(p-1) Surah "Al-Ma'idah"

And it is called the Surah of "Al-'Uqud"; and the Surah of "Al-Ahbar."

Its aim is the fulfillment of what the Book has guided to; and it indicates the covenant of reason regarding the oneness of the Creator; and the mercy towards the created beings; gratitude for His blessings; and repelling His wrath; and the story of Al-Ma'idah is the clearest evidence of that; for its content is that whoever deviates from (p-2) tranquility after the clear revelation; and the complete grace; will be confronted with reckoning; and punishment will seize him; and its naming as "Al-'Uqud"; is the clearest proof of what I have mentioned regarding its aim; and likewise "Al-Ahbar."

"In the name of Allah"; meaning: the One whose words have been completed and His promises have been fulfilled; and His honors have encompassed; "the Most Gracious"; the One who has called to the fulfillment of rights; both His rights and the rights of His creatures; "the Most Merciful"; the One who looked at the hearts and affirmed from them the truthfulness that He has created them to embody His attributes.

Regarding what He (the Most High) informed at the end of Surah "An-Nisa" that the Jews, when they broke the covenants that were taken from them, He prohibited for them good things that had been made lawful for them from many of the livestock; referred to in His saying: ﴿And upon those who are Jews, We prohibited every animal with claws﴾ [Al-An'am: 146]; and He (the Most High) continued to unveil their veils and to clarify their faults until He concluded with an ayah about inheritance; which He began with the command of bequeathing; and concluded it by stating that He is All-Encompassing in knowledge; the beginning of this corresponds with the matter of the believers; for whom He warned them strongly against them; with the fulfillment that is mostly based in the heart; which is a defect; He said - indicating that the people who were addressed first of that are those who qualified for the first stages of faith; and they were described with what they are in need of; and their specification indicates that those above them from the stages have with them such firmness that suffices them from the burden of the matter; and that is a motivation for them to reflect and to comply -: (p-3) ﴿O you who have believed﴾; meaning: they claimed that with their tongues; ﴿Fulfill﴾; meaning: affirm that by fulfilling; ﴿the contracts﴾; meaning: the binding covenants; the confirmed ones; and it encompasses all of its rulings - glorified is He -; in what He has made lawful; or prohibited; or recommended as obligatory; or otherwise; which among them are the obligatory acts that He began with the term of bequeathing; which is among the greatest of covenants; and it encompasses all that is between people from that; even what was in the pre-Islamic period from a contract that calls for righteousness; as for other than that, it is not a contract; rather it is dissolved by the strong legislation; a reminder of what His saying (the Most High) indicated - regarding those -: ﴿Remember My favor upon you﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 40] ﴿And fulfill My covenant; I will fulfill your covenant, and fear Me﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 40]; and informing them that He has made lawful for them what He prohibited for those; He said - as a means of justification; indicating that the intended purpose of the favor is its existence without the condition of a specific doer; and that the addressed ones know that there is no bestower other than Him - glorified is He -: ﴿It has been made lawful for you﴾; and the making lawful is among the greatest of covenants; ﴿Livestock﴾; and He clarified it with His saying: ﴿the animals﴾; meaning: fulfill because He has made lawful for you with His all-encompassing knowledge; and complete power; kindness towards you; and mercy for you; what He prohibited for those before you; from camels; and cattle; and sheep; with the making lawful of eating them; and benefiting from their skins; and their wool; and their hair; and other than that from their affairs; so beware not to break as they broke; so that He prohibits for you what He prohibited for them; and prepares for you from punishment what He prepared for them; and do not oppose your Prophet; nor be obstinate; as they opposed and were obstinate; for indeed your Lord (p-4) is not asked about what He does; and it will come in His saying: ﴿Do not ask about things﴾ [Al-Ma'idah: 101]; what supports this.

