Surah 5. Al-Ma'idah

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Verses [Section]: 1-5[1], 6-11 [2], 12-19 [3], 20-26 [4], 27-34 [5], 35-43 [6], 44-50 [7], 51-56 [8], 57-66 [9], 67-77 [10], 78-86 [11], 87-98 [12], 99-100 [13], 101-108 [14], 109-115 [15], 116-120 [16]

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Quran Text of Verse 27-34وَ اتْلُAnd reciteعَلَیْهِمْto themنَبَاَthe storyابْنَیْ(of) two sonsاٰدَمَ(of) Adamبِالْحَقِّ ۘin truthاِذْwhenقَرَّبَاboth offeredقُرْبَانًاa sacrificeفَتُقُبِّلَand it was acceptedمِنْfromاَحَدِهِمَاone of themوَ لَمْand notیُتَقَبَّلْwas acceptedمِنَfromالْاٰخَرِ ؕthe otherقَالَSaid (the latter)لَاَقْتُلَنَّكَ ؕSurely I will kill youقَالَSaid (the former)اِنَّمَاOnlyیَتَقَبَّلُacceptsاللّٰهُ(does) Allahمِنَfromالْمُتَّقِیْنَ the God fearing لَىِٕنْۢIfبَسَطْتَّyou stretchاِلَیَّtowards meیَدَكَyour handلِتَقْتُلَنِیْto kill meمَاۤnotاَنَاwill Iبِبَاسِطٍstretchیَّدِیَmy handاِلَیْكَtowards youلِاَقْتُلَكَ ۚto kill youاِنِّیْۤindeed IاَخَافُfearاللّٰهَAllahرَبَّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds اِنِّیْۤIndeed Iاُرِیْدُwishاَنْthatتَبُوْٓءَاۡyou be ladenبِاِثْمِیْwith my sinوَ اِثْمِكَand your sinفَتَكُوْنَso you will beمِنْamongاَصْحٰبِ(the) companionsالنَّارِ ۚ(of) the Fireوَ ذٰلِكَand thatجَزٰٓؤُا(is the) recompenseالظّٰلِمِیْنَۚ(of) the wrong-doers فَطَوَّعَتْThen promptedلَهٗto himنَفْسُهٗhis soulقَتْلَ(to) killاَخِیْهِhis brotherفَقَتَلَهٗso he killed himفَاَصْبَحَand becameمِنَofالْخٰسِرِیْنَ the losers فَبَعَثَThen (was) sentاللّٰهُ(by) Allahغُرَابًاa crowیَّبْحَثُit (was) scratchingفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthلِیُرِیَهٗto show himكَیْفَhowیُوَارِیْto hideسَوْءَةَ(the) dead bodyاَخِیْهِ ؕ(of) his brotherقَالَHe saidیٰوَیْلَتٰۤیWoe to meاَعَجَزْتُAm I unableاَنْthatاَكُوْنَI can beمِثْلَlikeهٰذَاthisالْغُرَابِ[the] crowفَاُوَارِیَand hideسَوْءَةَ(the) dead bodyاَخِیْۚ(of) my brotherفَاَصْبَحَThen he becameمِنَofالنّٰدِمِیْنَthe regretful 5. Al-Ma'idah Page 113مِنْFromاَجْلِtimeذٰلِكَ ؔۛۚthatكَتَبْنَاWe ordainedعَلٰیonبَنِیْۤ(the) Childrenاِسْرَآءِیْلَ(of) Israelاَنَّهٗthat heمَنْwhoقَتَلَkillsنَفْسًۢاa personبِغَیْرِother thanنَفْسٍ(for) a lifeاَوْorفَسَادٍ(for) spreading corruptionفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthفَكَاَنَّمَاthen (it) is as ifقَتَلَhe has killedالنَّاسَmankindجَمِیْعًا ؕallوَ مَنْand whoeverاَحْیَاهَاsaves itفَكَاَنَّمَاۤthen (it) is as ifاَحْیَاhe has savedالنَّاسَmankindجَمِیْعًا ؕallوَ لَقَدْAnd surelyجَآءَتْهُمْcame to themرُسُلُنَاOur Messengersبِالْبَیِّنٰتِ ؗwith clear Signsثُمَّyetاِنَّindeedكَثِیْرًاmanyمِّنْهُمْof themبَعْدَafterذٰلِكَthatفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthلَمُسْرِفُوْنَ (are) surely those who commit excesses اِنَّمَاOnlyجَزٰٓؤُا(the) recompenseالَّذِیْنَ(for) those whoیُحَارِبُوْنَwage warاللّٰهَ(against) Allahوَ رَسُوْلَهٗand His Messengerوَ یَسْعَوْنَand striveفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthفَسَادًاspreading corruptionاَنْ(is) thatیُّقَتَّلُوْۤاthey be killedاَوْorیُصَلَّبُوْۤاthey be crucifiedاَوْorتُقَطَّعَbe cut offاَیْدِیْهِمْtheir handsوَ اَرْجُلُهُمْand their feetمِّنْofخِلَافٍopposite sidesاَوْorیُنْفَوْاthey be exiledمِنَfromالْاَرْضِ ؕthe landذٰلِكَThatلَهُمْ(is) for themخِزْیٌdisgraceفِیinالدُّنْیَاthe worldوَ لَهُمْand for themفِیinالْاٰخِرَةِthe Hereafterعَذَابٌ(is) a punishmentعَظِیْمٌۙgreat اِلَّاExceptالَّذِیْنَthose whoتَابُوْاrepentمِنْfromقَبْلِbeforeاَنْthatتَقْدِرُوْاyou overpowerعَلَیْهِمْ ۚ[over] themفَاعْلَمُوْۤاthen knowاَنَّthatاللّٰهَAllahغَفُوْرٌ(is) Oft-Forgivingرَّحِیْمٌ۠Most Merciful

