The people of ignorance used to, when a she-camel gave birth to five offspring, the last of which was a male, pierce its ear, meaning they would cut it and prohibit riding it. It would not be driven away from water or pasture. If a person encountered it, he would not ride it, and its name was al-bahira.

A man would say: When I return from my journey or recover from my illness, my she-camel is free, and he would make it like al-bahira in prohibiting benefit from it. It was said that when a man freed a slave, he would say: He is free, so there is no blood money between them nor inheritance. If a ewe gave birth to a female, it is for them, and if it gave birth to a male, it is for their idols. If it gave birth to both a male and a female, they would say: It has connected with its brother, so they would not sacrifice the male for their idols. When a stallion produced ten offspring, they would say his back is protected, so he would not be ridden, nor would anything be carried on him, nor would he be prevented from water or pasture.

The meaning of what He has made is that He did not legislate that nor command the piercing and freeing and other such things. However, by prohibiting what they prohibited, they are fabricating lies against Allah, and most of them do not understand. They do not attribute the prohibition to Allah until they fabricate, but they imitate their elders in prohibiting it.