یٰۤاَیُّهَا O you الَّذِیْنَ who اٰمَنُوْا believe لَا (Do) not تُحَرِّمُوْا make unlawful طَیِّبٰتِ (the) good things مَاۤ (of) what اَحَلَّ has (been) made lawful اللّٰهُ (by) Allah لَكُمْ for you وَ لَا and (do) not تَعْتَدُوْا ؕ transgress اِنَّ Indeed اللّٰهَ Allah لَا (does) not یُحِبُّ love الْمُعْتَدِیْنَ the transgressors وَ كُلُوْا And eat مِمَّا of what رَزَقَكُمُ has provided you اللّٰهُ Allah حَلٰلًا lawful طَیِّبًا ۪ good وَّ اتَّقُوا And fear اللّٰهَ Allah الَّذِیْۤ the One اَنْتُمْ you (are) بِهٖ in Him مُؤْمِنُوْنَ believers لَا Not یُؤَاخِذُكُمُ will call you to account اللّٰهُ Allah بِاللَّغْوِ for the thoughtless utterances فِیْۤ in اَیْمَانِكُمْ your oaths وَ لٰكِنْ but یُّؤَاخِذُكُمْ He will call you to account بِمَا for what عَقَّدْتُّمُ you contracted الْاَیْمَانَ ۚ (of) the oath فَكَفَّارَتُهٗۤ So its expiation اِطْعَامُ (is) feeding عَشَرَةِ (of) ten مَسٰكِیْنَ needy people مِنْ of اَوْسَطِ average مَا (of) what تُطْعِمُوْنَ you feed اَهْلِیْكُمْ your families اَوْ or كِسْوَتُهُمْ clothing them اَوْ or تَحْرِیْرُ freeing رَقَبَةٍ ؕ a slave فَمَنْ But whoever لَّمْ (does) not یَجِدْ find فَصِیَامُ (that), then fasting ثَلٰثَةِ (for) three اَیَّامٍ ؕ days ذٰلِكَ That كَفَّارَةُ (is the) expiation اَیْمَانِكُمْ (of) your oaths اِذَا when حَلَفْتُمْ ؕ you have sworn وَ احْفَظُوْۤا And guard اَیْمَانَكُمْ ؕ your oaths كَذٰلِكَ Thus یُبَیِّنُ makes clear اللّٰهُ Allah لَكُمْ to you اٰیٰتِهٖ His Verses لَعَلَّكُمْ so that you may تَشْكُرُوْنَ (be) grateful 5. Al-Ma'idah Page 123 یٰۤاَیُّهَا O you الَّذِیْنَ who اٰمَنُوْۤا believe! اِنَّمَا Verily الْخَمْرُ the intoxicants وَ الْمَیْسِرُ and [the] games of chance وَ الْاَنْصَابُ and (sacrifices at) altars وَ الْاَزْلَامُ and divining arrows رِجْسٌ (are an) abomination مِّنْ from عَمَلِ (the) work الشَّیْطٰنِ (of) the Shaitaan فَاجْتَنِبُوْهُ so avoid it لَعَلَّكُمْ so that you may تُفْلِحُوْنَ (be) successful اِنَّمَا Only یُرِیْدُ intends الشَّیْطٰنُ the Shaitaan اَنْ to یُّوْقِعَ cause بَیْنَكُمُ between you الْعَدَاوَةَ [the] enmity وَ الْبَغْضَآءَ and [the] hatred فِی through الْخَمْرِ intoxicants وَ الْمَیْسِرِ and gambling وَ یَصُدَّكُمْ and hinders you عَنْ from ذِكْرِ (the) remembrance اللّٰهِ (of) Allah وَ عَنِ and from الصَّلٰوةِ ۚ the prayer فَهَلْ So will اَنْتُمْ you مُّنْتَهُوْنَ (be) the ones who abstain وَ اَطِیْعُوا And obey اللّٰهَ Allah وَ اَطِیْعُوا and obey الرَّسُوْلَ the Messenger وَ احْذَرُوْا ۚ and beware فَاِنْ And if تَوَلَّیْتُمْ you turn away فَاعْلَمُوْۤا then know اَنَّمَا only عَلٰی upon رَسُوْلِنَا Our Messenger الْبَلٰغُ (is to) convey (the Message) الْمُبِیْنُ clearly لَیْسَ Not عَلَی on الَّذِیْنَ those who اٰمَنُوْا believe وَ عَمِلُوا and do الصّٰلِحٰتِ the good deeds جُنَاحٌ any sin فِیْمَا for what طَعِمُوْۤا they ate اِذَا when مَا that اتَّقَوْا they fear (Allah) وَّ اٰمَنُوْا and they believe وَ عَمِلُوا and they do الصّٰلِحٰتِ [the] good deeds ثُمَّ then اتَّقَوْا they fear (Allah) وَّ اٰمَنُوْا and believe ثُمَّ then