigned to God somehow reaches the other deities. (See how) their judgment is corrupted with evil practices! Their belief in these deities justifies them to kill their children; such belief may cause their destruction [as a society] and confuse them regarding their faith. If God had willed, they would not have behaved as such; therefore, stay away from what they falsely assert.
They say: “Specific cattle and produce from the field are forbidden; none shall eat from these except as we please”—this they assert and more— “certain cattle you cannot ride, and on certain cattle you cannot grace by God’s name.” All of these are falsely ascribed as if injunctions from God; all such false assertions will have consequences as defined by God. They say: “What is in the womb of such and such cattle is reserved for males only and forbidden to females, but if it turns out to be stillborn, then all can partake in it.” God will make them face the consequences of such false assertions (to God); God is Ever Wise, All Knowing.
Failure is bound to come to those who kill their children perversely and out of ignorance and who forbid people from what God has provided for—all to forge a lie against God; these are deviations from truth, and they are certainly not guided. 352
God is the One Who produces in fields cultivated or growing wild—date palms, fruits and grains of various sorts, olives and pomegranates, similar and in varieties. Consume of the fruits as they ripen and share their due to others when you harvest. Don’t be wasteful; God does not love the prodigal. Among the cattle, there are some that carry your burden and others for you to consume. Eat from what God had gifted you with, and do not create evil practices by following the Devil, whose evil is openly declared (against humans). 353
Regarding the eight in pairs—two of sheep and two of goats—ask them: “Has God forbidden the two males or two females or what the wombs of these female may contain? Inform me with knowledge, if you are truthful.” Now as regards the two of camels and two of cattle, ask them: “Has God forbidden the two males or two females or what the wombs of these female may contain? Were you a witness to God’s prescribing any of these?” Who is more perverse than the one who falsifies in the name of God and leads people to devious ways without the benefit of any real knowledge? God certainly will not guide such corrupt people.
Interpretation
352 Many societies over the long stretch of human history have developed superstitious practices in the name of religion and in the name of God. Practices of human sacrifices, using divination to predict the future, creating evil practices that defy logic or are devoid of human knowledge, devil worshiping, worship of animals such as elephants or monkeys or snakes, offering food and drinks to deities that are nothing more than mere sculptures or stones or tree trunks, allocating harvests or animal offspring to deities or even people based on gender, the killing of children, specially female children, and so on are all based on superstitions, false beliefs and attempts by corrupt leaders, religious personalities, and opportunists to deprive human beings of their dignity, human equality, God-given knowledge, and instinct to worship the true God. Some remnants of these types of practices continue even to this day—saint or pir worshiping, expecting Santa Claus to deliver gifts on Christmas day, aborting female fetuses in greater proportion than male fetuses in countries such as India and China, clergy and clerics as intermediaries between God and His people, and the list goes on.
Even mainstream social, financial, and political practices prevalent in the world today that lead to alarming income disparities; extreme profiteering by businesses, especially players in the financial market (e.g., Wall Street); the prevalence of monopolies and oligopolies in the name of free market; the favoring of political-party ideology over human dignity and social justice; the wanton disregard for the natural balance that is needed in human existence on this planet; excessive consumerism and adoration of celebrities; excessive preoccupation with physical existence and creature comforts; and negligence of the spiritual dimension of our being—all of these practices are in urgent need of rethinking and revamping to restore human dignity, social justice, and God consciousness.
353 The notion of sharing with others what God gives us as a result of our direct effort and what becomes available to us as part of the existing social, physical, and market constructs (analogy: a field cultivated and wild growth from above verses) is a fundamental expectation from God and a social imperative for human societies. Too many businesses, political leaders, societies, and nations are exploiting natural resources in the ground, fish in the ocean, and social media–based technology; encouraging consumerism and excessive consumption; using monopolistic practices to set high prices, and so on to their exclusive benefit, with serious consequences to human poverty, the global environmental mess, human health, and the lack of quality of life to a majority of the world population, irrespective of the developed counties or underdeveloped countries in the word today.
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REFLECTION
Every generation has to look at the current religious, social, political, and financial practices in its communities, in its societies, within its national boundaries, and across the globe to make sure these practices are based on knowledge and sound judgment, reflect social consciousness and human dignity, ensure a minimum living standard for each and every human being on this planet, leave our planet in a better shape than we found it, and be mindful of God’s gift to mankind and the corresponding human obligations to one another and to God.
ACTION
Each and every one of us comes from God, and to God we will return; this reality and the covenant that binds us to God and to one another as a result should make it abundantly clear that we have an urgent need to reflect on our lives and our world as we witness and experience it today and do something, within our own sphere of influence and resources, to make the world a better place for ourselves, our children, and for humanity at large!