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Translation of Verse 27-34

(5:27) Narrate to them in all truth the story of the two sons of Adam. When they made an offering and it was accepted from one of them and was not accepted from the other, the latter said: 'I will surely kill you.' Thereupon the former said: 'Allah accepts offerings only from the God-fearing.⁴⁸

(5:28) Even if you stretch forth your hand against me to kill, I will not stretch forth my hand to kill you.⁴⁹ Surely, I fear Allah, the Lord of the entire universe.

(5:29) I would desire that you be laden with my sin and with your sin,⁵⁰ and thus become among the inmates of the Fire. That indeed is the right recompense of the wrong-doers.'

(5:30) At last his evil soul drove him to the murder of his brother, and he killed him, whereby he himself became one of the losers.

(5:31) Thereupon Allah sent forth a raven who began to scratch the earth to show him how he might cover the corpse of his brother. So seeing he cried: 'Woe unto me! Was I unable even to be like this raven and find a way to cover the corpse of my brother?⁵¹ Then he became full of remorse at his doing.⁵²

(5:32) Therefore We ordained for the Children of Israel⁵³ that he who slays a soul unless it be (in punishment) for murder or for spreading mischief on earth shall be as if he had slain all mankind; and he who saves a life shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.⁵⁴ And indeed again and again did Our Messengers come to them with clear directives; yet many of them continued to commit excesses on earth.

(5:33) Those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and go about the earth spreading mischief⁵⁵ -indeed their recompense is that they either be done to death, or be crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off from the opposite sides or be banished from the land.⁵⁶ Such shall be their degradation in this world; and a mighty chastisement lies in store for them in the World to Come

(5:34) except for those who repent before you have overpowered them. Know well that Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.⁵⁷

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Commentary

48. God's refusal to accept the sacrifice of one of the two brothers was not due to any wrong the other brother might have committed but to his own lack of piety. Hence, rather than attempt to kill his brother he should be concerned with cultivating piety.

49. This does not mean, that his brother assured him that when the latter stepped forward to kill him he would keep his hands tied and stretch out his own neck to be cut down rather than defend himself. What this statement amounts to is an assurance on the part of the first brother that, even though the other was intent on killing him, he himself had no such intention. In other words, he assured his brother that even though the latter was busy planning his murder he would not take the initiative in killing him despite his knowledge of the latter's intent.

Righteousness does not demand at all that when a man is subjected to wrongful aggression he should surrender to the aggressor rather than defend himself. Righteousness, however, demands that a man should not take the initiative and try to kill someone even though he knows him to be bent on killing him. He should rather wait for the act of aggression to be initiated by the other person. And this is exactly what was intended by the statement of the righteous son of Adam.

