Al-Ma'idah: (3) "Forbidden to you is carrion..."
The people of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era) used to consume these forbidden things:
- The animal that dies of its own accord: That which dies naturally.
- Al-Faseed: Blood collected in intestines, which they would roast and eat, saying, "It is not forbidden for one who has had it bled for him."
"And that which has been dedicated to other than Allah":
Meaning, raising one's voice for other than Allah, such as their saying "In the name of Al-Lat and Al-Uzza" when slaughtering.
"The strangled":
That which they strangled until it died, or which strangled itself by accident.
"The beaten":
That which they struck repeatedly with a stick or stone until it died.
"The fallen":
That which fell from a mountain or into a well and died.
"The gored":
That which another animal gored, causing its death.
"And what the beast of prey has eaten":
Part of it.
"Except what you [are able to] slaughter":
Except that which you reach while it is still struggling like a slaughtered animal, with its jugular veins gushing blood.
(Note: Abdullah read it as "Al-Mantuha" [the gored]; in a narration from Abu Amr, "Al-Sab'" [the beast] is read with a sukun on the 'ba'; Ibn Abbas read it as "Akeel al-Sab'" [the prey of the beast].)
"And that which is sacrificed on stone altars (An-Nusub)":
They had stones set up around the House (the Ka'bah) upon which they would slaughter and carve meat, venerating them and seeking closeness to them. These are called An-Nusub (singular: Nusub). Al-A'sha said: "And that Nusub which is set up, do not worship it / For the sake of the outcome, and worship Allah, your Lord." It is also said to be a plural whose singular is Nisab. It is also read as An-Nasb with a sukun on the sad.
"And [forbidden is] that you seek decision through divining arrows":
Seeking division through arrows (al-qidah). If one of them intended to travel, go to war, trade, marry, or any major affair, he would cast these arrows. Some were inscribed with "My Lord has forbidden me," others with "My Lord has commanded me," and some were blank. If the command came out, he proceeded; if the prohibition came out, he refrained; if the blank one came out, he cast them again.
- Meaning: Seeking to know what has been apportioned for him versus what has not.
- Alternative view: It refers to al-maysir (gambling) and the distribution of camel meat based on known shares.
"That is an act of disobedience":
This refers to the act of divining or consuming what was forbidden.
- If you ask: Why is the traveler’s divination considered disobedience?
- I say: Because it is an intrusion into the Unseen, which Allah has reserved for Himself. He said: "None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah" (An-Naml: 65). Believing there is a path to deduce it, and saying "My Lord commanded me" or "My Lord forbade me," is a fabrication against Allah. What does he know of what He commanded or forbade? Soothsayers and astrologers are of this same category. If he meant "Lord" as the idol, it is reported they cast them before their idols, so the command is manifest.
"This day":
It does not refer to a specific day, but to the present time and the times connected to it, past and future. Like saying, "Yesterday I was young, and today I am gray-haired"—you do not mean the day before yesterday or today specifically. It is like "Now" in the verse: "Now, when my hair has whitened..."
- Another view: It refers to the day of its revelation, which was a Friday, the Day of Arafah, after the afternoon prayer during the Farewell Pilgrimage.
"Those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion":
They despaired of nullifying it or of you returning to consume these impurities after they were forbidden to you.
- Another view: They despaired of overcoming your religion, because Allah fulfilled His promise to make it prevail over all religions.
"So do not fear them":
After the religion has been made manifest and the fear of the disbelievers has vanished, as they have turned into the defeated and suppressed after having been the victors.
"But fear Me":
And dedicate your fear solely to Me.
"This day I have perfected for you your religion":
I have sufficed you against your enemy and made the upper hand yours. Just as kings say, "The kingdom is perfected for us" when they have suppressed those who contested them and reached their goals.
- Or: I have perfected for you what you need in your obligations, such as teaching the lawful and unlawful, the laws of analogy, and the principles of jurisprudence.
"And have completed My favor upon you":
By the conquest of Makkah, entering it safely and victorious, and the demolition of the landmarks and rituals of the Jahiliyyah, such that no polytheist performs Hajj with you, nor does anyone circumambulate the House naked.
- Or: I have completed it by perfecting the religion and laws. It is as if He said: "Today I have perfected your religion and completed My favor upon you," for there is no favor more complete than the favor of Islam.
"And have approved for you Islam as religion":
Meaning, I have chosen it for you from among all religions and informed you that it is the only religion approved. "And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him" (Al-Imran: 85).
"If you ask: To what does 'So whoever is forced' connect?"
I say: It connects to the mention of the forbidden things. The phrase "That is an act of disobedience" is an interjection emphasizing the prohibition, as is what follows it, because the prohibition of these impurities is part of the complete religion and the perfect favor of Islam.
- Meaning: Whoever is forced to eat carrion or other things...
"In a state of hunger":
In a state of famine.
"Neither inclined to sin":
Not leaning toward it, similar to the verse: "Neither desiring [it] nor transgressing" (Al-Baqarah: 173).
"Then indeed, Allah is Forgiving":
He will not hold him accountable for that.
