{And they say, 'What is in the bellies of these cattle is exclusively for our males, and is forbidden to our wives. But if it is dead, then they all share therein.'} The offspring born of those cattle, if it were male, the men would eat it to the exclusion of the women. And if it were female, it was left forbidden to both the men and the women. But if it were dead, then they all shared in it, and they would all eat it.
Muhammad said:
Whoever reads (khalisatun li-dhukurina [exclusively for our males])—it is as if they said: The entirety of that which is in the bellies of these cattle that is male is 'khalisah' (exclusive) for our males. And 'muharram' (forbidden) is governed by the form of 'ma' (what), because 'ma' denotes the masculine.
{He will recompense them for their description}—meaning: for what they claimed that Allah had commanded them to do.
﴿وَقَالُوا مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَذِهِ الأَنْعَامِ خَالِصَةٌ لِذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَى أَزْوَاجِنَا وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مَيْتَةً فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَاء﴾ كَانَ مَا وُلِدَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْأَنْعَامِ مِنْ ذكرٍ يَأْكُلُهُ الرِّجَالُ دُونَ النِّسَاءِ، وَإِذَا كَانَتْ أُنْثَى تُرِكَتْ مُحَرَّمَةً عَلَى الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مَيْتَةً فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرُكَاءُ يَأْكُلُونَهَا جَمِيعًا.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ:
مَنْ قَرَأَ (خَالِصَة لذكورنا) فَكَأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا: جَمَاعَةُ مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَذِهِ الْأَنْعَامِ مِنْ ذُكُورٍ خالصةٌ لذكورنا، وَيرد [محرم] عَلَى لَفْظِ (مَا) لِأَنَّ مَا ذكر مُذَكّر.
﴿سيجزيهم وَصفهم﴾ أَيْ: بِمَا زَعَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَمرهم بِهِ
