such as the animals designated sā’iba, wasīla, and hām, and the like, belong to altered religion. Thus, when Allah mentioned these practices in Sūrat al-Mā’ida, He explained that whoever prohibited such things had lied about Allah. In Sūrat al-An‘ām, the Most High mentioned what He had forbidden through Muhammad and through Moses, saying:

“Say: I find nothing in what has been revealed to me that is forbidden for anyone to eat, unless it is carrion, flowing blood, or swine flesh—for it is impure—or a sinful offering over which a name other than Allah’s has been invoked. But whoever is compelled by necessity, neither desiring it nor exceeding the limit—surely your Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

“To the Jews We forbade every animal with claws; and of cattle and sheep We forbade them their fat, except what is on their backs or entrails or is attached to a bone. Thus We recompensed them for their transgression, and We are indeed truthful.”

Likewise, He said later:

“To the Jews We forbade what We have already related to you.”

He thus made clear that what the polytheists prohibited had not been forbidden through either Moses or Muhammad. These two were the ones who brought scriptures containing what is lawful and unlawful, as the Most High said:

“Say: Then bring a scripture from Allah that gives better guidance than these two, and I will follow it.”

The Most High also said:

“And before it was the Scripture of Moses, a guide and a mercy.”

And the Most High said:

“Say: Who sent down the Scripture that Moses brought?”

Up to His words:

“And this is a blessed Scripture which We have sent down, confirming what came before it.”

When the jinn heard the Quran, they said:

“We have heard a Scripture sent down after Moses, confirming what came before it, guiding to the truth and to a straight path.”

And Waraqa ibn Nawfal said: