'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'idah

This surah is Madani by consensus. It has been narrated that it was revealed when the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - was returning from Al-Hudaybiyah. Al-Naqqash mentioned from Abu Salamah that he said: "When the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - returned from Al-Hudaybiyah, he said: 'O Ali, I have been informed that Surah Al-Ma'idah has been revealed to me; and what a great benefit it is.'"

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this, in my opinion, does not resemble the words of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him.

And from this surah, some was revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage; and some was revealed in the Year of the Conquest; and it is His saying, the Exalted: "And let not the hatred of a people prevent you from being just..."; and all that was revealed from the Qur'an after the Hijrah of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - is Madani, whether it was revealed in Medina, or during a journey, or in Mecca. And what is labeled as Makki is what was revealed before the Hijrah. It has been narrated that the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - said: "Surah Al-Ma'idah is called in the Kingdom of Allah 'the saving one'; it saves its companion from the hands of the angels of punishment."

His saying, the Exalted:

"O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts. Lawful for you are the animals of grazing livestock, except what is recited to you, [as] not lawful are game animals while you are in the state of ihram. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah judges what He intends."

"O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allah or the sacred month or the sacrificial animals or the garlands or those entering the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and His pleasure."

Alqamah said: Everything in the Qur'an that begins with "O you who have believed" is Madani; and the saying has preceded regarding this. It is said: "and fulfill"; and "fulfill"; with one meaning. And Allah, the Exalted, commanded the believers in general to fulfill contracts; and these are the ties in speech. This was in a covenant for good, or in a marriage contract, or in a sale, or otherwise. And the term "the believers" encompasses the believers of the People of the Book, as there is a covenant between them and Allah regarding the fulfillment of trust in what is in their Book concerning Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him. And the term "contracts" encompasses the contracts of ignorance based on good, such as the prevention of oppression, and the like. However, in their other contracts based on oppression and raids, Islam has destroyed them. Thus, the meaning of the verse is the command to all believers to fulfill a contract that is in accordance with the Shari'ah. And people have interpreted the term "contracts" as "covenants"; and some of them mentioned some contracts as examples. Among that is the saying of Qatadah: "Fulfill the contracts"; its meaning is: the covenant of ignorance. It has been narrated to us from the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - that he said: "Fulfill the contract of ignorance; and do not initiate a contract in Islam."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The understanding of this hadith is that the contracts of the days of ignorance were specific to the two contracting parties; as the majority were upon injustice and misguidance; and Islam has connected everyone together; and made the believers brothers; so whoever intends to specify it for the two contracting parties, the Sharia has connected them to others among the Muslims; except if the agreement is to address a calamity from the calamities of injustices; then it is required in Islam to have an agreement to address that; and to fulfill that covenant; or it is a specific covenant for what may happen; the contracting parties specialize in considering it; and the benefit; as it was in the days of ignorance; so that does not exist in Islam.

(p-82) Al-Tabari said: It was mentioned that Furāt ibn Hayyān al-Ijlī asked the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - about the alliance of the days of ignorance; he said: "Perhaps you are asking about the alliance of Lakhm and Taym Allah?" He said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah; he said: "Islam does not increase it except in severity." And Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - said: ﴿Fulfill the contracts﴾; its meaning is: "By what Allah has permitted; and by what He has prohibited; and by what He has made obligatory; and by what He has limited in all matters"; this was said by Mujahid and others.

And Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazī; and Ibn Zayd; and others said: The contracts in the verse are everything that a person binds himself to from a sale; or marriage; or otherwise.

And Ibn Zayd; and Abdullah ibn Ubaidah said: The contracts are five: the contract of faith; the contract of marriage; the contract of covenant; the contract of sale; and the contract of alliance.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "And it may be limited to less than five"; and Ibn Jurayj said: His saying, the Exalted: ﴿Fulfill the contracts﴾; he said: They are the contracts that Allah took from the People of the Book to act upon what came to them; and Ibn Shihab said: "I read the letter of the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - that he wrote to Amr ibn Hazm; when he sent him to Najran; and in its introduction: 'This is a declaration from Allah and His Messenger: ﴿O you who have believed, fulfill the contracts﴾'; so he wrote the verses from it to His saying: ﴿Indeed, Allah is swift in account﴾ [Al-Ma'idah: 4].

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "And the most correct thing to say in the interpretation of this verse is that its words are to be generalized to the utmost extent; so the term 'believers' is to be generalized altogether in the manifesting of faith - if he does not conceal it -; and in the believers in reality; and the term 'contracts' is to be generalized; in every binding by a word that agrees with the truth; and the Sharia."