اتَّقَوْا they fear (Allah) وَّ اَحْسَنُوْا ؕ and do good وَ اللّٰهُ and Allah یُحِبُّ loves الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ۠ the good-doers یٰۤاَیُّهَا O you الَّذِیْنَ who اٰمَنُوْا believe لَیَبْلُوَنَّكُمُ Surely will test you اللّٰهُ Allah بِشَیْءٍ through something مِّنَ of الصَّیْدِ the game تَنَالُهٗۤ can reach it اَیْدِیْكُمْ your hands وَ رِمَاحُكُمْ and your spears لِیَعْلَمَ that may make evident اللّٰهُ Allah مَنْ who یَّخَافُهٗ fears Him بِالْغَیْبِ ۚ in the unseen فَمَنِ And whoever اعْتَدٰی transgressed بَعْدَ after ذٰلِكَ that فَلَهٗ then for him عَذَابٌ (is) a punishment اَلِیْمٌ painful یٰۤاَیُّهَا O you الَّذِیْنَ who اٰمَنُوْا believe لَا (Do) not تَقْتُلُوا kill الصَّیْدَ the game وَ اَنْتُمْ while you حُرُمٌ ؕ (are in) Ihram وَ مَنْ And whoever قَتَلَهٗ killed it مِنْكُمْ among you مُّتَعَمِّدًا intentionally فَجَزَآءٌ then penalty مِّثْلُ (is) similar مَا (to) what قَتَلَ he killed مِنَ of النَّعَمِ the cattle یَحْكُمُ judging بِهٖ it ذَوَا two men عَدْلٍ just مِّنْكُمْ among you هَدْیًۢا (as) an offering بٰلِغَ reaching الْكَعْبَةِ the Kabah اَوْ or كَفَّارَةٌ an expiation طَعَامُ feeding مَسٰكِیْنَ needy people اَوْ or عَدْلُ equivalent ذٰلِكَ (of) that صِیَامًا (in) fasting لِّیَذُوْقَ that he may taste وَ بَالَ (the) consequence اَمْرِهٖ ؕ (of) his deed عَفَا Pardoned اللّٰهُ (by) Allah عَمَّا what سَلَفَ ؕ (has) passed وَ مَنْ but whoever عَادَ returned فَیَنْتَقِمُ then will take retribution اللّٰهُ Allah مِنْهُ ؕ from him وَ اللّٰهُ And Allah عَزِیْزٌ (is) All-Mighty ذُو Owner انْتِقَامٍ (of) Retribution 5. Al-Ma'idah Page 124 اُحِلَّ Is made lawful لَكُمْ for you صَیْدُ game الْبَحْرِ (of) the sea وَ طَعَامُهٗ and its food مَتَاعًا (as) provision لَّكُمْ for you وَ لِلسَّیَّارَةِ ۚ and for the travelers وَ حُرِّمَ and is made unlawful عَلَیْكُمْ on you صَیْدُ game الْبَرِّ (of) the land مَا as دُمْتُمْ long as you حُرُمًا ؕ (are) in Ihram وَ اتَّقُوا And be conscious اللّٰهَ (of) Allah الَّذِیْۤ the One اِلَیْهِ to Him تُحْشَرُوْنَ you will be gathered جَعَلَ Has (been) made اللّٰهُ (by) Allah الْكَعْبَةَ the Kabah الْبَیْتَ the House الْحَرَامَ the Sacred قِیٰمًا an establishment لِّلنَّاسِ for mankind وَ الشَّهْرَ and the month(s) الْحَرَامَ [the] sacred وَ الْهَدْیَ and the (animals) for offering وَ الْقَلَآىِٕدَ ؕ and the garlands ذٰلِكَ That (is) لِتَعْلَمُوْۤا so that you may know اَنَّ that اللّٰهَ Allah یَعْلَمُ knows مَا what فِی (is) in السَّمٰوٰتِ the heavens وَ مَا and what فِی (is) in الْاَرْضِ the earth وَ اَنَّ and that اللّٰهَ Allah بِكُلِّ of every شَیْءٍ thing عَلِیْمٌ (is) All-Knowing اِعْلَمُوْۤا Know اَنَّ that اللّٰهَ Allah شَدِیْدُ (is) severe الْعِقَابِ (in) punishment وَ اَنَّ and that اللّٰهَ Allah غَفُوْرٌ (is) Oft-Forgiving رَّحِیْمٌؕ Most Merciful
(5:87) Believers! Do not hold as unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful to you,104 and do not exceed the bounds of right.105 Allah does not love those who transgress the bounds of right.
