His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "There is no blame upon those who have believed and done righteous deeds for what they have eaten, if they have feared Allah and believed and done righteous deeds, and then feared Allah and believed, and then feared Allah and did good; and Allah loves the doers of good." "O you who have believed, Allah will surely test you with something of the game that your hands and your spears can reach, so that Allah may make evident who fears Him unseen. And whoever transgresses after that - for him is a painful punishment."

The reason for this verse, as mentioned by Ibn Abbas, Al-Bara' ibn Azib, and Anas ibn Malik, is that when the prohibition of wine was revealed, a group of the Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, what about those among us who died while drinking it?" (p-250) "And eating from gambling?" And similar words were said; then this verse was revealed.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This is similar to their question about those who died facing the first qiblah; and it was revealed: "And Allah would not make your faith to be in vain" [Al-Baqarah: 143]. When the matter of the qiblah was serious and a sign of the religion, some people imagined a deficiency for those who missed it. Likewise, when the prohibition of wine and gambling occurred in this great condemnation, some people were concerned and imagined a deficiency for those who died in these condemnations. So, Allah, blessed and exalted, informed His servants that blame and guilt only attach due to sins; and those who died before the prohibition did not commit a sin by engaging in something forbidden afterward; rather, these things were disliked, but not explicitly prohibited; and the Sharia is what condemned them and made avoidance of them commendable. Guilt is sin and hardship; it is the judgment that characterizes the doer of the sin and the consequence that results for the sinner.

And "they have eaten" means: they have tasted; and it rises in the ranks of eating and drinking; and it may be used metaphorically for sleeping and other things; and its reality is in the sense of taste.

The repetition in His saying: "fear Allah" necessitates that each one adds to that which preceded it; and in that is an emphasis on these attributes for them. Some of the interpreters went to specify what is meant by this repetition; so some said: The first rank is the avoidance of polytheism and major sins; and the completeness of faith; and righteous deeds; and the second rank is the steadfastness and continuity on the mentioned state; and the third rank is the reaching in piety to the observance of what is not obligatory from the supererogatory acts in prayer, charity, and other than that; and this is excellence.

And some said: The first rank is for the past time; the second is for the present; and the third is for the future.

And some said: The first avoidance is in polytheism and adherence to the Sharia; the second in major sins; and the third in minor sins.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this verse is not limited to one who has performed all good deeds and has observed all piety; rather, it is for every believer, even if he sometimes sins, as long as he has performed some of these praiseworthy qualities that merit him being described as a believing doer of good deeds, pious in most of his affairs, and virtuous. There is no blame upon this type regarding what he consumes from what is not prohibited for him.