And from the term contract is the saying of al-Hutay'ah:

A people, when they make a contract for their neighbor ∗∗∗ they tighten the halters and tighten above it the ropes.

(p-83) And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿The grazing livestock has been made lawful for you﴾; is an address to everyone who has committed to faith in its proper form and completeness; and the Arabs had customs regarding livestock; from the sâ'ibah; and the bahrīrah; and the hām; and others; so this verse was revealed abrogating all of that.

And there is a difference in the meaning of 'the grazing livestock'; as al-Suddi; and al-Rabī'; and Qatādah; and al-Dahhāk said: It is all the livestock.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It is as if he said: "The animals have been made lawful for you"; he added the general category to something more specific than it. Al-Hasan said: "The beasts of the animals": camels; cattle; and sheep. It has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar that he said: "The beasts of the animals": the fetuses that come out at the time of slaughter for the mothers; they are eaten without slaughtering; and Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - said: These fetuses are from the beasts of the animals; Al-Tabari said: And some people said: The "beasts of the animals" refers to their wild ones; like the deer; and wild cattle; and donkeys; and others; and this was mentioned by others than Al-Tabari from Al-Dahhak.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this is a good saying; and that is because the animals are the eight pairs; and whatever is added to them from other animals is called "animals"; in total with them; and the predatory animals - like lions; and all those with fangs - have exited from the limit of the animals; so they have a different consideration; thus the beasts of the animals are the grazing ones from the four-legged; and this - as it has been said - is the addition of something to itself; like "the house of the Hereafter"; and "the mosque of the congregation"; and what it is for me is only the addition of something to its kind; and the Quran has explicitly stated their permissibility; and the verse agrees with the saying of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -: "Every animal with fangs from the predatory animals is forbidden"; and this position is supported by two exceptions afterwards; as one of them was an exception in which certain individuals were excluded who have certain attributes; and those attributes often occur in the grazing animals; and the second was an exception in which a condition was excluded for the addressees; which is the state of ihram; and the sacred months; and hunting can only be from outside the eight pairs; thus the two exceptions were arranged in the grazing ones from the four-legged.

And the beast - in the speech of the Arabs - is what is ambiguous; in terms of lack of speech and understanding; and from it: "an ambiguous door"; and "an ambiguous wall"; and "a dark night"; and "ambiguous"; for the brave one who is not known from where he is approached.

And His saying - the Most High: "Except what is recited to you"; is an exception from what has been recited in His saying - the Most High: "Forbidden to you are dead animals, blood, and the flesh of swine" [Al-Ma'idah: 3]; the verse; and "what"; is in the position of accusative as is the original of the exception; and some of the Kufans permitted that it be in the position of nominative; as a substitute; and that "except" be a conjunction; and this is not permissible according to the Basrians except from an indefinite noun; or what is similar to it from the names of kinds; like your saying: "The men came except Zayd"; as if you said: "Other than Zayd"; in the nominative.

"Other than those who make lawful hunting"; "other than" is in the accusative as an adverbial phrase from the kaf and mim in His saying: "It has been made lawful for you"; and Ibn Abi Abla read "other" in the nominative; and its meaning is the description for the pronoun in: "is recited"; because "other than those who make lawful hunting" is in meaning like: "not making lawful if it is hunting"; or it can be interpreted as a description for "beasts"; taking into account the meaning of the speech; as I have mentioned.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The people have mixed up in this matter regarding the establishment of 'ghayra'; and they have estimated in it advancements and delays; and all of that is not acceptable; because the speech, in its continuity, is firmly established exception after exception.

And 'hurum' is the plural of 'haram'; and it is the one who is in a state of ihram; and from it is the saying of the poet:

So I said to her, 'My refuge is towards you, for I am truly haram, and after that, I am wise.'

This means: 'one who is in a state of ihram'; and Al-Hasan, and Ibrahim, and Yahya ibn Waththab read: 'hurm' with the ra' being silent; Abu Al-Hasan said: This is a Tamimi dialect; they say in 'rusul': 'rusl'; and in 'kutub': 'kutb'; and similar to that.

And His saying: ﴿Indeed, Allah judges what He wills﴾; is a reinforcement of these legal rulings that contradict the customary rulings of the Arabs; meaning: So you, O listener, to the abrogation of those covenants that were established, be alert; for Allah, who is the owner of all, judges what He wills; there is no one to reverse His judgment.

And this verse is among those whose eloquence and abundance of meanings are apparent, despite the fewness of its words; for everyone with insight in speech; and for whoever has even the slightest insight; for it contains five rulings: the command to fulfill contracts; the permissibility of the livestock; the exception of what has been recited after; the exception of the state of ihram in what is hunted; and what the meaning of the verse entails regarding the permissibility of hunting for one who is not in a state of ihram.

