Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:3

This initiates the explanation of the prohibitions alluded to in His saying—Exalted is He—"except what is recited to you." The intended meaning is the prohibition of eating al-maytah (carrion), which is that which the soul has departed from naturally, without any external cause.

{والدم} (And blood): That is, the musfuh (flowing) blood. The people of the Pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah) used to collect it in intestines, roast it, and eat it. As for non-flowing blood, such as the liver, it is permissible. Regarding the spleen, the majority consider it permissible, though the Imamiyyah are in consensus on its prohibition. Aversion (karahah) toward it has been narrated from Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—and Ibn Mas'ud—may Allah be pleased with him.

{ولحم الخنزير} (And swine flesh): The word "flesh" (lahm) is an insertion, given what has preceded. Dawud [al-Zahiri] and his followers took it according to its literal meaning, thus they prohibited the flesh while permitting other parts. However, the apparent meaning of the conjunction implies that it is prohibited just as the others are. Abd al-Razzaq narrated in his Musannaf from Qatadah that he said: "Whoever eats swine flesh, repentance is offered to him; if he repents, he lives, otherwise he is killed." This is strange, and perhaps this is because eating it has become in our day a sign of disbelief, like wearing the zunnar (girdle), though there is room for reflection on this.

{وأهل لغير الله به} (And that which has been dedicated to other than Allah): This refers to raising the voice to other than Allah—Exalted is He—at the time of slaughter. The meaning of al-ihlāl here is mentioning that which it is being slaughtered for, such as al-Lat and al-'Uzza.

{والمنخنقة} (The strangled): Al-Suddi said: "It is the one whose head enters between two branches of a tree, gets strangled, and dies." Al-Dahhak and Qatadah said: "It is the one that is strangled by the hunter's rope and dies." Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—said: "The people of the Jahiliyyah used to strangle the animal and eat it, so that was forbidden to the believers." The most appropriate view is to apply it to any animal that dies by strangulation, regardless of the cause.

{والموقوذة} (The beaten): That is, the one beaten until it dies. This was stated by Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, and al-Suddi. It is derived from waqadathu, meaning "I beat it." Its root is to beat it until it becomes limp. From this comes waqadhahu al-nu'as (drowsiness overcame him).

{والمتردية} (The fallen): That is, the one that falls from a high place or into a well and dies.

{والنطيحة} (The gored): That is, the one gored by another animal and dies. Its ta is for the feminine gender; it is not a valid objection to say that the form fa'īl (in the sense of maf'ūl) does not take a ta, as some Kufans have stated that this is only when the noun is mentioned (like kaff khadīb—a dyed hand). When it is omitted, the ta may be added, and there is no need to claim it is for change of category. It has also been recited as al-mantuha.

{وما أكل السبع} (And that which the beast of prey has eaten): That is, that which the beast of prey has eaten from and then died. It is interpreted thus because that which is entirely consumed [by the beast] does not have a legal ruling attached to it, and it would not be correct to exempt from it His—the Exalted’s—saying:

{إلا ما ذكيتم} (Except what you are able to slaughter): Meaning, what you catch while it still has a remainder of life, moving with the movement of a slaughtered animal, and you slaughter it. From the two honorable masters, al-Baqir and al-Sadiq—may Allah be pleased with them—it is narrated that the minimum required for the validity of dhakah (ritual slaughter) is that one reaches it while it is moving its ear, tail, or eyelid. This is also the view of al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ibrahim, Tawus, al-Dahhak, and Ibn Zayd. Others say that stable life is required, which is that which is not on the verge of vanishing; its sign, as it is said, is that it moves at the time of slaughter, not later.

