Al-Ma'idah (The Table Spread): Verse 87

Contextual Note

After extensively debating with the Jews and Christians, Allah (Exalted is He) returned to clarifying rulings and mentioned a group of them.

Type One: Rulings Concerning Permissible Foods, Drinks, and Pleasures

He said: {Do not forbid the good things which Allah has made lawful for you}. There are several issues concerning this:

Tayyibat refers to the delicious things that souls desire and hearts incline toward. There are two main interpretations of this verse:

1. The Incident of the Companions: It is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described the Day of Resurrection to his companions during the vigil of 'Uthman ibn Maz'un, elaborating greatly on warnings and admonitions. Consequently, the companions resolved to renounce the world, forbid themselves from good foods and delicious drinks, fast the days, stand in prayer at night, refuse to sleep on beds, isolate themselves, wear coarse garments, and wander the earth. When the Prophet (PBUH) was informed, he told them: "I have not been commanded to do this. Indeed, your own selves have a right over you. So fast and break your fast, pray and sleep. For I pray and sleep, I fast and break my fast, I eat meat and fat, and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me."
   • Relevance to Context: This narration clarifies the connection (nadḥm) between this verse and the preceding ones. Since Allah praised the Christians for having monks and priests—whose custom is to abstain from the good things and pleasures of this world—the companions misunderstood this praise as an encouragement for Muslims to adopt a similar path. Allah mentioned this verse immediately afterward to remove that misconception, showing Muslims they are not commanded to do so.

2. The Wisdom Behind the Prohibition (Addressing a Question):
   • The Question: Since the love of the world is naturally dominant in the disposition, indulging in pleasures strengthens this inclination, making the desire for worldly gain stronger. This preoccupation prevents one from fully engaging in knowing Allah and obeying Him, thus hindering the pursuit of Hereafter happiness. Conversely, abstaining from worldly pleasures weakens this inclination, freeing the soul for knowing and serving Allah. If this is the case, what is the wisdom in Allah forbidding monasticism (rahbāniyyah)?
   • The Answers (Multiple Perspectives):
     • First: Excessive monasticism and complete abstinence from pleasures weaken the primary organs (the heart and the brain). Weakness in these organs impairs thought and confuses the intellect. Since the greatest perfection and closeness to Allah is knowing Him, and extreme monasticism harms this knowledge through the mechanism described, it is rightly forbidden.
     • Second: It is true that preoccupation with sensory pleasures prevents the soul from achieving intellectual perfection. However, this applies only to weak souls. Complete, perfected souls are not prevented from achieving intellectual happiness even when engaged in sensory actions. We observe that weak souls cannot handle one task while engaged in another, whereas stronger souls manage this better. Therefore, pure monasticism indicates a form of weakness and deficiency. Perfection lies in fulfilling both aspects (worldly and spiritual engagement).
     • Third: For one who fully partakes of sensory pleasures, the goal is to use them as aid in achieving intellectual pleasures. The discipline and struggle of the person who uses permissible pleasures is more complete than the discipline of one who abstains entirely, because directing a portion of the self toward obedience is harder than completely abandoning that portion. Thus, perfection is greater in the former case.
     • Fourth: Complete monasticism leads to the ruin of the world (by cutting off procreation and cultivation). Abandoning monasticism while maintaining knowledge, love, and obedience leads to the flourishing of both this world and the next. Therefore, this latter state is more complete.

3. The Second Interpretation (Al-Qaffāl's View): Allah commanded in the beginning of the Surah, {O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts} (5:1). Thus, just as it is impermissible to declare lawful what Allah has forbidden, it is also impermissible to forbid what Allah has made lawful. The Arabs used to forbid certain lawful good things—such as the Bahīrah, Sā'ibah, Wasīlah, and Ḥām (types of sacrificial animals)—which Allah mentioned in this Surah and Surah Al-An'am. They also permitted carrion and blood. Allah commanded them not to forbid what He permitted nor permit what He forbade, so that they would fall under the command: {O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts}.

The phrase {Do not forbid the good things which Allah has made lawful for you} can imply several things:

1. Do not believe in the prohibition of what Allah has made lawful for you (belief).
2. Do not declare by your tongue the prohibition of what Allah has made lawful for you (speech).
3. Do not abstain from them with an abstinence similar to that used for forbidden things (action).
   • These three aspects cover belief, speech, and action.
4. Do not forbid them to others through issuing religious rulings (fatwa).
5. Do not obligate yourself to forbid them through vows or oaths. A similar verse is: {O Prophet, why do you prohibit yourself from that which Allah has made lawful for you?} (Al-Tahrim: 1).
6. Mixing a usurped possession with a lawfully owned one to the point where distinction is impossible, which then renders the whole mixture forbidden. Similarly, mixing the impure with the pure.

The verse is open to all these interpretations, and it is not unlikely that it encompasses all of them. (And Allah knows best.)

The phrase {And do not transgress, indeed Allah does not love the transgressors} (Al-Baqarah: 190) has several interpretations:

1. Allah made forbidding lawful good things an act of transgression and injustice, so He forbade transgression to include the prohibition of forbidding them.
2. Since He permitted good things, He forbade extravagance in them by saying {And do not transgress}. This is similar to His saying: {Eat and drink, but do not be excessive} (Al-A'raf: 31).
3. Since He permitted good things for you, be content with these lawful things and do not transgress by moving toward what He has forbidden you.

Continuation of the Verse

Then Allah (Exalted is He) said: