Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:36
And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good. So mention the name of Allah upon them when lined up [for sacrifice]; and when they are [lifeless] on their sides, then eat from them and feed the needy and the beggar. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may be grateful.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah the Exalted says: al-budun — this is the plural form of badana; one may also say "badn" for the singular. When one says "badn," it can be either plural or singular; the proof that it can also be said for the singular is the word of the rajaz poet:
عَلَيَّ حِينَ نَمْلِكُ الأُمُورَا صَوْمَ شُهُورٍ وَجَبَتْ نُذُورَا وَحَلْقَ رَأْسِي وَافِيًا مَضْفُورَا وَبَدَنًا مُدَرَّعًا مُوفُورًا
(Upon me awaits, when we hold sway over affairs, the fasting of months that have been imposed as vows, the shaving of my head that is full and braided, and a fat sacrificial camel, complete in its bulk.)
Al-badn is the large and heavy of every thing; hence Imruʾ al-Qays ibn al-Nuʿmān, the owner of al-Khawarnaq and al-Sadīr, was called "al-Badn" on account of his heaviness and the flabbiness of his flesh — for one says: he has grown fat (qad baddana tabdīnan). The meaning of the words is then: the large, corpulent camels We have made for you, O people, into one of the signs of Allah — that is to say: into one of the marks of Allah's command which He has given you in the rituals of your pilgrimage, when you hang collars upon them, cover them with a cloth, and incise them; thus, through that sign which you have done with the camels and cattle, it is made known.
As Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: ʿAṭāʾ said, concerning the words وَالْبُدْنَ جَعَلْنَاهَا لَكُمْ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ : he said: the cattle and the camel.
As for His words لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ (for you therein is good): He says: for you in the sacrificial camels is good — that is the reward in the hereafter by slaughtering them and giving alms from them, and in the worldly life: riding them when one has need of that.
In the direction of what we have said about this the exegetes spoke.
Mention of who said that: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning Allah's words لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ — he said: reward and benefits in the sacrificial camels.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, likewise.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Ibrāhīm: لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ — he said: the milk and the riding when one has need of that.
ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Bayān related to us, he said: Isḥāq informed us, on the authority of Sharīk, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Ibrāhīm: لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ — he said: when you are compelled regarding your sacrificial camel, you ride her and drink her milk.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Ibrāhīm: لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ — whoever has need of a back from the sacrificial camel rides her; whoever has need of her milk drinks her.
As for His words فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ (then mention the name of Allah over them as they stand in rows): Allah the Exalted says: mention the name of Allah over the sacrificial camels at the slaughtering while they stand in rows.
The reciters differed over the reading of this. Most of the reciters of the great cities read صَوَافَّ in the meaning of "drawn up in rows" (muṣṭaffa), singular ṣāffa — they have their forelegs in a row. It is related from al-Ḥasan, Mujāhid, Zayd ibn Aslam, and a group of others that they read "ṣawāfī" — with a yāʾ in the accusative, in the meaning of: pure for Allah, without partner — purely for Him. Some read "ṣawāfin" without yāʾ and with tanwīn, on the pattern of ʿawār and ʿawād. It is related from Ibn Masʿūd that he read "ṣawāfina" in the meaning of "bound."
The correct reading in my judgment is the reading with the doubling of the fāʾ and the fatḥa, on account of the consensus of the authoritative reciters upon it, with the meaning we have mentioned for whoever reads thus.
Mention of who interpreted it in accordance with those who read it with the doubling of the fāʾ and fatḥa: Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Jābir ibn Nūḥ related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū Ẓabyān, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ — he said: "Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhumma minka wa-lak" (Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, O Allah, from You and for You). Ṣawāff: standing on three legs. Ibn ʿAbbās was asked: what do we do with their hides? He said: give them as alms, and make use of them.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, he said: Ayyūb ibn Suwayd related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abū Ẓabyān, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words صَوَافَّ — he said: standing. He said: one says "Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illā Allāh, Allāhumma minka wa-lak."
Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, on the authority of Shuʿba, on the authority of Sulaymān, on the authority of Abū Ẓabyān, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ — he said: standing on three legs, bound, with the name of Allah; "Allāhu akbar, Allāhumma minka wa-lak."
Yaʿqūb related to me, he said: Hushaym related to us, he said: Ḥuṣayn informed us, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words صَوَافَّ — he said: with one of the forelegs bound, standing on three legs.