And Al-Naqqash narrated that the people of Al-Kindi said to the Kindi: O wise one; create for us something like this Qur'an; and he said: Yes... I can create something like part of it; so he secluded himself for many days; then he came out and said: By Allah, I cannot do it; and no one can bear this; for I opened the mushaf; and Surah 'Al-Ma'idah' came out; and I looked, and it commanded to fulfill; and prohibited breaking; and permitted a general permissibility; then it made exceptions after exceptions; then it informed about His power and wisdom; in two lines; and no one can come with this except in skins.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allah﴾; is an address to the true believers not to transgress the limits of Allah in any matter.

And "the rituals": the plural of "ritual"; that is: "Allah has made it known that it is His limit; and His obedience"; so it means "the signs of Allah". The statements of the interpreters differ regarding the intended meaning of the rituals; because of which this generality regarding the rituals was revealed. Al-Suddi said: "The rituals of Allah": "the sacred places of Allah"; and Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with him - said: "The rituals of Allah": "the rites of Hajj"; and the polytheists used to perform Hajj; and Umrah; and offer sacrifices; and exalt the rituals of Hajj. The Muslims wanted to change this; so Allah, the Exalted, said: ﴿Do not make lawful the rituals of Allah﴾. Ibn Abbas also said: "The rituals of Allah": what has been made unlawful in the state of Ihram; and Ata ibn Abi Rabah said: "The rituals of Allah": "everything that He commanded or prohibited"; and this is the preferred opinion that has been mentioned. Ibn al-Kalbi said: Most of the Arabs did not consider Safa and Marwah to be among the rituals; and Quraysh did not stand at Arafat; so they were prohibited by this verse.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And do not violate the sacred month﴾; is a singular noun that indicates the category of all the sacred months; which are as the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - said: "Dhu al-Qi'dah; Dhu al-Hijjah; Muharram; and Rajab of Mudar; which is between Jumada and Sha'ban". It was added to Mudar because they were known for its prohibition; and they would remove weapons in it; and take the spearheads from the lances; and it is called "the month of the spearheads"; and it is called "the deaf"; because no sound of weapons would be heard in it; and the Arabs were unanimous on "Dhu al-Qi'dah; Dhu al-Hijjah; and Muharram"; and the sanctity would last for them; and they would refrain from raids for three months; and for this reason, they adopted the practice of Nasi', which is to make lawful for them what was prohibited by the speaker "Nu'aym ibn Thalabah"; and others were prohibited; and to make its substitute Safar unlawful; so Allah prohibited this by this verse; and by His saying: ﴿Indeed, the practice of Nasi' is an increase in disbelief﴾ [At-Tawbah: 37]. And the month of Muharram was made the first month of the year; as the Hajj and the season are the end of the year; and its fruit; thus it is completed; then another year begins; and for this reason - and Allah knows best - Umar ibn al-Khattab recorded the registers. So the meaning of His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And do not violate the sacred month﴾; is: do not make it lawful by fighting; or raiding; or changing; for changing it is to make lawful its sanctity.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The most apparent to me is that the sacred month intended here is Rajab; to emphasize its matter; because it was specifically associated with Quraysh; then it spread among Mudar. And what indicates this is the saying of Awf ibn al-Ahwas:

And the month of Banu Umayyah and the offerings ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ when Mudar's blood held back.

Abu Ubaidah said: He meant Rajab; because it was a month that the elders of Quraysh honored; so he attributed it to the Banu Umayyah; this was mentioned by Al-Akhfash in "Al-Mufaddaliyat"; and Al-Tabari said: The intended meaning in this verse is Rajab of Mudar.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "The reason for this specification is - as I have mentioned - that Allah, the Exalted, has made the matter of this month strict; as the Arabs were not united upon it." And Ikrimah said: The intended meaning in this verse is Dhul-Qi'dah; as it was the first of it; and our saying in it: "first": is approximation and figurative; for the months are circular; thus the first is only determined according to a specific event or circumstance related to a people.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And neither the sacrificial animals nor the garlands﴾; as for the sacrificial animals, there is no disagreement that it refers to what is offered from livestock to the House of Allah; and it is intended for closeness; so Allah commanded that it should not be made lawful; and it should be protected.