Qudamah ibn Maz'oon al-Jumahi, from the Companions - may Allah be pleased with him - interpreted this verse. He was one of those who migrated to the land of Abyssinia with his brothers, 'Uthman and Abdullah. Then he migrated to Medina and witnessed Badr. He lived a long life and was the father-in-law of Umar ibn al-Khattab. He was the maternal uncle of Abdullah and Hafsah. Umar ibn al-Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him - appointed him over the two seas. Then he removed him because Al-Jarud, the chief of Abd al-Qays, came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and testified against him for drinking wine. Umar said to him: Who testifies with you? He said: Abu Hurairah. So Abu Hurairah came, and Umar - may Allah be pleased with him - said to him: What do you testify? He said: I did not see him drinking, but I saw him drunk and vomiting. Umar said to him: You have been overly strict in your testimony. Then Umar wrote to Qudamah to come to him, and he came. Al-Jarud said to Umar: Uphold the Book of Allah regarding this. Umar - may Allah be pleased with him - said to him: Are you a disputant or a witness? He said: Rather, I am a witness. Umar said: You have given your testimony. Al-Jarud fell silent. Then he went to Umar and said: Uphold the Book of Allah regarding Qudamah. Umar said to him: I see you as nothing but a disputant, and no one has testified with you except one man. Al-Jarud said: I beseech you by Allah. Umar said: You will either hold your tongue or I will punish you. Al-Jarud said: This is not true, by Allah, O Umar, that your cousin drinks wine and you punish me. Abu Hurairah - may Allah be pleased with him - said: If you doubt our testimony, then send for the daughter of Al-Walid and ask her; she is the wife of Qudamah. So Umar sent for Hind bint Al-Walid, asking her by Allah, and she upheld the testimony against her husband. Umar said to Qudamah: I challenge you. He said: If I had drunk as they say, you would not have been able to challenge me. Umar said: Why? He said: Because Allah, the Exalted, says: "There is no blame upon those who have believed and done righteous deeds for what they have consumed." Then Umar - may Allah be pleased with him - said to him: You have misinterpreted the meaning. If you fear Allah, you will avoid what He has forbidden you. Then Umar punished him, and he was ill. A group of the Companions said to him: We do not see that you should punish him while he is ill. One day he resolved to punish him and said to his companions: What do you see regarding punishing Qudamah? They said: We do not see that as long as he is in pain. Umar said: I prefer that he meets Allah while under the lashes than to meet Him while it is on my neck. He ordered for Qudamah to be punished, and Qudamah became angry with Umar and abandoned him until Umar performed Hajj. Qudamah performed Hajj with him, angry with him. When Umar was at the water station, he slept, then woke up and said: Hurry and bring Qudamah to me, for a visitor came to me in my sleep and said: Make peace with Qudamah, for he is your brother. So he sent for Qudamah, but he refused to come. Umar said: Drag him if he refuses. When he came, Umar spoke to him and sought forgiveness for him, and they reconciled. Ayoub ibn Abi Tamimah said: No one from the people of Badr was punished for drinking wine except him.

And His saying, the Most High: "O you who have believed, Allah will surely test you with something of the game"; meaning: He will test you; to see your obedience from your disobedience; and your patience from your inability regarding the game. The game was one of the means of livelihood for the Arabs of old; and it was common among all of them; very much utilized. So Allah tested them with it; during the state of ihram; or the sacred sanctuary; just as He tested the Children of Israel by prohibiting them from transgressing on the Sabbath.

And "of"; it is possible that it indicates part of it; the meaning being: of the game of the land; excluding that of the sea; this was the view of Al-Tabari and others. It is also possible that the partitive is in the case of prohibition; as the state of ihram may cease and one may leave the sanctuary; thus the game in some of these conditions is part of the game in general. It may be that it is for indicating the type; as Al-Zajjaj said: this is like saying: "I will surely test you with something of provision"; and as He, the Most High, said: "So avoid the uncleanliness of idols" [Al-Hajj: 30].

And His saying: "with something"; implies a partitive meaning. Many of the jurists have said that the "with" in His saying, the Most High: "and wipe over your heads" [Al-Ma'idah: 6]; indicates a partitive meaning.

Ibn Wathab and Al-Nakha'i read: "it will be attained"; with a dot under the "ya". Mujahid said: the hands attain the chicks; and the eggs; and what cannot escape; and the spears attain the large game.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It is apparent that Allah, the Most High, specified the hands in mention because they are the greatest means in hunting; they are the tools of tools; and they include the birds of prey; and the snares; and what is made by hand from traps and nets; and the spears were specified in mention because they are the greatest means by which the game is injured; and in them enters the arrow and its like. Some people argued that the game belongs to the taker; not to the one who stirs it; by this verse; because the stirrer did not attain anything with his hand or spear.

And His saying, the Most High: "that He may know"; its meaning is: that His knowledge may continue upon it; and it is already present; for He, the Most High, knew that in eternity.

Al-Zuhri read: "that Allah may inform"; with the "ya" pronounced and the "lam" broken; meaning: to inform His servants.

And "in the unseen"; Al-Tabari said: its meaning is: in this world; where the servant does not see his Lord; so He is unseen from him; and it is apparent that the meaning is: in the unseen from the people; meaning: in privacy; so whoever fears Allah refrains from hunting of his own accord; and it would be hidden from him if he hunted; then Allah threatened whoever transgresses after this prohibition that is coming; and this is what He meant by His saying: "He will surely test you"; and His saying: "that" refers to it; and the painful punishment is the punishment of the Hereafter.