50. The righteous son of Adam told his brother that rather than both of them becoming sinners by trying to kill each other, he would prefer to see the entire sin fall on the lot of the one who was intent on the murder - the sin of the aggressor's attempt to murder, as well as the sin of any injury that might be inflicted on him in self-defence.

51. In this way God made this errant son of Adam realize his ignorance and folly. Once his attention turned to self-appraisal, his regret was not confined to realizing that in his effort to hide his brother's corpse he proved to be even less efficient than the raven. He also began to feel how foolish he was to have killed his own brother. The later part of the sentence indicates this remorse.

52.The purpose of mentioning this particular incident is to reproach the Jews subtly for the plot they had hatched to assassinate the Prophet (peace be on him) and some of his illustrious Companions see (n. 30) above. The resemblance between the two incidents is evident. God honoured some of the illiterate people of Arabia and disregarded the ancient People of the Book because the former were pious while the latter were not. But rather than reflect upon the causes of their rejection by God, and do something to overcome the failings which had led to that rejection, the Israelites were seized by the same fit of arrogant ignorance and folly which had once seized the criminal son of Adam, and resolved to kill those whose good deeds had been accepted by God. It was obvious that such acts would contribute nothing towards their acceptance by God. They would rather earn them an even greater degree of God's disapproval.

53.Since the same qualities which had been displayed by the wrong doing son of Adam were manifest in the Children of Israel, God strongly urged them not to kill human beings and couched His command in forceful terms. It is a pity that the precious words which embody God's ordinance are to be found nowhere in the Bible today. The Talmud, however, does mention this subject in the following words:

To him who kills a single individual of Israel, it shall be reckoned as if he had slain the whole race and he who preserves a single individual of Israel, it shall be reckoned in the Book of God as if he had preserved the whole world. The Talmud also mentions that in trials for murder, the Israelite judges used to address the witnesses as follows:

Whoever kills one person, merits punishment as if he had slain all the men in the world.

54. This means that the survival of human life depends on everyone respecting other human beings and in contributing actively to the survival and protection of others. Whosoever kills unrighteously is thus not merely guilty of doing wrong to one single person, but proves by his act that his heart is devoid of respect for human life and of sympathy for the human species as such. Such a person, therefore, is an enemy of all mankind. This is so because he happens to be possessed of a quality which, were it to become common to all men, would lead to the destruction of the entire human race. The person who helps to preserve the life of even one person, on the other hand, is the protector of the whole of humanity, for he possesses a quality which is indispensable to the survival of mankind.

55. The 'land' signifies either the country or territory wherein the responsibility of establishing law and order has been undertaken by an Islamic state. The expression 'to wage war against Allah and His Messenger' denotes war against the righteous order established by the Islamic state. It is God's purpose, and it is for this very purpose that God sent His Messengers, that a righteous order of life be established on earth; an order that would provide peace and security to everything found on earth; an order under whose benign shadow humanity would be able to attain its perfection; an order under which the resources of the earth would be exploited in a manner conducive to man's progress and prosperity rather than to his ruin and destruction. If anyone tried to disrupt such an order, whether on a limited scale by committing murder and destruction and robbery and brigandry or on a large scale by attempting to overthrow that order and establish some unrighteous order instead, he would in fact be guilty of waging war against God and His Messenger. All this is not unlike the situation where someone tries to overthrow the established government in a country. Such a person will be convicted of 'waging war against the state' even though his actual action may have been directed against an ordinary policeman in some remote part of the country, and irrespective of how remote the sovereign himself is from him.

56. These penalties are mentioned here in brief merely to serve as guidelines to either judges or rulers so they may punish each criminal in accordance with the nature of his crime. The real purpose is to indicate that for any of those who live in the Islamic realm to attempt to overthrow the Islamic order is the worst kind of crime, for which any of the highly severe punishments may be imposed.

57. If they give up subversion and abandon their endeavour to disrupt or overthrow the righteous order, and their subsequent conduct shows that they have indeed become peace-loving, law-abiding citizens of good character, they need not be subjected to the punishments mentioned here even if any of their former crimes against the state should come to light. If their crime involves violation of the rights of other men they may not be absolved from their guilt. If, for instance, they have either killed a person, seized someone's property or committed any other crime against human life or property they will be tried according to the criminal law of Islam. They will not, however, be accused of either rebellion and high treason or of waging war against God and His Messenger.