The Meaning Behind the Slitting of Cattle’s Ears:
A Deeper Insight
Understanding the Deception Mentioned in 4:119
“And surely I will order them so they will surely cut off the ears of the livestock.” (4:119)
This verse describes a deceptive command from Shaytan (Satan) to mankind—one that involves cutting the ears of livestock. At first glance, this may seem like a mere reference to an ancient practice. However, when analysed alongside other Quranic verses, a profound and symbolic meaning emerges.
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The Role of Livestock in the Quran
To understand the significance of cutting the ears of livestock, we must first recognize how the Quran describes animals—particularly their perception and awareness.
Livestock:
A Symbol of Awareness Without Comprehension
“And We have given to Hell many of the jinn and mankind;
they had hearts with which they did not understand,
and they had eyes with which they did not see,
and they had ears with which they did not hear.
They are like livestock—no, they are even more astray.
These are the unaware ones.” (7:179)
Here, the Quran draws a comparison between certain humans and livestock. It states that these people have functional hearts, eyes, and ears, yet they fail to use them for understanding, seeing, or hearing.
However, despite their lack of intellectual function, livestock are still described as being more aware than some humans and jinn in Hell.
Similarly, in another verse:
“Have you seen the one who has taken his desire as his god?
Will you be a caretaker over him?
Or do you think that most of them hear or comprehend?
They are just like livestock—no, they are worse off.” (24:43-44)
Again, the Quran reinforces the idea that some people are less aware than livestock, as they are driven solely by their desires and are deaf to truth.
What Do These Verses Reveal About Livestock?
• Livestock lack intellectual reasoning but are not completely unaware.
• Their ears, eyes, and hearts do not function like those of humans, but they still perceive one thing: Allah’s name when they are slaughtered.
• The worst of mankind and jinn are described as being even lower than livestock, because while livestock are naturally limited in awareness, humans and jinn have the capacity to understand but choose blindness and ignorance.
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The True Meaning of Slitting Cattle’s Ears
Now that we have established that livestock possess a form of awareness, we return to the verse:
“And surely I will order them so they will surely cut off the ears of the livestock.” (4:119)
At first, this may seem like a simple reference to a pagan ritual, where people would mutilate animals for superstitious reasons. However, when we analyse it in context, a deeper symbolic meaning emerges.
Why Would Shaytan Want to Cut Off Their Ears?
• As we saw in 7:179 and 24:43-44, livestock do not function with human-level intelligence.
• However, they do respond to one thing: the name of Allah when they are slaughtered.
• The act of cutting off their ears metaphorically represents deafening them to the only thing they are aware of—Allah’s name.
• In other words, Shaytan’s goal is to prevent people from mentioning Allah’s name over livestock during slaughter.
This idea is reinforced by the fact that mentioning Allah’s name over livestock is a command in the Quran:
“O you who have believed, fulfill all contracts.
Lawful for you are grazing livestock except for what is recited to you.
And do not violate the sanctity of Allah’s name when slaughtering them.” (5:1)
“That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah over the livestock He has provided for them…” (22:28)
“And for every nation We have appointed a rite, that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided them of livestock…” (22:34)
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The Deeper Message:
Blocking Remembrance of Allah
If livestock are only aware of one thing—Allah’s name at the time of slaughter—then deafening them to this remembrance is symbolic of a greater deception.
• Slitting their ears is not just a physical act; it is a metaphor for severing their connection to the divine.
• If livestock symbolise a natural awareness of Allah, then making them “deaf” is a representation of erasing God-consciousness.
• This aligns with Shaytan’s broader strategy—to divert people away from Allah’s remembrance in every aspect of life.
Thus, this verse is not simply about an ancient ritual; it is a warning about how Shaytan operates—by corrupting even the simplest forms of worship and remembrance.
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Conclusion: A Call to Awareness
Through the Quranic perspective, we see that livestock, despite their limitations, have a type of awareness that misguided humans and jinn lack.
• They do not understand like humans do, yet they still respond to the name of Allah.
• By cutting off their ears, Shaytan symbolically attempts to remove their only form of awareness—a tactic he uses against humans as well, by making them deaf to truth.
This verse, therefore, is not just about a physical act of mutilation, but a spiritual warning—one that applies not only to animals, but to humanity itself.
Just as livestock are meant to hear Allah’s name, so too are we meant to listen to the truth.
The question is:
Will we be like the livestock—aware of Allah? Or will we be worse than them—completely deaf to guidance?