From Ali and Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—it is narrated that the exception refers to all the aforementioned prohibited items, except for that which does not accept dhakah, such as carrion, blood, swine, and that eaten by beasts of prey (assuming it remains as it is). It is also said that it is an exception from the "prohibition" rather than from the "prohibited items." The meaning would be: "All that was mentioned is prohibited to you, but that which you slaughter from what Allah has permitted by way of slaughter is lawful for you." This was narrated from Malik and a group of the people of Medina, and it was chosen by al-Jubba'i. Dhakah in the Shari'ah is the cutting of the throat and the gullet with a sharp object; the details are in [the books of] jurisprudence. The verse was used as evidence that if hunting animals eat from what they catch, it is not lawful.

Al-Hasan recited al-sab'i with the ya quiescent; Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—recited akil al-sab'i.

{وما ذبح على النصب} (And that which is sacrificed on stone altars): Al-nusub is the plural of nisab, like humr and himar. It is also said it is the singular of ansab, like tanab and atnab. There is a difference of opinion regarding them; some say they are stones that were around the Ka'bah, of which there were 360, and the people of the Jahiliyyah used to slaughter upon them, so [the slaughter] was upon their foundation. Perhaps their slaughtering on them was a sign that it was for other than Allah. Others say they are idols, because they are erected (tunsab) and worshipped besides Allah. The "on" (ala) is either in the sense of "for" (li) or remains in its literal sense, implying: "that which is slaughtered while being named for the idols." An objection is raised that this would then be a repetition of His saying—the Exalted—"that which has been dedicated to other than Allah," but the matter is trivial. The noun is joined to the prohibited items. It has been recited as al-nusub (with a damma on the nun and a sukun on the sad) as a lightened form, and also with two fathas, and with a fatha and sukun.

{وأن تستقسموا بالأزلام} (Azlam is the plural of zalam, like jamal, or zalam like surad—it means arrows): That is, "and it is prohibited to you to seek division through arrows." This is because, as narrated from al-Hasan and others, when they intended an action, they would cast three arrows: one written upon it "My Lord has commanded me," the second "My Lord has forbidden me," and the third remained blank. If the "commander" came out, they proceeded with their need; if the "forbidder" came out, they refrained; and if the blank one came out, they cast them again. The meaning of istiqsam is seeking to know what has been portioned for them versus what has not been portioned, by means of arrows.

The prohibition of what was mentioned has been seen as problematic, as it is a form of tafa'ul (optimism), and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) loved optimism. It is answered that it was a consultation with idols and seeking help from them, as indicated by what is narrated from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—that when they desired that, they would go to the house of their idols and do what they did; thus it became prohibited. It is also said: because it involves fabrication against Allah (if "My Lord" meant Allah) and ignorance and polytheism (if it meant the idol). It is also said: because it is an entry into the Unseen, which Allah has reserved for Himself. This is objected to by the claim that we do not concede that entering into the Unseen is forbidden; rather, the meaning of Allah reserving the Unseen for Himself is that it is not known except through Him. This is why inquiring about good and evil from astrologers and soothsayers is forbidden and unlawful, unlike seeking guidance (istikharah) from the Quran, which is seeking knowledge from Allah. Hence, they are unanimous on its permissibility. He who looks into the arrangement of premises or exercises [the mind] is not seeking anything but knowledge of the Unseen from Him—the Exalted. If seeking knowledge of the Unseen were forbidden, the path of thought and training would be closed, and no one says this.

The Imam—may Allah have mercy on him—said: "If it were not permissible to seek knowledge of the Unseen, it would follow that the science of dream interpretation is disbelief, for it is a seeking of the unseen, and that those who possess spiritual wonders claiming inspirations are disbelievers. It is known that all of this is false." The claim of the permissibility of istikharah by the Quran is countered by the argument that its practice was not transmitted from the predecessors; it has been said that Imam Malik disliked it. As for what is in the books of Sufi legal rulings, quoting al-Zandusti, it is said that there is no harm in it, and that Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—and Mu'adh—may Allah be pleased with him—performed it. It is narrated from Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—that he said: "Whoever wants to seek optimism from the Book of Allah, let him read 'Say: He is Allah, [who is] One' seven times, and say three times: 'O Allah, through Your Book I seek optimism, and upon You I rely. O Allah, show me in Your Book what is hidden of Your mystery concealed in Your unseen,' then let him seek optimism from the beginning of the page." But there is [still] something in the soul regarding this.

