Sūrat al-Māʾidah
سورۃ المائدہ
Sūrat al-Māʾidah
Sūrat al-Māʾidah (The Table-Spread), the fifth chapter of the Qurʾān, comprises one hundred and twenty (120) verses and sixteen (16) sections (rukūʿ). The sūrah was revealed at Madīna. In Sūrat al-Nisāʾ the discourse centred on social and familial dealings; that same theme continues here as the rulings of contracts, lawful and unlawful food, hunting, ablution, and judicial equity are laid out in comprehensive detail.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ أُحِلَّتْ لَكُم بَهِيمَةُ الْأَنْعَامِ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ غَيْرَ مُحِلِّي الصَّيْدِ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ مَا يُرِيدُ
Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū awfū bi-l-ʿuqūdi uḥillat lakum bahīmatu l-anʿāmi illā mā yutlā ʿalaykum ghayra muḥillī l-ṣaydi wa-antum ḥurum inna Allāha yaḥkumu mā yurīd.
"O you who believe! Fulfil your contracts. Lawful for you are the grazing livestock (bahīmat al-anʿām), except what is recited to you — not permitting the hunt while you are in the state of ritual consecration (iḥrām). Indeed Allāh decrees what He wills." (al-Māʾidah 5:1)
Commentary: Awfū bi-l-ʿuqūd — fulfil your contracts and agreements. This is the great opening injunction of the sūrah. Every covenant — whether with Allāh or between people — must be honoured. Obey what Allāh commands; do what He has permitted; avoid what He has forbidden; observe whatever contract you have entered — without evasion or delay. ʿUqūd is the plural of ʿaqd, meaning a binding agreement or covenant. Bahīmatu l-anʿām — the mute grazing animals: cattle, sheep, goats, and camels — those that are eaten. They are made lawful for you, except those listed hereafter. However, while in the state of iḥrām (ritual consecration for Ḥajj or ʿUmra), hunting is unlawful. Allāh decrees according to His wisdom.
Translation: O believers! Fulfil your covenants. The grazing livestock have been made lawful for you, except what is being recited to you now — with the proviso that hunting is not permitted while you are in the state of iḥrām. Indeed Allāh decrees as He wills. (He has given you this permission and placed these boundaries — therefore observe them; those who disobey will face accountability.)
An important reflection: Some ignorant people claim that permitting animals as food is unkind or oppressive, as if animals also possess a soul deserving of protection. Know that Allāh Himself has declared: wa-in min shayʾin illā yusabbiḥu bi-ḥamdihī wa-lākin lā tafqahūna tasbīḥahum — "there is nothing but glorifies His praise, but you do not comprehend their glorification." Yet this glorification does not prevent their use as food in the great chain of created being: minerals nourish plants, plants nourish animals, animals nourish humans. This is the grand order of existence: each level is food for the next. The human being who rises to his full stature nourishes the spiritual world. O human being! Everything was consumed by you, everything was made to pass away into you — and your own self will be made to pass away into the Divine Reality. Minerals pass into plants; plants into animals; animals into the human; and the human — annihilated (fanāʾ) — into the Divine.
(Verse of the author's verse — reconstructed:) "I am the enigma of the universe, the mystery of talismans..."
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ وَلَا الشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَلَا الْهَدْيَ وَلَا الْقَلَائِدَ وَلَا آمِّينَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرِضْوَانًا وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَاصْطَادُوا وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ أَن صَدُّوكُمْ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ أَن تَعْتَدُوا وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū lā tuḥillū shaʿāʾira Allāhi wa-lā l-shahr al-ḥarāma wa-lā l-hadya wa-lā l-qalāʾida wa-lā āmmīna l-bayta l-ḥarāma yabtaghūna faḍlan min rabbihim wa-riḍwānan wa-idhā ḥalaltum faṣṭādū wa-lā yajrimannakum shanaānu qawmin an ṣaddūkum ʿan al-masjid al-ḥarāmi an taʿtadū wa-taʿāwanū ʿalā l-birri wa-l-taqwā wa-lā taʿāwanū ʿalā l-ithmi wa-l-ʿudwāni wa-ttaqū Allāha inna Allāha shadīdu l-ʿiqāb.
