Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 136

Mufti Taqi Usmani

They have assigned a portion for Allah from the tillage and the cattle created by Him, and then said, “This is for Allah”, so they claim, “And this is for our associate-gods.” Then, that which is allocated for their associate-gods never reaches Allah, while that which is allocated for Allah does reach their associate-gods. Evil is what they judge.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

The pagans set aside for Allah a share of the crops and cattle He created, saying, “This ˹portion˺ is for Allah,” so they claim, “and this ˹one˺ for our associate-gods.” Yet the portion of their associate-gods is not shared with Allah while Allah’s portion is shared with their associate-gods. What unfair judgment!

Ruwwad Translation Center

They assign to Allah a portion of the crops and livestock He created, saying, “This is for Allah” – as they claim – “and this is for our partners [idols].” But that which is assigned for their partners does not reach Allah, while that which is assigned for Allah reaches their partners. How unfair is their judgment!

A. J. Arberry

They appoint to God, of the tillage and cattle that He multiplied, a portion, saying, 'This is for God' -- so they assert -- 'and this is for our associates.' So what is for their associates reaches not God; and what is for God reaches their associates. Evil is their judgment!

Abdul Haleem

They apportion to God a share of the produce and the livestock He created, saying, ‘This is for God’- so they claim!- ‘ and this is for our idols.’ Their idols’ share does not reach God, but God’s share does reach their idols: how badly they judge!

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And they'll appoint for Allah, of the tilth and cattle He hath produced, a portion, they say according to their fancy: this is for Allah, and: this for our associate-gods. Then, that which is for their associate-gods reacheth not Allah, while that which is for Allah reacheth their associate-gods; vile is the way they judge!

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Out of what Allah hath produced in abundance in tilth and in cattle, they assigned Him a share; they say, according to their fancies; "This is for Allah, and this" - for our "partners"! but the share of their" partners "reacheth not Allah, whilst the share of Allah reacheth their "partners"! evil (and unjust) is their assignment!

Abul Ala Maududi

They assign to Allah a portion out of the produce and cattle that He has created, saying out of their fancy: 'This is for Allah' - so they deem -'and this is for the associates (of Allah) whom we have contrived.' Then, the portion assigned to the beings whom they have set up as associates (of Allah) does not reach Allah, but the portion assigned to Allah reaches the beings they set up as associates (of Allah)! Indeed evil is what they decide!

Ahmed Ali

They allocate a share from God's own created fields and cattle to God, and they say: "This is God's" -- or so they think -- "and that, of the compeers of God," so that what belongs to the compeers does not reach God, but that which is God's may reach the compeers (set up by them). How bad is the judgement that they make!

Ahmed Raza Khan

And among the crops and animals that Allah has created, they assigned (only) a portion to Him and therefore said “This is for Allah” – in their opinion – “and this is for our partners (false deities)”; so the portion for their partners does not reach Allah; and the portion for Allah reaches their partners; what an evil judgement they impose!

Ali Quli Qarai

They dedicate a portion to Allah out of what He has created of the crops and cattle, and say, ‘This is for Allah,’ so do they maintain, ‘and this is for our partners.’ But what is for their partners does not reach Allah, and what is for Allah reaches their partners. Evil is the judgement that they make.

Ali Ünal

They assign to God, of the produce and cattle that He has created, a portion, and they say: "This is God’s" – so they assert – "and this (the rest) is for our associate-deities." Then (acting in what they deem to their own interest), what is assigned for their "associate-deities" does not reach God, while what is assigned for God reaches their "associate-deities." How evil is what they ordain as laws (and how badly they enforce them)!

Amatul Rahman Omar

They allocate to Allâh a portion out of what He has produced of the tillage and the cattle, and they say, `This is for Allâh,´ - according to their fancies - `and this is (set apart) for our gods (we associate with Allâh).´ Then what is for their associate-gods never goes over to Allâh, but what is (set apart) for Allâh does (often) go over to their associate-gods. How ill they judge!

English Literal

And they made/created to God from what He created/seeded from the agricultural land/plants and the camels/livestock a share , so they said: "That (is) to God." with their claims/pretensions , "And that (is) to our partners (with God)." So what (was) to their partners (with God) so it does not reach to God, and what was to God, so it reaches to their partners (with God), it was bad/evil what they judge/rule.

Faridul Haque

And among the crops and animals that Allah has created, they assigned (only) a portion to Him and therefore said “This is for Allah” - in their opinion - “and this is for our partners (false deities)”; so the portion for their partners does not reach Allah; and the portion for Allah reaches their partners; what an evil judgement they impose!

Hamid S. Aziz

They set apart a portion for Allah, from that which He raises in abundance, of tilth and of cattle, and they say, according to their fancies "This is for Allah and this is for (His) partner." But the share of their "partners" reaches not to Allah, and that which was for Allah reaches their "partner". Evil is their judgment.

Hilali & Khan

And they assign to Allah a share of the tilth and cattle which He has created, and they say: "This is for Allah according to their pretending, and this is for our (Allah's so-called) partners." But the share of their (Allah's so-called) "partners" reaches not Allah, while the share of Allah reaches their (Allah's so-called) "partners"! Evil is the way they judge!

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Say: O my people, act according to your ability, I too am acting; so you will soon come to know for whom is the (good) end of the abode. Surely the wrongdoers will not succeed.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And they set apart a portion for Allah out of what He has created of tilth and cattle, and say: This is for Allah-- so they assert-- and this for our associates; then what is for their associates, it reaches not to Allah, and whatever is (set apart) for Allah, it reaches to their associates; evil is that which they judge.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

They assign unto Allah, of the crops and cattle which He created, a portion, and they say: "This is Allah's" - in their make-believe - "and this is for (His) partners in regard to us." Thus that which (they assign) unto His partners in them reacheth not Allah and that which (they assign) unto Allah goeth to their (so-called) partners. Evil is their ordinance.

