Texts of Islam

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 6. al-An`am: The Cattle

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This is Surah Al-An'am (Chapter 6, "The Cattle") from M.M. Pickthall's English translation of the Quran, a landmark 1930 rendering notable for being produced by a native English speaker who converted to Islam and sought to preserve the original's rhythmic, formal register. The surah is a Meccan chapter addressed primarily to those who reject monotheism, arguing relentlessly for the oneness of Allah through appeals to creation, history, and divine knowledge. Its central thrust is that the visible order of the cosmos — heavens, earth, sea, animals, night and day — testifies to a single all-knowing Creator, while the stubbornness of disbelievers reflects willful blindness rather than lack of evidence. The text repeatedly instructs Muhammad on how to respond to specific objections (demands for angels, written miracles, or material portents), framing each refusal as a test of faith rather than a failure of proof. A distinctive strand runs through the passage: past civilizations that rejected God's messengers were destroyed not immediately but after a period of false prosperity, with their punishment arriving "unawares" — a warning pattern meant to unsettle readers who feel secure in worldly comfort. The excerpt would interest readers studying Quranic rhetoric, the theology of prophethood, or classical Islamic arguments for monotheism.

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 6. al-An`am: The Cattle

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