The Quran

136

Preface

وَجَعَلوا لِلَّهِ مِمّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الحَرثِ وَالأَنعامِ نَصيبًا فَقالوا هٰذا لِلَّهِ بِزَعمِهِم وَهٰذا لِشُرَكائِنا ۖ فَما كانَ لِشُرَكائِهِم فَلا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ وَما كانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلىٰ شُرَكائِهِم ۗ ساءَ ما يَحكُمونَ

Yusuf Ali

Out of what God hath produced in abundance in tilth and in cattle, they assigned Him a share: they say, according to their fancies:¹ “This is for God, and this” - for our “partners"! but the share of their” partners “reacheth not God, whilst the share of God reacheth their “partners” ! evil (and unjust) is their assignment!

There is scathing sarcasm here, which some of the commentators have missed. The Pagans have generally a big Pantheon, though above it they have a vague idea of a Supreme God. But the material benefits go to the godlings, the fancied “partner” of God; for they have temples, priests, dedications, etc., while the True and Supreme God has only lip-worship, or at best a share with numerous “partners.” This was so in Arabia also. The shares assigned to the “partners” went to the priests and hangers-on of the “partners”, who were many and clamorous for their rights. The share assigned to God possibly went to the poor, but more probably went to the priests who had the cult of the “partners”, for the Supreme God had no separate priests of His own. It is also said that when heaps were thus laid out, if any portion of God’s heap fell into the heaps of the “partners” the priests greedily and promptly appropriated it, while in the contrary case the “partners” priests were careful to reclaim any portion from what they called “God’s heap.” The absurdity of the whole thing is ridiculed. God created everything: how can He have a share?