Surah 22. Al-Hajj, Ayah 33

I.e., "until the end of your lives" (Baydawi).

The noun mahill, derived from the verb halla (lit., "he untied" or "undid" [e.g., a knot]", or "he loosened [a load]", or "he alighted"), denotes primarily a "destination", as well as "the time or place at which an obligation [e.g., a debt] falls due" (Taj al-'Arus ). In the above context, in which this term obviously relates to the "God-consciousness" (taqwa) unequivocally mentioned in the preceding verse, it has the tropical meaning of "goal and end", implying that the realization of God's oneness and uniqueness - symbolized by the Ka'bah (the "Most Ancient Temple") - is the goal and end of all true God-consciousness.

 Milking or riding them until the time for sacrifice.

In them: in cattle, or animals offered for sacrifice. It is quite true that they are useful in many ways to man, e.g., camels in desert countries are useful as mounts or for carrying burdens, or for giving milk, and so for horses and oxen: and camels and oxen are also good for meat, and camel's hair can be woven into cloth; goats and sheep also yield milk and meat, and hair or wool. But if they are used for sacrifice, they become symbols by which men show that they are willing to give up some of their own benefits for the sake of satisfying the needs of their poorer brethren.

Ila=towards, near. The actual sacrifice is not performed in the Ka'ba, but at Mina, five or six miles off, where the Pilgrims encamp: see n. 217 to ii 197. Thumma = then, finally, in the end; i.e., after all the rites have been performed, Tawaf, Safa and Marwa, and 'Arafat.