Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:87

This refers to the delights of those things and what the hearts incline toward. It is as if, because the preceding text contained praise for the Christians regarding monasticism—thereby inciting the believers toward breaking the soul and abandoning desires—He, Glory be to Him, followed it with a prohibition against excess in this regard.

This means: Do not deny them to yourselves by way of declaring them prohibited. It is also said: Do not commit to prohibiting them by way of an oath. It is also said: Do not say, "We have made them prohibited for ourselves," out of your excessive determination to leave them for the sake of asceticism. As for the interpretation that it means "do not prohibit them for others through religious edicts (fatwa) and judicial rulings," this is not a perspective to be entertained.

It has been narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat one day and reminded the people, describing the Resurrection; the people softened and wept. Ten of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) gathered in the house of Uthman ibn Maz'un al-Jumahi, among them Ali (may Allah honor his face), Abu Bakr, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Salim (the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah), Abdullah ibn Umar, al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, Salman al-Farisi, Ma'qil ibn Muqarrin, and the host himself. They agreed to fast by day, stand in prayer by night, not sleep on mattresses, not eat meat or fat, not approach women or perfume, to wear coarse wool (haircloth), to renounce the world, and to wander the earth. Some of them even intended to castrate themselves.

This reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he came to the house of Uthman but did not find him. He said to his wife, Umm Hakim, "Is it true what has reached me regarding your husband and his companions?" She disliked denying it when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked her, and she disliked revealing her husband’s secrets, so she said, "O Messenger of Allah, if Uthman told you, he has told you the truth."

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) departed. When Uthman entered and she informed him, he and his companions came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them, "I have been informed that you agreed upon such-and-such." He replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah, and we intended nothing but good." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I have not been commanded to do that." Then he said, "Your own selves have a right upon you; so fast and break your fast, pray and sleep; for I stand and I sleep, I fast and I break my fast, I eat meat and fat, and I approach women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me."

Then he gathered the people and addressed them, saying, "What is the matter with people who prohibit women, food, perfume, sleep, and the pleasures of the world? I do not command you to be priests and monks; for it is not in my religion to abandon meat or women, nor to take up cloisters. The monasticism of my Ummah is jihad. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, perform Hajj and Umrah, establish prayer, pay Zakat, fast Ramadan, and be upright, and it will be upright for you. Those before you were destroyed only by extremism; they were harsh on themselves, so Allah was harsh on them. Their remnants are to be found in the monasteries and hermitages." Thus, Allah (Exalted be He) revealed this verse.

It is also narrated from Abu Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the verse was revealed regarding Ali (may Allah honor his face), Bilal, and Uthman ibn Maz’un. As for Ali, he swore never to sleep at night except as Allah wills; as for Bilal, he swore never to break his fast during the day; and as for Uthman, he swore never to marry. Other narrations exist as well. We have not encountered a narration that indicates this prohibition was directed toward others through religious edict or judgment, as that proponent suggested. Furthermore, the command to eat that follows this makes that interpretation remote. This prohibition does not contradict the fact that Allah (Exalted be He) praised the Christians for monasticism; for something may be praiseworthy in relation to one group and blameworthy in relation to another.

His saying, "And do not transgress," is a confirmation of the previous prohibition. It means: Do not overstep the limits of what He, Glory be to Him, has made lawful for you into that which He, the Majestic, has prohibited for you. Or, it is a prohibition against declaring the prohibited as lawful, following the prohibition against declaring the lawful as prohibited; thus, it would be an independent injunction. It is also possible that it is a prohibition against excess in what is lawful. According to Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Qatadah, the meaning is "do not castrate yourselves." It is not hidden that castration is a specific instance of transgression and overstepping limits, and interpreting it according to the general sense is more comprehensive.

His saying, "Indeed, Allah does not like the transgressors," serves as the justification for what preceded it. It has already been pointed out that the negation of Allah’s love for something necessitates His hatred for it, as there is no intermediary state regarding Him (Exalted be He).