سورة الأنعام

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It was forbidden for the Children of Israel every [animal] that has claws, and fats — except the fats that lie on their backs, or on the two sides of the flanks, or those mixed with bone.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): [Among] that which Imam Rida (peace be upon him) wrote for al-Ma'mun concerning pure Islam and the ordinances of the religion, is [the following]: "And the prohibition of every fanged animal from among the beasts of prey, and every taloned bird from among the birds."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Every fanged animal from among the beasts of prey and every taloned one from among the birds is forbidden.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Allah has made the flesh of the rabbit unlawful because it, like the cat and other wild beasts, has claws.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ عَلَی الَّذِینَ هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا کُلَّ ذِی ظُفُرٍ [And to those who were Jews We made unlawful every animal having claws]; meaning the Jews, upon whom Allah made unlawful the flesh of birds and fat, even though they loved it, except the fat that is on the backs of sheep or on their sides, provided it is outside the belly. This is the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic where He said: حَرَّمْنَا عَلَیْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَا إِلاَّ مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَا أَوِ الْحَوَایَا [We made unlawful to them the fat of both, except such as was on their backs or the entrails] meaning in the two sides, أَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ذَلِکَ جَزَیْنَاهُم بِبَغْیِهِمْ وَ إِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ [or what was mixed with bones: this was a punishment We gave them on account of their rebellion, and We are surely Truthful]. And the meaning of His saying: ذَلِکَ جَزَیْنَاهُم بِبَغْیِهِمْ [this was a punishment We gave them on account of their rebellion] is that the kings of the Children of Israel used to prevent the poor among them from eating the flesh of birds and fats. Allah made it unlawful upon them because of their transgression against their poor.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abdullah ibn Abi Ya'qub said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) saying: Whoever sows a seed in a piece of land but does not pay the zakat of it and its crop, and cultivates in that land and his crop turns out full of barley, let him know that this is because of the injustice he committed in taking ownership of the land, or because of injustice to the farmer and its labourers, for Allah has said: فَبِظُلْمٍ مِنَ الَّذِینَ هادُوا حَرَّمْنا عَلَیْهِمْ طَیِّباتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَ بِصَدِّهِمْ عَنْ سَبِیلِ اللهِ کَثِیراً [Because of the injustice that came from the Jews, and (also) because of their frequent hindering people from the way of Allah, We made unlawful for them a portion of the good things that had been made lawful to them] (Nisa/160), meaning the flesh of camels, and the flesh and fat of cattle and sheep. Thus did Allah reveal it, so recite it in this way. And so it is that Allah does not make anything lawful in the Qur'an after having made it unlawful, and if He makes something lawful He does not make it unlawful. We asked: 'Is this verse: مِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَ الْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنا عَلَیْهِمْ شُحُومَهُما [of oxen and sheep We made unlawful to them the fat of both] also part of that?' He said: 'Yes.' I asked: 'Then what is this verse: إِلَّا ما حَرَّمَ إِسْرائِیلُ عَلی نَفْسِهِ [except what Israel had forbidden upon himself]?' He said: 'Whenever the Children of Israel used to eat camel's flesh, pain in the flank would afflict them, so they themselves made camel's flesh unlawful upon themselves. This was before the Torah was revealed upon them. But after the Torah was revealed they did not consider it unlawful, yet they still did not eat it.'