ʿAlī related to me, he said: ʿAbdullāh related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ — he said: in a standing posture.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ : the ṣawāff is that one binds one leg of it in a standing posture and lets it stand on three legs, so that one then shoots it down.
Yaʿqūb related to us, he said: Hushaym related to us, he said: Yaʿlā ibn ʿAṭāʾ informed us, he said: Bujayr ibn Sālim informed us, who said: I saw Ibn ʿUmar strike down his sacrificial camel while she stood. He said: صَوَافَّ as Allah has said. He struck her down while she stood with one foreleg bound.
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Idrīs related to us, he said: Layth informed us, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: the ṣawāff is when one binds her leg and she stands on three legs.
He said: Layth related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the words فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ — he said: in rows between the slaughtering-places.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: صَوَافَّ — he said: standing in rows on three legs.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ — he said: between the slaughtering-places in a standing posture.
Ibn al-Barqī related to us, he said: Ibn Abī Maryam related to us, he said: Yaḥyā ibn Ayyūb informed us, on the authority of Khālid ibn Yazīd, on the authority of Ibn Abī Hilāl, on the authority of Nāfiʿ, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh: he used to strike down the sacrificial camels while they stood, turned toward the House, their forelegs in rows with the bindings. He said: those are the ones whom Allah intended: فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ .
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to me, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Abū Ẓabyān, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: I said to him concerning Allah's words فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ : he said: when you wish to strike down the sacrificial camel, strike her down and say "Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illā Allāh, Allāhumma minka wa-lak," then mention the name of Allah and strike her down. I asked: do I say this also for the sacrificial animal (al-aḍḥiya)? He said: also for the sacrificial animal.
Mention of who interpreted it in accordance with the reading "ṣawāfiya" with yāʾ: Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: al-Muʿtamir related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, who said: "fādhkurū isma Llāhi ʿalayhā ṣawāfiya" — he said: sincere.
He said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, who said: al-Ḥasan said: "ṣawāfiya" — pure.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, who said: al-Ḥasan said: "ṣawāfiya" — pure for Allah.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Qays ibn Muslim, on the authority of Shaqīq al-Ḍabbī: "fādhkurū isma Llāhi ʿalayhā ṣawāfiya" — he said: pure.
He said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Ayman ibn Nābil related to us, he said: I asked Ṭāwūs about His words "fādhkurū isma Llāhi ʿalayhā ṣawāfiya" — he said: pure.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His words "fādhkurū isma Llāhi ʿalayhā ṣawāfiya" — he said: pure, without partner therein, as the polytheists did — they set up sacrifices for Allah and for their gods; [here:] pure for Allah the Exalted.
Mention of who interpreted it in accordance with the reading "ṣawāfina": Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning the reading of Ibn Masʿūd "fādhkurū isma Llāhi ʿalayhā ṣawāfina" — that is to say: bound, in a standing posture.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning the reading of Ibn Masʿūd "ṣawāfina" — he said: that is to say: bound.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: whoever reads it as "ṣawāfina" says: bound; whoever reads it as صَوَافَّ says: she sets the forelegs in a row.
It has been related to me from al-Ḥusayn, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His words "fādhkurū isma Llāhi ʿalayhā ṣawāff": that is to say ṣawāfina; the sacrificial camel is shot down with one leg bound, so that she stands on three, and thus she is shot down.
Abū Jaʿfar says: the most correct interpretation of صَوَافَّ has already been demonstrated earlier — those are the ones that have their forelegs in a row, with one leg bound.
As for His words فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا (when then their sides have fallen down): He says: when they have fallen and their sides have come down to the ground after the striking-down; فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا — this is derived from the expression "the sun has gone down (wajabat al-shams)" when it has set and has fallen before setting. Of this too is the word of Aws ibn Ḥajar:
أَلَمْ تُكْسَفِ الشَّمْسُ وَالْبَدْرُ وَالْكَوَاكِبُ لِلْجَبَلِ الْوَاجِبِ
(Have the sun and the full moon not been eclipsed, and the stars, before the falling mountain?)
By al-wājib he means: al-wāqiʿ (the fallen one).
In the direction of what we have said about this the exegetes spoke.
Mention of who said that: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا — they have fallen to the ground.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, likewise.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, concerning the words فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا — he said: when it is completed and shot down.
