What is the meaning of the verse, "And I will surely command them, and they will cut the ears of cattle"?
Al-Tabari said in his interpretation of the verse: "And I will surely command them, and they will cut the ears of livestock," that Satan commands them to worship other than Allah, such as idols. "Al-Batak" means cutting, and in this context, it refers to cutting the ears of the Bahirah (a camel) to identify it as such. Ibn Jurayj narrated from Ikrimah: "It is a religion legislated for them by Iblis, similar to the Bahirah and the Sa'ibah." Ibn Kathir said: "Meaning, to slit them and make them a mark and sign for the Bahirah, Sa'ibah, and Wasilah." Al-Shawkani said: "The 'tabtik' (cutting) in the Bahirah and Sa'ibah involves cutting their ears for their false deities. The Bahirah is a she-camel that has given birth five times, the last one being a male, so its ears are slit. As for the Sa'ibah, it is a she-camel that was left free in the pre-Islamic era as a vow." The majority of scholars disliked piercing a child's ears for earrings, while some permitted it for females but not for males.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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