In al-Jassas's book Al-Ahkam, it is stated that the verse indicates the invalidity of drawing lots in the emancipation of slaves, because it is in the same meaning exactly, as it involves establishing what the lot brings out without a right, such as when one emancipates one of his slaves at his death, as explained in jurisprudence. It is not a valid counter-argument that lots are permitted in the distribution of war booty, for example, or in choosing among wives, because we say: that is for the sake of mollifying souls and innocence from suspicion in preferring some over others. If they agreed on that, it would be permissible without lots. As for freedom occurring to one of the slaves in the case before us, it is not permissible to transfer it to another, whereas the use of lots involves transfer. Al-Shafi'i differed on this and permitted lots in emancipation just as he permitted it in other matters, and the literal evidences are on his side; the investigation of this is in its proper place.

The truth, in my view, is that the istiqsam that the people of the Jahiliyyah used to perform is forbidden without doubt, as is the text of the Book, and its prohibition stems from evil belief and because it is not devoid of superstition; it is not pure optimism. Such matters are not at all part of entering into the Unseen, but are rather in the category of entering into conjecture. Seeking guidance by the Quran is something for which nothing reliable has been transmitted from the first generation, and leaving it is dearer to me, especially since Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) have made us sufficient with the istikharah that has been proven in many authentic reports. Believing astrologers regarding non-eclipse related future events is forbidden and is not knowledge of the Unseen, nor is it an entry into it, even if al-Zajjaj claimed it [as such] because it is built upon causes.

Sheikh Muhyi al-Din al-Nawawi reported in his commentary on Sahih Muslim from al-Qadi that soothsaying among the Arabs was of three types: First, that a person has a familiar among the jinn who tells him what he steals by eavesdropping from the heaven; this was invalidated from the time Allah—Exalted is He—sent our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Second, that he informs him of what occurs in the regions of the earth and what is hidden from him, whether near or far; there is nothing far-fetched about its existence. The Mu'tazilah and some theologians denied these two types, considering them impossible, but there is no impossibility in this, nor is there anything far-fetched about its existence, but they speak truthfully and lie, and the prohibition against believing them and listening to them is general. The third is astrologers; this type is due to Allah—Exalted is He—creating in some people some power, but lying is most frequent in it. From this craft is 'irafah (divination); its practitioner is an 'arraf (diviner), who infers matters from causes and premises he claims knowledge of, such as augury (zajr) and divination by pebbles (tariq). These types are all called soothsaying; the Shari'ah has belied them and forbidden believing them or visiting them. End quote.

Perhaps the prohibition of that is because of the frequency of lies in their speech, and because believing them opens a door that leads to the blazing fire, as it may lead to abandoning the Shari'ah and attacking it, especially by the commoners. The exception of what is of the type of eclipses is due to the rarity of their errors therein—or rather, their absence if they calculate properly—but this is not the case with what they tell of future events, as they have built that upon the positions of the planets in relation to each other or to some fixed stars. There is no doubt that this is insufficient for the purpose, and grasping all positions and what they necessitate is impossible for anyone other than the Knower of the Unseen. Let this be understood.

It is said that the meaning of istiqsam is the distribution of the camel by arrows according to known shares—that is, seeking a portion of the camel or what Allah has apportioned for him from it—and this is al-maysir (gambling), which has already been explained. This was narrated by Ali ibn Ibrahim from the Imams—may Allah be pleased with them—and it is favored because it is consistent with its mention alongside the prohibitions of food. It is narrated from Mujahid that he interpreted al-azlam as the arrows of the Arabs and the dice of the Persians with which they gamble. From Waki', it is that they are chess pieces.