Muḥammad ibn ʿUmāra related to me, he said: ʿUbaydullāh ibn Mūsā related to us, he said: Isrāʾīl informed us, on the authority of Abū Yaḥyā, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ — it is shot down.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا — he said: when it is shot down.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said, concerning the words فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا — he said: when it has died.
As for His words فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا (eat of them): the form is a command but the meaning is permission and easing. Allah says: when it is shot down and has fallen as dead after the striking-down, it is permissible for you to eat of it — it is not an obligatory command.
Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī used to say about this what Muḥammad ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, they said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, who said: the polytheists did not eat of their sacrifices; the Muslims were given permission and ate of them; whoever wishes eats, and whoever wishes does not eat.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: Muʾammal related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: if he wishes he eats, and if he wishes he does not eat; it stands on the same footing as وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَاصْطَادُوا .
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — he said: he eats of it and gives to eat.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Hushaym related to us, he said: Yūnus informed us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan; and Mughīra informed us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm; and Ḥajjāj informed us, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ; and Ḥuṣayn informed us, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the words فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا — he said: if he wishes he eats, and if he wishes he does not eat. Mujāhid said: it is a permission, it is like His words فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلاَةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ and like His words وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَاصْطَادُوا . And concerning His words وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ : give the qāniʿ to eat.
The exegetes differed over the meaning of al-qāniʿ and al-muʿtarr. Some said: al-qāniʿ is the one who is content with what he has been given or with what he has and does not beg; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself to you so that you give him meat, but who does not beg.
Mention of who said that: Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ : he said: al-qāniʿ is the one who is content with what you give him and stays at home; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself to you and passes by you so that you give him meat, but who does not beg. These are the ones whom Allah has commanded to be fed from the sacrificial camels.
Yaʿqūb related to me, he said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: al-qāniʿ is your neighbor who is content with what you give him; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself to you but asks you for nothing.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Abū Ṣakhr informed me, on the authority of al-Qaraẓī, who used to say about this verse: al-qāniʿ is the one who is content with the little and is satisfied with it; al-muʿtarr is the one who passes by your side without asking for anything — that is the muʿtarr.
Others said: al-qāniʿ is the one who is content with what he has and does not beg; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you and asks you.
Mention of who said that: ʿAlī related to me, he said: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — he said: al-qāniʿ is the one who preserves his sense of honor; al-muʿtarr is the one who asks.
Ibn Abī al-Shawārib related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Wāḥid related to us, he said: Khuṣayf related to us, who said: I heard Mujāhid say: al-qāniʿ are the inhabitants of Mecca; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you and asks you.
Abū al-Sāʾib related to me, he said: ʿAṭāʾ related to us, on the authority of Khuṣayf, on the authority of Mujāhid, likewise.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: Muslim ibn Ibrāhīm related to us, he said: Kaʿb ibn Farūkh related to us, he said: I heard Qatāda relate, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning the words الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — he said: al-qāniʿ is the one who stays at home; al-muʿtarr is the one who asks.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: al-qāniʿ is the sensible man who stays at home; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you and asks you.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: al-qāniʿ and al-muʿtarr — al-qāniʿ is the one who desires what you have but asks you for nothing; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you and asks you.
Naṣr ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid and Ibrāhīm, who both said: al-qāniʿ is the one who stays at home; al-muʿtarr is the one who asks you.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning al-qāniʿ and al-muʿtarr: al-qāniʿ is the one who is content with what he has in hand; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you — and both, O son of man, have a right upon you.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — al-qāniʿ is the one who stays at home; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you.
Others said: al-qāniʿ is the beggar; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you but does not beg.
Mention of who said that: Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Yūnus related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, who said: al-qāniʿ is the one who comes to you and asks you; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself to you but does not ask you.
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, he said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr ibn Zādhān, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning this verse وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — he said: al-qāniʿ is the one who is content (yaqnaʿu); al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you. And al-Kalbī said: al-qāniʿ is the one who asks you; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you, presents himself but does not ask.
Naṣr ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Awdī related to me, he said: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Yūnus, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning the words وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — he said: al-qāniʿ is the one who asks you; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself to you.
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of his father, who said: Saʿīd ibn Jubayr said: al-qāniʿ is the beggar.
Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Aḥmasī related to me, he said: Ghālib related to me, he said: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Furāt al-Qazzāz, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, concerning the words الْقَانِعَ — he said: that is the beggar. Then he said: have you not heard the word of al-Shammākh:
لَمَالُ الْمَرْءِ يُصْلِحُهُ فَيُغْنِي مَفَاقِرَهُ أَعَفُّ مِنَ الْقُنُوعِ
(The wealth of a man that sets him right and removes his poverty is more honorable than begging.)
He said: than asking of people.
Yaʿqūb related to me, he said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, he said: Yūnus informed us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, who said concerning the words وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ : al-qāniʿ is the one who leans toward you and asks you; al-muʿtarr is the one who shows you his person and presents himself to you but asks you for nothing.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Hishām related to us, he said: Manṣūr and Yūnus informed us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, who said: al-qāniʿ is the beggar; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself but does not beg.
Yūnus related to us, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAyyāsh informed me, who said: Zayd ibn Aslam said: al-qāniʿ is the one who asks the people.
Others said: al-qāniʿ is the neighbor; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you.
Mention of who said that: Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Ibn Idrīs related to us, he said: I heard Layth on the authority of Mujāhid say: al-qāniʿ is your neighbor, whether or not he is well-off; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, who said: Mujāhid said, concerning the words وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ : al-qāniʿ is your well-off neighbor; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you.
Yaʿqūb related to me, he said: Hushaym related to us, he said: Mughīra informed us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, concerning the words وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — he said: the one is the beggar and the other is the neighbor.
Others said: al-qāniʿ is the wanderer; al-muʿtarr is the friend who comes to visit.
Mention of who said that: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, he said: my father and Shuʿayb ibn al-Layth related to me, on the authority of al-Layth, on the authority of Khālid ibn Yazīd, on the authority of Ibn Abī Hilāl, who said: Zayd ibn Aslam said concerning Allah's words الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ : al-qāniʿ is the poor man who wanders about; al-muʿtarr is the friend and the weak one who comes to visit.
Others said: al-qāniʿ is the one who desires; al-muʿtarr is the one who approaches the sacrificial camels.
Mention of who said that: Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the words الْقَانِعَ — he said: the one who desires; al-muʿtarr: the one who approaches the sacrificial camels, whether he is well-off or poor.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: ʿUmar ibn ʿAṭāʾ informed me, on the authority of ʿIkrima, who said: al-qāniʿ is the one who desires.
Others said: al-qāniʿ is the poor one; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself for the meat.
Mention of who said that: Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said, concerning the words وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — he said: al-qāniʿ is the poor one; al-muʿtarr is the one who goes about among the people for their meat while he is not poor and has no slaughter-animal — he goes to the people on account of their meat. Al-bāʾis al-faqīr (the wretched poor one) is the qāniʿ.
Others said what Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Furāt, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, who said: al-qāniʿ is the one who is content; al-muʿtarr is the one who comes by you.
Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Yūnus, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, the same.
He said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Ibrāhīm and Mujāhid: الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ — al-qāniʿ is the one who stays at home; al-muʿtarr is the one who presents himself to you.
The most correct view is that of the one who said: al-qāniʿ is the beggar. For if the meaning of al-qāniʿ in this place were the person who is content with what he has and is able to manage with it, then it would have been said: "give the qāniʿ and the beggar to eat," not "give the qāniʿ and the muʿtarr to eat." And in the continuation of those words وَالْمُعْتَرَّ lies the clear proof that al-qāniʿ is the beggar — from the expression qanaʿa fulān ilā fulān, in the meaning of: he asked him and bowed before him, fayaqnaʿu qunūʿan. Of this too is the word of Labīd:
وَأَعْطَانِي الْمَوْلَى عَلَى حِينِ فَقْرِهِ إِذَا قَالَ أَبْصِرْ خَلَّتِي وَقُنُوعِي
(And the lord gave to me in his time of poverty, when he said: behold my need and my supplication.)
As for the qāniʿ in the meaning of the person who is content, that is derived from qaniʿta — with kasra on the nūn — aqnaʿu qanāʿatan, qanaʿan, qunʿānan. Al-muʿtarr is the one who comes to you, presents himself to you, so that you give to him and feed him.
As for His words كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرْنَاهَا لَكُمْ (thus We have made them subservient to you): He says: thus We have made the sacrificial camels subservient to you, O people — so that you may be grateful to Me for making them subservient to you.
