Is There Anything in the Quran that Equals the Non-Muslims to Cows?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is there anything in the Quran that equals non-Muslims to cows? Did Umar (Allah be pleased with him) say that the blood of non-Muslims equals the blood of dogs? I am a bit confused and would be grateful if you could explain it.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
“Indeed, We have dignified the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, granted them good and lawful provisions, and privileged them far above many of Our creatures.” [Quran, 17:70]
Equaling Arrogant Makkan Pagans to Cattle
A verse in the Quran compares the arrogance and disobedience of the Makkan pagans that their beliefs and actions are like that of cattle. Therefore, it is a specific contextual statement referring to them. It can also be applied generally to those who do not think and continue to worship other than Allah associating with Him.
Allah Most High says, “Or do you think that most of them listen or understand?
They are only like cattle—no, more than that, they are astray from the Right way!” [Quran, 25:44]
The Makkan pagans neither pay attention nor think for themselves. They only follow others blindly. Generally, cattle are obedient and loyal to their masters, who care for them and seem to know their way. They do what they were created to do, but these people were created to worship Allah Alone without associating partners with Him. Still, they worship others with Him, even though evidence has been established against them and Messengers have been sent to them. [Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir]
The Blood of a Traitor is Equal to that of a Dog
Umar (Allah be pleased with him) during the Treaty of Hudaibiyya indirectly expressed to Abu Jandal (Allah be pleased with him) to escape the pursuer’s clutches and say to him, the blood of a treacherous disbeliever is like that of a dog.
Therefore, this is a historical contextual statement given to Abu Jandal (Allah be pleased with him), so he can escape from the clutches of the pursuer. [Al-‘Umrani, Al-Bayan Fi Madhhab al-Imam al-Shafi]
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I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey.
He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His personal interest is the love of books and gardening.