{ذلكم} (That): That is, seeking division by arrows. The meaning of "distance" in the demonstrative pronoun refers to the distance of its status in the Shari'ah.

{فسق} (Is disobedience): That is, a grave sin and an exit from the obedience of Allah to His disobedience, due to what we have indicated. From Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—[it is said] that "that" refers to consuming all the prohibited items mentioned, as understood from the context.

{اليوم} (This day): That is, the present time and the times connected to it in the future. It is said: the day of the revelation of the verse; this is narrated from Ibn Jurayj, Mujahid, and Ibn Zayd. It was, as narrated by the two Sheikhs from Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—the afternoon of the Day of Arafah on the Farewell Pilgrimage. It is said: the day of his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) entry into Mecca, eight days before the end of Ramadan in the ninth year. And it is said: in the eighth year. It is in the accusative case as a temporal adverb for the saying of the Exalted:

{يئس الذين كفروا من دينكم} (The disbelievers have despaired of [defeating] your religion): Despair (ya's) is the cessation of hope, the opposite of greed. The meaning is that their hope has ceased—that they could invalidate your religion or turn you away from it by the legalization of these abominations or otherwise—or that they could overcome you, as they witnessed that Allah—Exalted is He—fulfilled His promise and made it superior to all religions. It is narrated that when the verse was revealed, he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) looked out on the standing place and saw only a Muslim. This probability is favored by His saying—the Exalted—"so do not fear them," meaning that they would overcome you. This is derived from the despair.

{واخشون} (And fear Me): That I might inflict upon you My punishment if you disobey My command and commit My sin.

{اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم} (This day I have perfected for you your religion): By victory and manifestation, for through this they execute the laws of the religion without obstacle; therein lies its completion. This is like saying "My kingdom is complete" when you are spared from what you fear. Al-Zajjaj went to this view. From Ibn Abbas and al-Suddi, the meaning is: "Today I have perfected for you My bounds, My obligations, My lawful, and My unlawful, by revealing what I have revealed and clarifying what I have clarified for you; there is no increase therein nor decrease by abrogation after this day." It was the Day of Arafah in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage. Al-Jubba'i, al-Balkhi, and others chose this and claimed that no obligation was revealed after that upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) regarding legalization or prohibition, and that he—peace and blessings be upon him—did not remain after that except for eighty-one days before he—may my soul be sacrificed for him—departed to the Highest Companion (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—understood the death of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) when he heard the verse. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated from Antarah that when the verse was revealed, Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—wept. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to him: "What makes you weep?" He said: "It makes me weep that we were in an increase of our religion, but as for when it is completed, nothing has ever been completed except that it has diminished." The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "You have spoken the truth." This is not used as evidence for this view to invalidate qiyas (analogy), as some have claimed, because the intent is the completion of the religion itself by clarifying what must be clarified, and from which other things are inferred, and by explicitly stating the foundations of beliefs and establishing the principles of the Shari'ah and the laws of ijtihad.

It is narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr and Qatadah that the meaning is: "Today I have perfected for you your Hajj, and I have confirmed you in the Sacred Land to perform Hajj while the polytheists do not." Al-Tabari chose this and said: "This refutes what is narrated from Ibn Abbas and al-Suddi—may Allah be pleased with them both—that Allah—Exalted is He—revealed the verse of Kalalah, which is the last verse revealed." This is objected to by denial. The preposition is brought forward [to indicate] that the perfection is for their benefit and interest. In it, there is also suspense for the mention of the delayed part, as in His saying:

{وأتممت عليكم نعمتي} (And have completed My favor upon you): The preposition is not related to ni'mati because the verbal noun does not precede its governing object. It is said: it is related to it, and there is no harm in the precedence of the governing object of the verbal noun if it is an adverb. The completion of favor upon the addressees by the conquest of Mecca and entering it safely and victoriously, and the destruction of the Jahiliyyah and its rituals, and the prohibition of the Hajj of the polytheists and the naked circumambulation, is apparent. It is said: [it is by the completion of] guidance and success by completing their cause. It is said: by completing the religion. It is said: by giving them of knowledge and wisdom what He had not given to anyone before them. It is said: the meaning of "completed My favor upon you" is "I have fulfilled My promise to you."