The people differed regarding the garlands; and Al-Tabari narrated from Ibn Abbas that the garlands are the sacrificial animals that are garlanded; and that the sacrificial animal is only called a sacrifice as long as it is not garlanded; as if he said: "And neither the sacrifice that has not been garlanded; and the garlanded one of it."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And what Al-Tabari said is an exaggeration against the words of Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them -; and it is not necessary from the words of Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - that the sacrifice is only referred to as what has not been garlanded; but it rather implies that Allah prohibited the making lawful of the sacrifice in general; then mentioned the garlanded one of it for emphasis; and to stress the prohibition regarding the garlanding; and the majority of the people said: The sacrifice is general in the types of what is offered for closeness; and the garlands are what the people would garland as a sign of safety for them; Qatadah said: A man in the pre-Islamic era when he set out intending to perform Hajj would wear a necklace made of samur; so no one would harm him; as that was a sign of his Ihram and Hajj; and 'Ata and others said: Rather, the people when they would leave the sanctuary for their needs would garland from the trees of the sanctuary; and from its shrubs; so this indicates that they are from the people of the sanctuary; or from its pilgrims; thus they would be safe by that; so Allah, the Exalted, prohibited the making lawful of anyone who has taken something from these meanings; and Mujahid and 'Ata said: Rather, the verse is a prohibition for the believers from making lawful the taking of the garlands from the trees of the sanctuary; as the people of the pre-Islamic era used to do; and this was said by Al-Rabi' ibn Anas; from Mutarrif ibn Al-Shakhir; and others.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And neither those intending the Sacred House﴾; its meaning is: "And do not make them lawful; so that you change upon them"; and Allah, the Exalted, prohibited the believers in this verse from approaching the disbelievers who intend the Sacred House for the purpose of worship and closeness.

And all that is in this verse; from prohibition against a polytheist; or consideration of a sanctity for him with a garland; or the Sacred House; and the like; all of it is abrogated by the verse of the sword; in His saying, the Exalted: ﴿So kill the polytheists wherever you find them﴾ [At-Tawbah: 5].

It was narrated that "this verse was revealed because of al-Hutam ibn Hind al-Bakri, the brother of Banu Dubay'ah ibn Thalabah. This is because the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - said one day to his companions: 'Today a man from Rabi'ah will enter upon you, speaking with the tongue of a devil.' Then al-Hutam came; he left his cavalry outside the city and entered upon the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him -; when the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - presented Islam to him and called him to Allah, he said: 'Let me see; perhaps I will embrace Islam; I see some harshness in your matter; and I have someone to consult.' So he left; and the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - said: 'He entered with a disbeliever's face and left with a treacherous back.' Then he passed by a herd from the herds of the city; he drove it away and took off with it while saying:

'Night has wrapped it with a driver, Hutam, It is not a shepherd of camels or sheep. Nor a butcher on the back of a butcher's knife, They slept while the son of Hind did not sleep. A boy like a dart spent the night with it, With legs that are slender and a foot that is swift.'

Then al-Hutam came the following year as a pilgrim; he brought a sacrificial animal. The Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - wanted to send to him; and some people from the companions of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - hurried to him; then this verse was revealed."

Ibn Jurayj said: "This verse is a prohibition against cutting off the paths of the pilgrims; and the verse was revealed because of al-Hutam; he mentioned something similar. Ibn Zayd said: 'The verse was revealed in the year of the conquest while the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - was in Mecca; some people from the polytheists came to perform Hajj and Umrah; the Muslims said: 'O Messenger of Allah; these are polytheists; we will not let them unless we attack them.' Then the Quran was revealed: 'And those who intend to go to the Sacred House.'"

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "Everything in this verse that can be imagined in a Muslim pilgrim is definitive; and everything in it regarding disbelievers is abrogated." Ibn Mas'ud and his companions read: 'And not intending the House' with the addition to the House. And His saying, the Exalted: 'Seeking bounty from their Lord and His pleasure'; the majority of the commentators said: 'Its meaning is: seeking bounty in profits in trade; and seeking - along with that - His pleasure in their assumption and desire.' Some said: 'The bounty and pleasure in the verse are in one meaning; which is the pleasure of Allah and His bounty, with mercy and reward.' Among the Arabs were those who believed in reward after death; and most of them only hoped for reward and pleasure in this world, and in gain and abundance of children; and they sought to draw closer hoping for increase in these meanings. Al-Amash read: 'And His pleasure' with a damm on the ra.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this verse is an introduction from Allah, the Most High, to the Arabs; and a kindness towards them; so that souls may expand; and people may intermingle; and they may come to the pilgrimage; so that they hear the Qur'an; and faith may enter their hearts; and the proof may be established among them as it was before; and this verse was revealed in the year of the conquest; and Allah, the Most High, abrogated all of that after a year; in the year nine; when Abu Bakr performed the pilgrimage; and the people were called with the chapter of 'At-Tawbah'.