(5:88) And partake of the lawful, good things which Allah has provided you as sustenance, and refrain from disobeying Allah in Whom you believe.
(5:89) Allah does not take you to task for the oaths you utter vainly, but He will certainly take you to task for the oaths you have sworn in earnest. The expiation (for breaking such oaths) is either to feed ten needy persons with more or less the same food as you are wont to give to your families, or to clothe them, or to set free from bondage the neck of one man; and he who does not find the means shall fast for three days. This shall be the expiation for your oaths whenever you have sworn (and broken them.)106 But do keep your oaths.107 Thus does Allah make clear to you His commandments; maybe you will be grateful.
(5:90) Believers! Intoxicants, games of chance, idolatrous sacrifices at altars, and divining arrows108 are all abominations, the handiwork of Satan. So turn wholly away from it that you may attain to true success.109
(5:91) By intoxicants and games of chance Satan only desires to create enmity and hatred between you, and to turn you away from the remembrance of Allah and from Prayer. Will you, then, desist?
(5:92) Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and beware. But if you turn away, then know well that Our Messenger had merely to deliver the message clearly.
(5:93) There will be no blame on those who believe and do righteous deeds for whatever they might have partaken (in the past) as long as they refrain from things prohibited, and persist in their belief and do righteous deeds, and continue to refrain from whatever is forbidden and submit to divine commandments, and persevere in doing good, fearing Allah. Allah loves those who do good.
(5:94) Believers! Allah will surely try you with a game which will be within the range of your hands and lances so that He might mark out those who fear Him, even though He is beyond the reach of human perception. A painful chastisement awaits whosoever transgresses after that the bounds set by Allah.
(5:95) Believers! Do not kill game while you are in the state of pilgrim sanctity.110 Whoever of you kills it wilfully there shall be a recompense, the like of what he has killed in cattle - as shall be judged by two men of equity among you - to be brought to the Ka'bah as an offering, or as an expiation the feeding of the needy, or its equivalent in fasting111 in order that he may taste the grievousness of his deed. Allah has pardoned whatever has passed; but Allah will exact a penalty from him who repeats it. Allah is All-Mighty. He is fully capable of exacting penalties.
(5:96) The game of the water and eating thereof112 are permitted to you as a provision for you (who are settled) and for those on a journey; but to hunt on land while you are in the state of Pilgrim sanctity is forbidden for you. Beware, then, of disobeying Allah to Whom you shall all be mustered.
(5:97) Allah has appointed the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, as a means of support for (the collective life of) men, and has caused the holy month (of Pilgrimage), and the animals of sacrificial of-fering and their distinguishing collars to assist therein.113 This is so that you may know that Allah is aware of all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; and that Allah has knowledge of everything.114
(5:98) Know well that Allah is severe in retribution, and that Allah is also All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.
