قَدْ سَأَلَهَا قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَصْبَحُوا بِهَا كَافِرِينَ ﴿۱۰۲﴾ مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَحِيرَةٍ وَلَا سَائِبَةٍ وَلَا وَصِيلَةٍ وَلَا حَامٍ وَلَكِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿۱۰۳﴾

﴾102﴿ Qad sa alahaa qawmum min qablikum summa asbahoo bihaa kaafireen
﴾103﴿ Maa ja'alal laahu mim baheeratinw wa laa saaa'ibatinw wa laa waseelatinw wa laa haaminw wa laakinnal lazeena kafaroo yaftaroona 'alallaahil kazib; wa aksaruhum laa ya'qiloon

﴾102﴿ surely Such things have been asked by a people before you, because of that they disbelieved
﴾103﴿ Allah Almighty has not permitted, neither the ear was torn, nor left free, nor attached, And not saved from the back (from riding), but the disbelievers lie about Allah, the Most High, and many of them have no sense

[102] In this, the second reason for the prohibition of asking questions is indicated, and it refers to the people of Bani Israel and other rejecters—like the people of Salih (peace be upon him), who demanded the miracle of the she-camel; the people of Musa (peace be upon him), who requested to see Allah; and the people of Isa (peace be upon him), who asked for the heavenly table spread.
"A people before you asked such questions"—this refers to questions of a similar nature. The similarity lies in the fact that these questions were made without necessity and became a cause of grief and burden.
[103] The connection here is that earlier it was mentioned not to ask such questions that might lead to the prohibition of certain things. Now, an independent prohibition against false prohibitions is presented, indicating that unnecessary debates should be avoided. Instead, reject the polytheistic customs, because this is essential speech. So, in this verse, there is a refutation of making prohibitions in the name of anyone other than Allah.
"Allah has not made..."—here, "made" refers to establishing a ruling or law (i.e., He did not legislate, command, or declare).
"(Of a Bahīrah...)" Qurtubi narrated from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib that Bahīrah was a female animal (camel, cow, or goat) whose milk was dedicated to false gods—no one was allowed to milk it for personal use, and its ear was slit as a mark.
"Nor a Sā’ibah"—Qurtubi, Al-Khazin, and others mentioned that in pre-Islamic ignorance, when someone was sick or had a missing relative, they would vow a she-camel in the name of Allah and then set it free—prohibiting any burden or riding on it. People considered it harmful to prevent the animal from grazing or drinking water.
"Nor a Waṣīlah"—Al-Khazin said it referred to a female goat that gave birth seven times. If the seventh offspring was male, they would slaughter it and allow both men and women to eat from it. If it was female, they would leave it among the flock, and if both genders were born together, they would say "She has joined her brother" and slaughter both.
"Nor a Hām"—Qurtubi said it was a male camel that had sired ten camels. They would then tie peacock feathers on its back, prohibit riding or burdening it, and let it roam free, not forbidding it from water or pasture. Imam Bukhari added that it too was dedicated to false gods.
"But those who disbelieve fabricate lies against Allah"—this is the answer to the imagined question: if Allah did not decree such rulings, then why did people practice them? The answer: they lied about Allah, claiming that Allah commanded them to do so, and that this was part of the religion of Ibrahim.
Note: There is a difference of opinion regarding the legal ruling (ḥukm sharʿī) on Baḥīrah, Sā’ibah, Waṣīlah, and Ḥām. Most scholars have said that these animals are, by Islamic law, permissible, and the people's self-imposed prohibitions do not make them unlawful, just like other prohibitions made in the name of anyone besides Allah.
However, some have said that all of them are prohibited. This group interprets "mā jaʿala" (Allah has not made) as meaning "mā aḥalla" (Allah has not permitted), implying that these animals were in fact unlawful.