Tafsir of Al-Mu'minoon 23:51

This is a narrative addressed to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in a summarized manner, reflecting what was addressed to every messenger in their respective eras. It is presented following the narrative of the sheltering of Jesus and his mother (peace be upon them) in the elevated land (al-rabwa), signaling that the provision of initial blessings was not a unique characteristic of Jesus (peace be upon him). Rather, the encompassing of "good things" (al-tayyibat) is an ancient law which all the messengers (peace be upon them) followed and were commanded to uphold. That is, We said to every messenger, "Eat of the good things and act righteously." Thus, the various commands related to this were expressed in the plural form when summarized for the sake of brevity, or it is a narrative of what was mentioned to Jesus and his mother when they were sheltered in the elevated land, so that they might follow the example of the messengers in consuming what they were provided. It is as if it preceded, "We sheltered them both in an elevated land of stability and flowing water, and We said—or were saying to them—this." That is, We informed them, or were informing them, that all messengers were addressed with this, so they should eat and act righteously, following their example.

It is also possible that this is a call to Jesus (peace be upon him) and a command for him to eat of the good things. Indeed, it has come in a mursal hadith from Hafs ibn Abi Jabla from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that he said regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted, "O Messengers," etc.: "That is Jesus, son of Mary; he used to eat from the spinning of his mother."

According to al-Hasan, Mujahid, Qatada, al-Suddi, and al-Kalbi, it is a call to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and an address to him, with the plural used for magnification (ta'zim). Al-Naysaburi favored this. As for what occurred in Sharh al-Talkhis, following al-Radi, that the intention of magnification via the plural form without a first-person pronoun does not occur in ancient speech—this is a mistake, as it is frequent in the speech of the Arabs entirely, and indeed in all languages. Al-Tha'alibi has explicitly stated this in Fiqh al-Lugha.

The intended meaning of "good things" (al-tayyibat), according to the choice of Shaykh al-Islam and others, is that which is deemed pleasant and delicious from the permissible foods and fruits. He argued that the context requires this, and the command here is for permissibility and comfort. In this, there is a refutation of the monasticism introduced by the Christians. It has been said that the intended meaning is what is lawful (halal), and the command is an obligatory religious duty (taklifi). This is supported by it being followed by the saying of Allah the Exalted: "...and act righteously," meaning righteous deeds.

It is perhaps supported by what Ahmad, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah, and al-Hakim—who authenticated it—recorded from Umm Abd Allah, the sister of Shaddad ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with her), that she sent a cup of milk to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) at his time of breaking fast while he was fasting. He sent her messenger back, asking, "Where did you get this milk?" She said, "From a sheep I own." He sent her messenger back, "Where did you get the sheep?" She replied, "I bought it with my own wealth." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) drank from it. The next day, Umm Abd Allah came to him and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I sent you milk, but you returned the messenger with questions regarding it." The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to her, "By that, the messengers before me were commanded: that they should not eat except what is good, and they should not do except what is righteous."

Similarly, it is supported by what Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, and others recorded from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "O people, verily Allah the Exalted is Good and does not accept except what is good. Verily, Allah the Exalted commanded the believers as He commanded the messengers, saying: 'O messengers, eat from the good things and work righteousness' (23:51), and saying: 'O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you' (2:172)." Then he mentioned a man who extends his journey, disheveled and dusty, whose food is unlawful, whose drink is unlawful, whose clothing is unlawful, and who is nourished by the unlawful, raising his hands to the sky, "O Lord, O Lord!"—so how could that be answered?

The precedence of the command to eat what is lawful is because eating what is lawful helps in performing righteous deeds. It has come in some reports that Allah the Exalted does not accept the worship of one who has a morsel of unlawful food in his belly. It is also authenticated: "Any flesh that grows from ill-gotten wealth, the Fire is more appropriate for it." Perhaps the precedence of the first command relies on taking "the good" to mean that which is delicious among the permissible things, as it is more consistent with the saying of Allah the Exalted: "...and We settled them on an elevated land of stability and flowing water" (23:50). In the command that follows it to "act righteously," there is an exhortation to gratitude.

"...and I will reward you for it." In al-Bahr, it is stated that this is a warning to the messengers (peace be upon them) in appearance, while the intended meaning is their followers.