Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:97

(God has appointed the Ka'bah) meaning, He has established it. It is called Ka'bah, according to what was narrated by 'Ikrimah and Mujahid, because it is square-shaped (murabba'a), and taf'il (cubing) means squaring. Linguistically, it is applied to every square house. It is also said: Taf'il refers to height; it is said that the Ka'bah was named as such due to its elevation. From this comes the human ka'b (ankle/heel) due to its elevation and protrusion, and a woman is said to have ka'abat when her breasts become prominent. Others said it was called Ka'bah due to its isolation from other buildings; Al-Kirmani reduced this to the previous definition, as an isolated structure protrudes from the earth.

His saying, "the Sacred House," is an explanatory apposition ('atf bayan) for the purpose of praise, as it was known to them by glorification; thus, it became synonymous with "the Glorified One." Or, it is described as "sacred" (haram), which indicates its sanctity and greatness, with the mention of "the House" serving as a prelude to it; therefore, the objection regarding [grammatical] rigidity (jumud) stems from rigidity itself, not from the [lack of] clarification. It is also said that it was brought for specification, as the Khath'am tribe had a house they called the "Yemeni Ka'bah." It is permitted that it be a substitute (badal) or a second object (maf'ul thani) for the verb "appointed."

His saying, "a support (qiyaman) for the people," is in the accusative case as a state (hal). This is rejected by the conjunction of what follows it to the first object [of "appointed"], as you will learn soon, God willing; rather, this is the second object. It is said that "appointed" (ja'ala) means created, so it takes one object, and this is a state. The meaning of it being a support for them is that it is a cause for rectifying their affairs and sustaining them, both in religion and in worldly matters, as it was a place of safety for them, a refuge, and a gathering place for their trade; they come to it from every deep mountain pass. For this reason, Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: Whoever comes to this House intending something for the worldly life or the Hereafter, attains it. From this, some derived that trade during Hajj is not disliked, and this was narrated from Abu Abdullah, may God be pleased with him.

Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibn Zayd that he said: All people used to have kings, and some would repel others [from harm], but the Arabs had no such kings. So, God the Almighty made the Sacred House a support for them, through which they repel one another. If a man were to meet the killer of his father or son there, he would not kill him. Thus, the meaning of "people" here is the Arabs specifically. It is also said that the meaning of it being a support is that it is a security for them against destruction; as long as people perform Hajj to the House, they will not perish, but if it were destroyed and Hajj were abandoned, they would perish. This was narrated from 'Ata. Ibn 'Amir read it as (qiyaman), as a verbal noun like shiya'. The standard rule is that its waw should not be changed into a ya', but since it was changed into an alif in its verb form (qama), the verbal noun followed it in the alteration of its middle radical.

"And the Sacred Month"—meaning the month in which Hajj is performed, which is Dhu al-Hijjah. The definite article is for a known reference ('ahd) by the context of its companions. Many scholars chose the intention of the generic sense (jins), as is the original rule, and the [aforementioned] context does not specify the 'ahd. The intended meaning is the Sacred Months, which are four: one separate and three consecutive. The separate one is Rajab, and the consecutive ones are Dhu al-Qi'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram. It and what follows it are joined to "the Ka'bah," so the second object [of the verb "appointed"] is omitted, relying on what has preceded, meaning: He also made the Sacred Month, "and the sacrificial animals and the garlands," a support for them.

The meaning of "garlands" (qala'id) refers to the animals wearing them, specifically the camels (budn); they are mentioned because the reward for them is greater and the performance of Hajj through them is more apparent. It is also said that the statement is to be taken literally. Abu al-Shaykh narrated from Abu Mijlaz that in the Age of Ignorance, when a man would enter the state of ihram, he would hang a necklace made of hair [on himself], so no one would bother him. When he completed his Hajj, he would hang a necklace made of idhkhir grass. It is said that a man would place a necklace of the bark of the Sacred Sanctuary's trees on his camel or on himself, and he would fear no one, nor would anyone harm him. They would not engage in fighting during the Sacred Months, and they would remove the arrowheads from their spears, and people would hasten to their livelihoods without fearing anyone. It is said that they inherited this from the religion of Ishmael, peace be upon him.

"That"—meaning this appointment mentioned specifically, or together with what was mentioned regarding the command to observe the sanctity of ihram and other things. The position of the demonstrative noun is in the accusative, due to an implied verb indicated by the context, and to it relates the lam [of purpose] that follows. It is also said its position is in the nominative as the predicate of an omitted subject, meaning: The decree we have established is that, or it is a subject whose predicate is omitted, meaning: That decree is the Truth. The first judgment is closer, and the estimation is: "That was ordained so that you may know that God knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth." For the legislation of these laws, which entail the prevention of harms—both religious and worldly—before they occur, and the attainment of primary and ultimate benefits, is among the clearest proofs of the wisdom of the Legislator and the encompassing nature of His knowledge, the Almighty, "and that God is, of all things"—whether they are obligatory, impossible, or possible—"Knowing."

[He is] possessor of complete knowledge. This is a generalization following a specification, and the specific was brought forward because it serves as proof for what follows. It is also permitted that what is meant by "what is in the heavens and the earth" are the existing entities within them, and by "all things" are the matters related to those existing things—the accidents and states—which are of the category of meanings (ma'ani). The use of an explicit noun in the place of a pronoun [i.e., repeating "God"] is for the reason mentioned more than once.