104. This verse embodies two directives. The first is that man should not attribute to himself the authority to proclaim things either lawful or unlawful according to his own wishes. Only that which God has held to be lawful is lawful, and only that which God has declared unlawful is unlawful. If men were to declare certain things either lawful or unlawful on their own authority, they would not be following the law of God but their own laws. The second directive is that they should not adopt the course of world-renunciation and abstention from worldly pleasures as the Christian monks, Hindu mendicants, Buddhist bhikshus and illuminist mystics did. Religious-minded and virtuous people have always tended to consider their physical and carnal desires an impediment to spiritual growth. They have considered suffering, deprivation from worldly pleasures and abstention from the means of worldly sustenance to be acts of goodness and indispensable for achieving proximity to God. Even some of the Companions leaned in this direction. The Prophet (peace be on him) once came to know that some Companions had resolved that they would fast without interruption, that instead of spending the night on their beds they would remain awake praying, that they would consume neither meat nor fat, and would have no (sexual) relations with women. The Prophet (peace be on him) addressed the people on this subject and said: 'I have not been commanded to do so. Even your own self has rights against you. So, fast on certain days and refrain from fasting on others. Stay awake praying at night and also sleep. Look at me; 1 sleep as well as stay awake (praying); sometimes I fast and sometimes I don't. I consume meat as well as fat. Whosoever dislikes my way does not belong to me.' He then added: 'What has happened to people that they have prohibited for themselves women, good food, perfumes, sleep and the pleasures of the world, whereas I have not taught you to become monks and priests. In my religion there is neither abstention from women nor from meat, neither seclusion nor withdrawal.
For the purposes of self-control my religion has fasting. As for monasticism, all its benefits can be derived from jihad (struggle in the way of God). Serve God and associate none with Him. Perform Hajj and 'Umrah, establish Prayers, dispense Zakah and observe the fasts of Ramadan. Those who were destroyed before you were destroyed because they were severe with themselves, and when they became severe with themselves God became severe with them as well. It is the remnants of such people who you see in the oratories and hermitages of monks.' (Ibn Kathir, vol. 2, pp. 626 and 628-9 - Ed.)
There are traditions to the effect that the Prophet (peace be on him) once came to know that one of his Companions was always so preoccupied with worship and devotion that he did not approach his wife for long periods. The Prophet (peace be on him) called for him and directed him to go to his wife. On being told that he was fasting, the Prophet (peace be on him) asked him to break the fast and proceed to his wife. During the reign of 'Umar a lady once lodged the complaint that her husband fasted all day and prayed all night and had no relations with her. 'Umar appointed the famous Successor (Tabi'i), Ka'b b. Thawr al-Azdi to look into the matter. He issued the judgement that the husband had the right to spend three nights in Prayer if he so wished, but every fourth night was the right of his wife. (Fiqh al-Sunnah, vol. 2, p. 164 - Ed.)
105. 'Do not exceed the bounds of right' has a broad signification. To hold the things which are lawful to be unlawful, and to shun the things declared by God to be clean as if they were unclean, is in itself an act of wrongful excess. It should be remembered, at the same time, that extravagant indulgence even in clean things is an act of wrongful excess. Likewise, to overstep the limits of the permissible is also an act of wrongful excess. God disapproves of all three kinds of excess.
106. Since some people had taken an oath prohibiting for themselves the things which He had permitted, God laid down this injunction regarding oaths made inadvertently. The injunction makes it unnecessary to feel bound by the terms of inadvertent oaths, and for which one will not be reproached by God. And if a person had deliberately made an oath which entails sin he should not abide by his oath and should expiate it (see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, (Surah 2,nn. 243-4); for expiation see (Surah 4, n. 125) above.
107. To be mindful of one's oaths has several meanings. First, one should make proper use of oaths and should not employ them either frivolously or sinfully. Second, when a person takes an oath, he should take care not to forget it lest he be led to break it. Third, when a man deliberately takes an oath regarding something sound in itself he should pay the penalty if he happens to violate it.
108.For 'altars' and divination by arrows see (nn.12 )and 14 )above. For games of chance see (n. 14) above.
While divination by arrow-shooting essentially constitutes a game of chance there is nevertheless a certain difference between the two, since divination by arrow-shooting, in addition to being a game of chance, is also tainted with polytheistic beliefs and superstitions. As for games of chance, this expression is applied to those games and acts in which accidental factors are considered the criteria for acquisition, fortune-making and the division of goods and property.
109. In this verse four things are categorically prohibited: (1) intoxicants; (2) games of chance; (3) places consecrated for the worship of anyone else besides God, and altars for either sacrifices or offerings in the name of others than God; and (4) polytheistic divination by arrow-shooting.
The last three items have already been explained. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I,( Surah 2: 219, n. 235 )and (Surah 5: 3, n. 14 above). Two injunctions had already been revealed concerning the prohibition of intoxicants See (Surahs 2: 219 )and( 4: 43). Before the revelation of the last injunction, the Prophet (peace be on him) had warned the people that intoxicants were highly displeasing to God. Hinting at the possibility of their being prohibited, he advised people to dispose of intoxicants if they had any. A little later on the present verse was revealed and the Prophet (peace be on him) then proclaimed that those who had intoxicants should neither consume nor sell them, but rather destroy them. Intoxicating liquors were poured into the streets of Madina. When asked if such liquor might be offered to the Jews as a gift the Prophet (peace be on him) replied in the negative and said: 'He Who has prohibited it has also required it not to be given away as a gift.' Some people inquired whether it was permitted to make vinegar out of such liquor. The Prophet (peace be on him) told them not to do so, but to throw it away instead. Another person asked insistently whether or not an intoxicant could be used as medicine. The Prophet (peace be on him) replied that far from being a remedy for any malady it was in itself a malady. Others sought permission to consume intoxicating liquor on the plea that they lived in a very cold region and had to work very hard, and that the people of that region habitually drank intoxicants to combat exhaustion and cold. The Prophet (peace be on him) inquired if the drink concerned did cause intoxication. On being told that it did, he said that they should abstain from it. They pointed out that the people of their region would not accept this, to which the Prophet (peace be on him) replied that they should fight them.
It is reported by 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: 'God has cursed khamr (wine) and him who drinks it, him who provides it to others and him who buys or sells it, him who squeezes (the grapes) into wine and him who causes others to squeeze grapes (in order to make wine), him who carries it and him to whom it is carried.' (See Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, p. 97; vol. 1, p. 316; Abu Da'ud, 'Ashribah', 2 - Ed.)
According to another tradition the Prophet (peace be on him) instructed not to eat at the table where intoxicating drinks were being taken. In the beginning the Prophet (peace be on him) even forbade the use of vessels in which intoxicating drinks had either been made or served. Later on, when the prohibition of drinks was completely observed the Prophet (peace be on him) withdrew the interdiction regarding the use of these vessels. (See Abu Da'ud, 'At'imah', 18; Tirmidhi, 'Adab', 43; Darimi, 'Ashribah', 15; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 1, p. 20; vol. 3, p. 339 - Ed.) Though the word khamr in Arabic means literally 'the drink made from grapes', it was also used figuratively for intoxicating liquors made from wheat, barley, raisins, dates and honey. The Prophet (peace be on him) applied the prohibition of wine to all intoxicants. In this regard we find categorical statements from the Prophet (peace be on him) embodied in traditions: 'Every intoxicant is khamr, and every intoxicant is prohibited.' 'Every drink which causes intoxication is prohibited.' 'I forbid everything which intoxicates.' In a Friday sermon 'Umar defined khamr in the following manner: 'Whatever takes hold of the mind is khamr.' (See Bukhari, 'Wudu", 71; 'Maghazi', 60, 'Ashribah', 4,10, 'Adab', 8, 'Ahkam', 22; Muslim, 'Ashribah', 67-9; Abu Da'ud, 'Ashribah', 5, 71; Ibn Majah, 'Ashribah', 9, 13, 14; Darimi, 'Ashribah', 8, 9; Muwatta', 'Dahaya', 8; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 1, pp. 274, 289, 350; vol. 2, pp. 16, 158, 171, 185, 429, 501; vol. 3, pp. 63, 66, 112, 119, 361; vol. 4, pp. 41, 416; vol. 6, pp. 36, 71, 72, 97, 131, 190 and 226 - Ed.)
The Prophet (peace be on him) also enunciated the following principle: 'If anything causes intoxication when used in large quantity, even a small quantity of it is prohibited.' 'If a large quantity of something causes intoxication, to drink even a palmful of it is prohibited.' (See Abu Da'ud, 'Ashribah', 5; Ibn Majah, 'Ashribah', 10; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, pp. 167, 179 and vol. 3, p. 343 - Ed.)