{ورضيت لكم الإسلام دينا} (And have approved for you Islam as religion): That is, I have chosen it for you from among the religions. It is the religion with Allah, no other, and it is the accepted one, upon which the reliance is placed. Ibn Jubayr narrated from Qatadah who said: "It was mentioned to us that the religion of every nation is represented to them on the Day of Resurrection. The believers are given glad tidings, and their people are promised goodness until Islam comes and says: 'My Lord, You are Peace, and I am Islam.' He says: 'Through you today I accept, and through you today I recompense'." "Satisfaction" (rida) has the sense of choice, which is why it takes the lam. As for those who make the prepositional phrase an adjective for din, it precedes it, so it becomes a circumstantial qualifier (hal), and Islam and din are objects of raditu if it implies the meaning of "making something become." Or din is in the accusative as a circumstantial qualifier from Islam, or a specification (tamyiz) from lakum. The sentence, according to what al-Karkhi went to, is a new sentence, not conjunctive to akmaltu; otherwise, the implication would be that He was not satisfied with Islam as a religion for them before that day, which is not the case, for Islam was always a religion satisfactory to Allah—Exalted is He—and to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his companions—may Allah be pleased with them—since it was legislated. The majority are in favor of it being conjunctive, and they answered the restriction by saying that the intent of His satisfaction—Glorified and Exalted is He—is His decree—may He be glorified and exalted—choosing it as an eternal law that is not abrogated, and that was that day.

The Shi'a narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that this verse was revealed after the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—at Ghadir Khumm: "Whoever I am his master, Ali is his master." When it was revealed, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Allahu Akbar for the completion of the religion, the perfection of the favor, and the satisfaction of the Lord with my message and the guardianship of Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance—after me." It is not hidden that this is one of their fabrications, and the weakness of the report bears witness to that in the first instance. Yes, it is established with us that he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said regarding the Commander—may Allah ennoble his countenance—there: "Whoever I am his master, Ali is his master," and he added to that, as in some narrations. But there is no indication in all of this for what they claim regarding the Major Imamate and the Great Leadership, as will come, God willing, not far from here. We have elaborated on the discourse regarding this in our book Al-Nafahat al-Qudsiyyah fi al-Imamiyyah, but it has not been completed until now, and we ask Allah—Exalted is He—for its completion. Their narrations in this section shout their fabrication by their wording, and Yusuf al-Awali has frequently used them.

{فمن اضطر} (But whoever is forced): This is connected to the mention of the prohibitions and what is between them. It is seven sentences, according to al-Tibi, an objection necessitating avoidance of them, which is that consuming them is a grave sin, and their prohibition is part of the complete religion, the perfect favor, and the satisfactory Islam. "Necessity" is falling into urgency—that is, whoever falls into the necessity of consuming something of these prohibitions.

{في مخمصة} (In a state of starvation): That is, a famine where stomachs become hollow, fearing death or its precursors.

{غير متجانف لإثم} (Without inclining to sin): That is, not leaning or turning towards it, choosing it by eating from it beyond what sustains his life, for that is prohibited, as narrated by Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Qatadah—may Allah be pleased with them—and the people of Iraq said this. The people of Medina said: it is permissible to become full in case of necessity. It is said: the meaning is "not disobedient," by being an aggressor or transgressor, such as by snatching it from another person in necessity, or by being out in his disobedience. This is also narrated from Qatadah.

{فإن الله غفور رحيم} (Then indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful): [He does not punish him for eating it], which is the answer in reality, and its cause has been placed in its stead. It is said: it is implied in the speech.