“Have they not seen that We have created for them —of what Our hands have worked— cattle, so they have become their (livestock’s) masters?”

“And We made them (the livestock) tractable for them, so some of whom they ride upon, and some of them they eat.”

“There are other benefits for them therein, and drinks. Will they not then give thanks?”

These ayahs express some of the blessings of God for mankind in the form of animals or livestock, which they own and utilize, by using certain creatures like horses, camels and mules for riding and for carrying burden; and eating the flesh of other domesticated animals like goat, sheep, and cattle, which also provide them milk to drink, besides the benefits that human being reap from the hides of these animals for making a variety of things, such as shoes, purses, tents, and warm clothing. Despite the progress of science and civilization, man continues to utilize these creatures, which are indeed among the great blessings of God Almighty. As a matter of fact, with the progress of civilization, dairy products and their derivatives have remarkably increased. In these days when synthetic materials have emerged to provide clothing and other items of use, the clothes and various other things, made of animal wool and hides, have not lost their quality and desirability.

Nowadays, in many parts of the world and even in the sophisticated armies of industrialized countries, animals such as horses, camels, and mules are used as beasts of burden, especially when crossing deserts and arduous mountainous with goods and equipment.

Yet, despite these blessings of the Lord Most High, most people are not grateful to their Beloved Creator, and fail to think, how humanity would have survived and made progress without the benefits of livestock. So the faithful ought to be thankful to God for His infinite bounties.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. God Almighty has created cattle, sheep, camels, and other livestock such as poultry and even elephants for the use of human beings.
2. By nature, God has made these animals tame so that they could be domesticated and used for a variety of purpose, including riding as well as nourishment, in view of the food and drinks they provide, in addition to serving as source for production of so many necessities, with their wool and hides.
3. Ingratitude to attention to divine blessings leads to the neglect of the spirit of gratitude towards the Creator of the world.

Now we listen to and read ayahs 74 to 76 of Surah Ya Sin:

“They have taken gods besides Allah [hoping] that they might be helped.”

“[Yet] they cannot help them, while they [the disbelievers] are ready soldiers for them.”

“So do not let their remarks grieve you. We indeed know whatever they hide and whatever they disclose.”

Among the signs of ingratitude towards God’s blessings is to ascribe partners to the One and Only Creator, or worship as gods what their own hands have wrought in stone, wood, and clay, of the weird imagination of their warped minds. This is what the polytheists do, and the same ingratitude towards divine favours is found among the atheists, who are indeed the servants of the Satan.

It is obvious that these deities are of no help, although the idol-worshippers are ready to serve as soldiers of these imaginary gods, to the extent they persecute and kill the believers.

Ayah number 76 soothes the sensitive heart of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). God tells the Prophet not to be grieved at the words and ways of the pagan Arabs, who used to worship a pantheon of idols, and in response to the invitation towards monotheism, used to mock the Prophet and call the divine words of the holy Qur’an sorcery. Leave their fate to God Who very well knows whatever they hide or disclose of their evil.  

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Every minute thing in the universe is the creation of God, which means nothing, whether animate or inanimate, has independent existence, which means there is no logic in the beliefs of the atheists, the polytheists, and idol-worshippers, who are following mere conjectures to their own peril, instead of worshipping the One and Only Creator.  
2. The deities are of no use, neither in life, nor on the Day of Resurrection.
3. We should be careful that the false remarks of unbelievers should not weaken us in performing our duties and responsibilities.