In the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) no specific punishment had been laid down for drinking. A person caught drunk would be struck with shoes, fists, and whips made of twisted cloth and palm sticks. The maximum number of lashes to which any culprit was subjected was forty. In the time of Abu Bakr the punishment continued to be forty lashes. In the time of 'Umar the punishment initially remained at forty lashes also, but when he saw people persist in drinking he fixed the punishment at eighty lashes after consulting the Companions. This was considered the prescribed legal punishment for drinking by Malik and Abu Hanifah, and even by Shafi'i according to one tradition. But Ahmad b. Hanbal, and, according to a variant tradition, Shafi'i, considered the punishment to consist of forty lashes, and 'Ali is reported to have preferred this opinion.
According to Islamic Law, it is the bounden duty of an Islamic government to enforce this prohibition. In the time of 'Umar the shop of a member of the Thaqif tribe, by the name of Ruwayshid, was burnt down because he carried on the sale of liquor. On another occasion a whole hamlet was set on fire because it had become a center of illegal traffic in liquor.
110. When a person is in the state of pilgrim sanctity (ihram) it is prohibited for him both to hunt and to assist in hunting animals. Indeed, even if an animal has been hunted for him by someone else he may not eat it. However, if someone hunts an animal for himself and makes a gift of it to such a person, there is no harm in his eating it. There is an exception to this injunction and that is with regard to harmful animals. Snakes, scorpions, mad dogs and other such animals which cause injury to man may be killed even by one in the state of ihram. (See Bukhari, 'Talaq', 24; 'Sayd', 2; Abu Da'ud, 'Manasik', 40, 41; Tirmidhi, 'Hajj', 27; 'Sayd', 26 - Ed.)
111. It would also be 'two men of equity' (Surah al-Ma'idah 5: 95) to judge as to the number of persons one should feed or the number of days one should fast by way of expiation for killing a certain animal.
112. Since one often runs out of provisions during a voyage and is left with no alternative but to catch sea creatures, fishing in the sea has been made lawful.
113. In Arabia, the Ka'bah was not merely a sacred place of worship. Thanks to its central position and its sanctity, it nurtured the economic and cultural life of the whole peninsula. Since the entire populace was drawn towards the Ka'bah for the performance of Hajj and 'Umrah, their coming together brought about a measure of unity in the life of the Arabs which was otherwise rent with disunity. This enabled the people of various regions and tribes to establish social and cultural ties among themselves. Moreover, the security which reigned in the vicinity of the Ka'bah provided an impetus to creative literary activity, with the result that in the fairs held in the sacred territory, poets placed their poetic compositions before the audience, trying to excel one another. This led to the growth and flowering of their language and literature. Thanks, again, to the peace and security which reigned in the sacred territory, it became a major centre of trade and commerce. Moreover, since certain months of the year were regarded as sacred months in which there could be no bloodshed, the Arabs enjoyed peace and security for about a quarter of the year. It was during this period that caravans moved in freedom and with ease from one end of the peninsula to the other. The custom of consecrating animals for sacrifice, marked off from others by the collars around their necks, also facilitated the movement of caravans, for whenever the Arabs saw those animals with their collars signifying consecration for sacrifice, they-bent their heads in reverence and no predatory tribe had the courage to molest them.
114. Were they to consider even the social and economic aspects of the life of their people, the existing arrangements would provide them with clear testimony to the fact that God has deep and thorough knowledge of the interests and requirements of His creatures, and that He can ensure immensely beneficial effects on many sectors of human life by just one single commandment. During the several centuries of anarchy and disorder which preceded the advent of the Prophet (peace be on him), the Arabs were themselves unaware of their own interests and seemed bent upon self-destruction. God, however, was aware of their needs and requirements and by merely investing the Ka'bah with a central position in Arabia He ensured their national survival. Even if they disregarded innumerable other facts and reflected on this alone they would become convinced that the injunctions revealed by God were conducive to their well-being, and that underlying them were a great many benefits and advantages for them which they themselves could neither have grasped nor achieved by their own contriving.