وَٱلْخَيْلَ وَٱلْبِغَالَ وَٱلْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةًۭ ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Walkhaila wal bighaala wal hameera litarkaboohaa wa zeenah; wa yakhluqu maa laa ta'lamoon
And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment. And He creates that which you do not know.
Themes in this ayah
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Signs in creation
16:8Ayah 1128
21 ayahs in An-Nahl are strongly about signs in creation. This is one of them.
← Previous on Signs in creation16:7And they carry your loads to a land you could not have reached except with difficulty to yourselves. Indeed, your Lord is Kind and Merciful.Next on Signs in creation →16:10It is He who sends down rain from the sky; from it is drink and from it is foliage in which you pasture [animals].
Tafsir
Scholars largely agree on this ayah
And He created horses and mules and asses that you may ride them and for adornment wa-zīnatan is an object denoting reason; the use of both of these reasons ‘to ride’ and ‘for adornment’ as illustrations of God’s graces does not preclude that they may have been created for other purposes such as for consumption in the case of horses — which is established as lawful by a hadīth in both Sahīhs of Bukhārī and Muslim; and He creates what you do not know of marvelous and strange things.
Related Hadiths
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Horses may be used for three purposes: For a man they may be a source of
reward (in the Hereafter); for another, a means of protection; and for another, a source of sin. The man
for whom they are a source of reward, is the one who keeps them for Allah's Cause and ties them with
long ropes and lets them graze in a pasture or garden. Whatever those long ropes allow them to eat of
that pasture or garden, will be written as good deeds for him and if they break their ropes and run one
or two rounds, then all their footsteps and dung will be written as good deeds for him, and if they pass
a river and drink from it though he has had no intention of watering them, even then, that will be
written as good deeds for him. So such horses are a source of reward for that man. For the man who
keeps horses for his livelihood in order not to ask others for help or beg his bread, and at the same
time he does not forget Allah's right of what he earns through them and of their backs (that he presents
it to be used in Allah's Cause), such horses are a shelter for him (from poverty). For the man who
keeps them just out of pride and for showing off, they are a source of sin." Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was
asked about donkeys. He said, "Allah has not revealed anything to me regarding them except this
comprehensive Verse:
"Then anyone who has done good, equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it, and any
one who has done evil, equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it." (99.7-8)
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, " Horses are kept for one of three purposes; for some people they are a source of
reward, for some others they are a means of shelter and for some others they are a source of sins. The
one for whom they are a source of reward, is he who keeps a horse for Allah's Cause (i.e. Jihad) tying
it with a long tether on a meadow or in a garden with the result that whatever it eats from the area of
the meadow or the garden where it is tied will be counted as good deeds for his benefit, and if it
should break its rope and jump over one or two hillocks then all its dung and its foot marks will be
written as good deeds for him; and if it passes by a river and drinks water from it even though he had
no intention of watering it, even then he will get the reward for its drinking. As for the man for whom
horses are a source of sins, he is the one who keeps a horse for the sake of pride and pretense and
showing enmity for Muslims: such a horse will be a source of sins for him. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was
asked about donkeys, he replied, "Nothing has been revealed to me about them except this unique,
comprehensive Verse: "Then anyone who does an atom's (or a small ant's) weight of good shall see it;
And anyone who does an atom's (or a small ant's) weight of evil, shall see it.' (101.7-8)
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Keeping horses may be a source of reward to some (man), a shelter to another
(i.e. means of earning one's living), or a burden to a third. He to whom the horse will be a source of
reward is the one who keeps it in Allah's Cause (prepare it for holy battles) and ties it by a long rope
in a pasture (or a garden). He will get a reward equal to what its long rope allows it to eat in the
pasture or the garden, and if that horse breaks its rope and crosses one or two hills, then all its
footsteps and its dung will be counted as good deeds for its owner; and if it passes by a river and
drinks from it, then that will also be regarded as a good deed for its owner even if he has had no
intention of watering it then. Horses are a shelter from poverty to the second person who keeps horses
for earning his living so as not to ask others, and at the same time he gives Allah's right (i.e. rak`at)
(from the wealth he earns through using them in trading etc.,) and does not overburden them. He who
keeps horses just out of pride and for showing off and as a means of harming the Muslims, his horses
will be a source of sins to him." When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked about donkeys, he replied, "Nothing
particular was revealed to me regarding them except the general unique verse which is applicable to
everything: "Whoever does goodness equal to the weight of an atom (or small ant) shall see it (its
reward) on the Day of Resurrection."
"Horses may bring reward to a man, or they may be a means of protection, or they may be a burden (of sin). As for that which brings reward, it is a man who keeps it for the cause of Allah and ties it with a long rope in a pasture or a garden; whatever it eats or drinks in that pasture or garden will count as good deeds for him. If it breaks its rope and jumps over one or two hills, its footsteps" -and according to the Hadith of Al-Harith, "its dung will count as good deeds for him. If it passes by a river and drinks from it, even though (its owner) did not intend to give it water from that river, that will also bring him reward. If a man keeps a horse in order to earn an independent living and avoid asking others for help, and he does not forget his duty toward Allah with regard to their (the horses') necks and backs, then they will be a means of protection for him. If a man keeps horses out of pride, to show off before others and to fight the Muslims, then that will be a burden (of sin) for him." The Prophet was asked about donkeys and he said: "Nothing has been revealed to me concerning them except this Verse which is comprehensive in meaning: 'So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it.'"
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, " Horses are kept for one of three purposes: A man may keep them (for Allah's
Cause) to receive a reward in the Hereafter; another may keep them as a means of protection; and a
third may keep them to be a burden for him. As for the man for whom the horse is a source of reward,
he is the one who ties it for Allah's Cause, and he ties it with a long rope in a pasture or a garden, then,
whatever it eats or drinks in that pasture or garden will be added to his good deeds. And if it breaks its
rope and jumps over one or two hills, then, for all its footsteps and its manure, good deeds will be
written for him. And if it passes by a river and drinks of its water though its owner had no intention to
water it from that river, even then he will have good deeds written for him. So that horse will be (a
source of) reward for such a man.
If a man ties a horse for earning his livelihood and abstaining from asking others for help and he does
not forget Allah's right, i.e. pays its Zakat and gives it to be used in Allah's Cause, then that horse will
be a means of protection for him. But if a man ties it out of pride and to show off and to excite others,
then that horse will be a burden (of sins) for him." Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked regarding donkeys.
He replied, "Nothing has been revealed to me except this comprehensive Verse which includes
everything:
'So whoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) shall see it; and whoever
does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) shall see it.' (99.7-8)
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