And when they sometimes understood from this permissibility what they were accustomed to from dead animals and similar things; he said - excluding the essence of the beast; which is originally every living being that does not distinguish; informing that among the greatest of contracts is what was made forbidden from that in 'Al-Baqarah': ﴿Except what is recited to you﴾ meaning: in the beasts of cattle that it is forbidden; for it has not been made lawful for you; and he established ﴿Not permitting the hunting﴾; as a condition, the clearest evidence that this context; even if its explicitness reminds of the blessing to be thanked for - it indicates a threat if it is denied; meaning: He has made that lawful for you in this case; if you abandon it, the permissibility is negated; and this points to the denial of those who prohibited from that which was referred to by His saying (glorified and exalted is He) - in the one before it; recounting from the devil -: ﴿And I will surely order them to cut off the ears of the animals, and I will surely order them to change the creation of Allah﴾ [An-Nisa: 119]; from the siba and what is with it; of what they had taken as a religion; and they detailed it in details - as will be stated explicitly at the end of this surah; by His saying (glorified and exalted is He): ﴿Allah has not made any bahirah or sa'ibah﴾ [Al-Ma'idah: 103]; the verse; and likewise at the end of 'Al-An'am' -; and in the command to fulfill contracts; after informing that He is All-Knowing of everything; the utmost warning against deliberately neglecting anything from that; even if it is slight; and in the beginning of this - called 'Al-Ma'idah' by mentioning foods after the surah of 'An-Nisa' - which among its greatest objectives is marriage; and inheritance; (p-5) which includes death; the occasions permitted therein are the most appropriate; and Ibn Al-Zubayr said: When He (glorified and exalted is He) clarified the state of the people of the straight path; and who deviated from their way; and the outcome of the two groups; of those who have incurred wrath upon them; and the misguided; and clarified to His pious servants what is in it of their guidance; and by it their salvation; taking and leaving; and made the eight arrows mentioned in the hadith of Hudhayfah - may Allah be pleased with him - in his saying: "Islam consists of eight arrows: Islam is an arrow; and the testimony is an arrow; and prayer is an arrow; and zakah is an arrow; and fasting is an arrow; and Hajj is an arrow; and enjoining good is an arrow; and forbidding what is wrong is an arrow; and he has failed who has no arrow." I said: And this hadith was narrated by Al-Bazzar from Hudhayfah - may Allah be pleased with him - from the Prophet ﷺ who said: "Islam consists of eight arrows: Islam is an arrow; and prayer is an arrow;" and he mentioned it; and Al-Daraqutni authenticated its stopping; and it was narrated by Abu Ya'la Al-Mawsili from Ali - may Allah be pleased with him - as a raised narration; and Al-Tabarani in Al-Awsat; from Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Islam consists of ten arrows; and he has failed who has no arrow: The testimony that there is no god but Allah is an arrow; and it is the religion; the second: prayer; and it is the fitrah; the third: zakah; and it is purification; the fourth: fasting; and it is a shield; the fifth: Hajj; and it is the law; the sixth: jihad; and it is the expedition; the seventh: enjoining good; (p-6) and it is fulfillment; the eighth: forbidding what is wrong; and it is the proof; the ninth: the community; and it is unity; and the tenth: obedience; and it is protection."

And in its chain is one whose condition is to be considered; Ibn al-Zubayr said: And he ﷺ said: "Islam is built upon five things;" that is in the hadith narrated by the two Shaykhs and others from Ibn Umar and others among the Companions - may Allah be pleased with them - that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Islam is built upon five: the testimony that there is no deity but Allah; and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; establishing prayer; giving zakat; pilgrimage; and fasting in Ramadan." Ibn al-Zubayr said: And it has been established - that is, the eight shares; and the five pillars - in what has passed; and it has been established from what has preceded that the worst condition of the opponents is the condition of one whom Allah has angered; and cursed him; and that is due to their transgressions; and their enmity; and their breaking of covenants; ﴿So for their breaking of their covenant We cursed them﴾ [Al-Ma'idah: 13]; and the breaking is every opposition; Allah (Exalted and Glorified is He) said to His believing servants: ﴿O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts﴾; because the Jews and Christians were afflicted by their lack of fulfillment; and breaking of covenants; so He warned the believers; it has ended.

And what is meant by the livestock is the eight pairs mentioned in "Al-An'am"; and what is similar to them from the animals of the land; and because hunting is intended to enter into the livestock; some of its conditions were excluded; He said: ﴿And you are in a state of ihram﴾; that is: the livestock is made lawful absolutely; except for what is recited to you (p-7) from its carrion and others; in a state other than entering into ihram for hajj; or umrah; or entering the sanctuary; and as for in the state of ihram, hunting is not lawful to eat; nor to act upon.

And since the focus of this Sunnah is on prohibition; and refraining from things that their souls strongly desire; and their attention to them; and their desires have grown in them; from carrion and what is with it; and the arrows; and slaughtering on the idols; and holding a person accountable for the crime of another; and corruption in the land; and theft; and wine; and the sa'ibah; and the bahirah; and other than that; it reminded at the beginning of the covenants they made upon themselves on the night of Al-Aqabah when they pledged to Islam; from listening; and obedience in ease; and hardship; and in difficulty; and ease; in what they loved and hated; and He concluded the verse with His saying - explaining -: ﴿Indeed, Allah﴾ that is: the King of kings; ﴿judges what He wills﴾; that is: of permissibility; and prohibition; and others; in general; like the livestock; and in one state over another; as it is similar to hunting; so there is no question about specification; nor about preference; nor anything else; so what you understood of its wisdom is that; and what you do not, refer it to Him; and desire that He inspires you with its wisdom; the Imam said - and this is what our companions say -: that the reason for the goodness of the obligation is lordship and servitude; not what the Mu'tazilah say about the consideration of interests.