The Glorious Qur`an

6: Livestock (an'am)

This chapter contains 165 late Meccan verses arranged in twenty sections. Verses 60, 63. 91,114,141 and 151-153 however all date from Madina. The chapter was revealed after Stoneland 15 and before (Drawn Up in) Ranks 37. Livestock here comprises first of all camels, then bovine cattle, sheep and goats which are all mentioned in sections XVI & XVII as having been dedicated to other deities than God Alone: consequently their presence in sacrifice did not help advance the cause of true religion.

The beginning sections and XVI deal with the sin of associating other things in our worship of God Alone. The chapter contains several lyric descriptions of the Deity, such as Keys to the Unseen (VII). Two important statements are made on the subject of tolerance in vi and XII. What might be called an Islamic decalogue or Ten Commandments, and God's Straight Road are found in XIX. The final section (XX) is pregnant with meaning.