English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

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Chapter 5: Al-Maidah — Food (Revealed at Madinah: 16 sections, 120 verses)

Section 12 (Verses 5:87–5:93): Warning of Sins of Previous People

Translation:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تُحَرِّمُوۡا طَیِّبٰتِ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰہُ لَکُمۡ وَ لَا تَعۡتَدُوۡا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یُحِبُّ الۡمُعۡتَدِیۡنَ ﴿۸۷﴾

5:87 O you who believe, do not forbid the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, nor exceed the limits. Surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.1

وَ کُلُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقَکُمُ اللّٰہُ حَلٰلًا طَیِّبًا ۪ وَّ اتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَنۡتُمۡ بِہٖ مُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿۸۸﴾

5:88 And eat of the lawful and good (things) that Allah has given you, and keep your duty to Allah, in Whom you believe.

لَا یُؤَاخِذُکُمُ اللّٰہُ بِاللَّغۡوِ فِیۡۤ اَیۡمَانِکُمۡ وَ لٰکِنۡ یُّؤَاخِذُکُمۡ بِمَا عَقَّدۡتُّمُ الۡاَیۡمَانَ ۚ فَکَفَّارَتُہٗۤ اِطۡعَامُ عَشَرَۃِ مَسٰکِیۡنَ مِنۡ اَوۡسَطِ مَا تُطۡعِمُوۡنَ اَہۡلِیۡکُمۡ اَوۡ کِسۡوَتُہُمۡ اَوۡ تَحۡرِیۡرُ رَقَبَۃٍ ؕ فَمَنۡ لَّمۡ یَجِدۡ فَصِیَامُ ثَلٰثَۃِ اَیَّامٍ ؕ ذٰلِکَ کَفَّارَۃُ اَیۡمَانِکُمۡ اِذَا حَلَفۡتُمۡ ؕ وَ احۡفَظُوۡۤا اَیۡمَانَکُمۡ ؕ کَذٰلِکَ یُبَیِّنُ اللّٰہُ لَکُمۡ اٰیٰتِہٖ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۸۹﴾

5:89 Allah will not call you to account for what is vain in your oaths, but He will call you to account for the making of deliberate oaths; so its expiation2 is the feeding of ten poor persons with the average (food) you feed your families with, or their clothing, or the freeing of a slave. But whoever does not find (means) should fast for three days. This is the expiation of your oaths when you swear. And keep your oaths. Thus does Allah make clear to you His messages that you may give thanks.

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اِنَّمَا الۡخَمۡرُ وَ الۡمَیۡسِرُ وَ الۡاَنۡصَابُ وَ الۡاَزۡلَامُ رِجۡسٌ مِّنۡ عَمَلِ الشَّیۡطٰنِ فَاجۡتَنِبُوۡہُ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تُفۡلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۹۰﴾

5:90 O you who believe, intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows3 are only an uncleanness, the devil’s work; so shun it that you may succeed.4

اِنَّمَا یُرِیۡدُ الشَّیۡطٰنُ اَنۡ یُّوۡقِعَ بَیۡنَکُمُ الۡعَدَاوَۃَ وَ الۡبَغۡضَآءَ فِی الۡخَمۡرِ وَ الۡمَیۡسِرِ وَ یَصُدَّکُمۡ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ وَ عَنِ الصَّلٰوۃِ ۚ فَہَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّنۡتَہُوۡنَ ﴿۹۱﴾

5:91 The devil desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of intoxicants and games of chance, and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you then keep back?5

وَ اَطِیۡعُوا اللّٰہَ وَ اَطِیۡعُوا الرَّسُوۡلَ وَ احۡذَرُوۡا ۚ فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّیۡتُمۡ فَاعۡلَمُوۡۤا اَنَّمَا عَلٰی رَسُوۡلِنَا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِیۡنُ ﴿۹۲﴾

5:92 And obey Allah and obey the Messenger and be cautious. But if you turn back then know that the duty of Our Messenger is only to deliver the message clearly.

لَیۡسَ عَلَی الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ جُنَاحٌ فِیۡمَا طَعِمُوۡۤا اِذَا مَا اتَّقَوۡا وَّ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ ثُمَّ اتَّقَوۡا وَّ اٰمَنُوۡا ثُمَّ اتَّقَوۡا وَّ اَحۡسَنُوۡا ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ یُحِبُّ الۡمُحۡسِنِیۡنَ ﴿٪۹۳﴾

5:93 On those who believe and do good there is no blame for what they eat,6 when they keep their duty and believe and do good deeds, then keep their duty and believe, then keep their duty and do good (to others). And Allah loves the doers of good.

Commentary:

  1. Muslims are told on the one hand not to follow the self-imposed restric­tions of Christian monks and priests, and at the same time they are warned against depriving themselves of Divine blessings by falling into evil habits. ↩︎
  2. The oaths referred to are in relation to vows, etc., by which one forbids oneself what is otherwise lawful. The injunction at the end of this verse, keep your oaths, also shows that oaths cannot be violated generally, and therefore expiation is only allowed in the case of oaths by which a person deprives himself of some lawful thing or of an occasion of virtue, as in 2:226. ↩︎
  3. For “stones set up” and “dividing by arrows” see 5:3 footnotes 2 and 3. ↩︎
  4. This verse totally prohibits all intoxicants and games of chance; and besides, by classing them with sacrifices to stones set up for idols and dividing by arrows, subjects them to the prohibition of 5:3. It is related that when this verse was revealed a crier proclaimed in the streets of Madinah that wine was prohibi­ted, and in response to this every jar of wine in a Muslim house was emptied, so that wine flowed in the streets (Bukhari, 46:20). Never in the history of the world was such a deep-rooted evil as drink so suddenly yet so completely eradicated. ↩︎
  5. Only one very clear reason is here given why intoxicants and games of chance are forbidden. Elsewhere it is clearly stated that in intoxicants and games of chance there is a great sin (2:219). ↩︎
  6. The verse speaks of those who died before the prohibition came. But even if it is taken generally, it would not justify doing what is unlawful, because one who believes, does good deeds, and keeps his duty will not approach any pro­hibited thing. In three times mentioning belief and regard for duty, the reference is to the threefold duty of man, viz., to Allah, to himself, and to others. ↩︎

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