Muhammad Sarwar

They set aside a share of the left-overs of their farming produce and cattle saying, "This is for God and that is for the idols." God does not receive the share of the idols but the share of God is given totally to the idols. How terrible is their decision!

Qaribullah & Darwish

They set aside for Allah a share of what He has created of tilth and cattle saying: 'This is for Allah so they claim and this for our associates (gods)' The share of their associates never reaches Allah, but the share of Allah reaches their associates. How evil they judge!

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And they assign to Allah a share of the tilth and cattle which He has created, and they say: "This is for Allah," according to their claim, "and this is for our partners." But the share of their "partners" reaches not Allah, while the share of Allah reaches their "partners"! Evil is the way they judge!

Wahiduddin Khan

They set aside for God a share in what He has produced, such as crops and livestock, and they say, "This is for God," so they claim!, and "this is for our associate-gods?" Their associate-gods' share does not reach God, whereas God's share reaches their associate-gods. How ill they judge!

Talal Itani

And they set aside for God a share of the crops and the livestock He created, and they say, “This is for God,” according to their claim, “and this is for our idols.” But the share of their idols does not reach God, yet the share of God reaches their idols. Evil is their judgment.

Tafsir jalalayn

They, the disbelievers of Mecca, assign to God, of the tillage, the crops, and the cattle which He multiplied, He created, a portion, which they dispense to visitors and the needy, and to their associates belongs a portion, which they dispense to such keepers [of the tillage and cattle], saying, `This is for God' -- so they assert (read bi-za`mihim or bi-zu`mihim) -- `and this is for our associates'; and if any of the portion of these [associates] fell into God's portion, they used to restore it [to that of their associates], but when something of His portion fell into theirs, they would leave it there, saying, `God is Independent [and is not in need] of this', as God, exalted be He, says; So that which is intended for their associates does not reach God, and that which is intended for God does reach their associates. Evil is that, provision of theirs, which they decree!

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Some Acts of Shirk

Allah chastises and criticizes the idolators who invented innovations, Kufr and Shirk, and called on partners and rivals with Allah among His creation, although He created every thing, all praise is due to Him. This is why Allah said,

وَجَعَلُواْ لِلّهِ مِمِّا ذَرَأَ

And they assign to Allah from that which He has created,

مِنَ الْحَرْثِ

of the tilth,

meaning, fruits and produce,

وَالَانْعَامِ نَصِيبًا

and of the cattle a share,

meaning a part and a section.

فَقَالُواْ هَـذَا لِلّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَـذَا لِشُرَكَأيِنَا

and they say;"This is for Allah," according to their claim, "and this is for our partners."

Allah said next,

فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَأيِهِمْ فَلَ يَصِلُ إِلَى اللّهِ وَمَا كَانَ لِلّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَى شُرَكَأيِهِمْ

But the share of their "partners" reaches not Allah, while the share of Allah reaches their "partners"!

Ali bin Abi Talhah and Al-Awfi narrated that Ibn Abbas said;

"When they, the enemies of Allah, would cultivate the land or collect produce, they would assign a part of it to Allah and another part to the idol. They would keep the share for the idol, whether land, produce or anything else, and preserve its division to such an extent that they would collect anything that accidentally falls from the share they assigned to Allah and add it to the share of the idol. If the water that they assigned for the idol irrigated something (a section of land, for instance) that they assigned for Allah, they would add whatever this water irrigated to the idol's share! If the land or produce that they assigned for Allah was accidentally mixed with the share that they assigned for the idol, they would say that the idol is poor. Therefore, they would add it to the share they assigned for the idol and would not return it to the share they assigned for Allah. If the water that they assigned for Allah irrigated what they assigned for the idol they would leave it (the produce) for the idol. They also made some of their other property sacred, like the Bahirah, Sa'ibah, Wasilah and Ham, assigning them to the idols, claiming that they do so as way of seeking a means of approach to Allah. Allah said,
وَجَعَلُواْ لِلّهِ مِمِّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالَانْعَامِ نَصِيبًا
(And they assign to Allah a share of the tilth and cattle which He has created...)."

Similar was said by Mujahid, Qatadah, As-Suddi and others.

Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam commented;

"Every type of slaughter that they would assign for Allah, would never be eaten unless they mentioned the names of their idols when slaughtering it. Yet for what they sacrificed in the names of the idols, they would not mention Allah's Name when slaughtering it."

He then recited the Ayah (6;136) until he reached,

سَاء مَا يَحْكُمُونَ



Evil is the way they judge!

This Ayah means, evil is that which they determined, for they committed error in the division. Certainly, Allah is the Lord, Owner and Creator of all things and His is the dominion. All things are His property and under His supreme control, will and decree. There is no deity worthy of worship, or Lord, except Him. And even when the polytheists made this evil division, they did not preserve it, but cheated in it.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ الْبَنَـتِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَلَهُمْ مَّا يَشْتَهُونَ

And they assign daughters unto Allah -- glory be to Him -- and unto themselves what they desire. (16;57)

and,

وَجَعَلُواْ لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ جُزْءًا إِنَّ الانسَـنَ لَكَفُورٌ مُّبِينٌ


Yet, they assign to some of His servants a share with Him. Verily, man is indeed a manifest ingrate! (43;15)

and,

أَلَكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ الاٍّنثَى

تِلْكَ إِذاً قِسْمَةٌ ضِيزَى

Is it for you the males and for Him the females! That indeed is a division most unfair! (53;21-22