قُلْ هَلُمَّ شُهَدَآءَكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ حَرَّمَ هَـٰذَا ۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟ فَلَا تَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمْ ۚ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَهُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ 150
Translations
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Bring forward your witnesses who will testify that Allāh has prohibited this." And if they testify, do not testify with them. And do not follow the desires of those who deny Our verses and those who do not believe in the Hereafter, while they equate [others] with their Lord.
Transliteration
Qul halumma shuhada'akumulladhina yashaduna anna Allaha harrama hadha fa-in shahidu fala tashhad ma'ahum wa-la tattabi' ahwa'a alladhina kadhdhabu bi-ayatina wa-alladhina la yu'minuna bi-al-akhirah wa-hum bi-rabbihim ya'dilun
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet to challenge the polytheists to produce witnesses from among themselves who can testify that Allah has forbidden the halal things they claim are haram (such as certain livestock and harvests). If they do present such false testimony, the Prophet is strictly forbidden from joining in their testimony or following the desires of those who reject Allah's signs and deny the Hereafter while associating partners with their Lord. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi note this ayah refutes the fabricated prohibitions of the pre-Islamic Arabs and emphasizes the Prophet's firm stance against misguidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah addresses the historical context of pre-Islamic Arabia (Jahiliyyah) where pagan Arabs imposed arbitrary prohibitions on livestock and agricultural produce, claiming divine sanction without any revealed evidence. Surah Al-An'am systematically refutes polytheistic beliefs and false religious innovations, establishing that only Allah has the authority to legislate what is halal and haram.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim (2229) regarding haram and halal: 'The Messenger of Allah said: What Allah has made halal in His Book is halal, and what He has made haram is haram, and what He has remained silent about is pardoned.' This directly supports the ayah's emphasis on divine authority in legislative matters.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must ground their religious practices in clear divine revelation rather than cultural traditions or fabricated claims, and should never compromise their conviction by endorsing falsehood even when pressured by those who reject Allah's signs.