"O you who believe! Do not violate the sanctities of Allāh, nor the Sacred Month, nor the sacrificial animals (hadī), nor the garlanded ones (qalāʾid), nor those heading to the Sacred House seeking the grace and pleasure of their Lord. When you are released from iḥrām, then you may hunt. Do not let the hatred of a people — who barred you from the Sacred Mosque — incite you to commit transgression. Cooperate with one another in righteousness and God-consciousness (taqwā), and do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allāh — indeed, Allāh is severe in punishment." (al-Māʾidah 5:2)
Commentary: Shaʿāʾir Allāh — the signs and rites of Allāh; shaʿīra (singular) refers to a sign that Allāh has distinguished and made sacred. These include the Ḥajj rites. Al-shahr al-ḥarām — the sacred months: Dhū l-Qaʿda, Dhū l-Ḥijja, Rajab, and Muḥarram; these four months are inviolable. Al-hadī — sacrificial animals sent to the Sacred Precinct. Al-qalāʾid — garlanded animals that have had a necklace of bark or rope placed around their neck as a sign of their consecration for sacrifice; in the pre-Islamic era this was a universally recognised symbol protecting the animal and its owner. Āmmīna l-bayt al-ḥarām — those making for the Sacred House, the pilgrims intent on Makkah. Riḍwān — divine pleasure and satisfaction; the pilgrim seeks both material benefit (faḍl) and the pleasure of Allāh. Wa-idhā ḥalaltum faṣṭādū — when you exit iḥrām, hunting becomes lawful once more. The command form faṣṭādū here indicates permissibility (ibāḥa), not obligation. Wa-lā yajrimannakum shanaānu qawm — do not let the enmity of those who barred you from the Sacred Mosque (referring to the situation at al-Ḥudaybiya) provoke you into transgression. Taʿāwanū ʿalā l-birr wa-l-taqwā — cooperate in all that is righteous and in God-consciousness. Wa-lā taʿāwanū ʿalā l-ithmi wa-l-ʿudwān — do not cooperate in sin and hostility. Inna Allāha shadīdu l-ʿiqāb — He is severe in punishment; ʿiqāb is punishment that follows a crime, from ʿaqib (heel), as it follows the act.
Translation: O believers! Do not violate the sanctities of Allāh, nor the Sacred Month, nor the sacrificial animals (hadī), nor the garlanded animals (qalāʾid), nor those making for the Sacred House seeking their Lord's grace and pleasure. Once released from iḥrām, hunt. And do not let the hatred of a people who once barred you from the Sacred Mosque impel you to transgress. Cooperate in righteousness and God-consciousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. Fear Allāh — He is severe in retribution.
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلَامِ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Ḥurrimat ʿalaykumu l-maytatu wa-l-damu wa-laḥmu l-khinzīri wa-mā uhilla li-ghayri Allāhi bihi wa-l-munkhaniqa wa-l-mawqūdha wa-l-mutaraddiya wa-l-naṭīḥa wa-mā akala l-sabʿu illā mā dhakkaytum wa-mā dhubiḥa ʿalā l-nuṣubi wa-an tastaqsimū bi-l-azlāmi dhālikum fisqun al-yawma yaʾisa lladhīna kafarū min dīnikum fa-lā takhshawhum wa-khshawni al-yawma akmaltu lakum dīnakum wa-atmamtu ʿalaykum niʿmatī wa-raḍītu lakumu l-Islāma dīnan fa-mani ḍṭurra fī makhmaṣatin ghayra mutajānifin li-ithmin fa-inna Allāha ghafūrun raḥīm.
"Forbidden to you are: the dead animal (mayta), blood, the flesh of swine, and what has been dedicated to other than Allāh; the strangled, the struck down, the fallen from height, the gored, that which a wild animal has begun to eat — unless you managed to slaughter it in time — and what was slaughtered upon the idolatrous altars (nuṣub), and that you seek division by divining arrows (azlām) — that is an act of transgression (fisq). This day the disbelievers have despaired of your religion — do not fear them; fear Me. This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion. But whoever is compelled by extreme hunger, not inclining toward sin — then Allāh is Forgiving, Merciful." (al-Māʾidah 5:3)
Commentary:
Al-mayta — an animal that has died without proper slaughter (dhabḥ): carrion. Its consumption causes spiritual and physical harm, as understood by the Arabs who ate blood in pre-Islamic practice, creating coarse spiritual states. Laḥm al-khinzīr — pork; the pig is the most shameless of animals, and those who eat pork are noted to manifest shamelessness. Mā uhilla li-ghayri Allāhi bihi — that over which a name other than Allāh's has been invoked at slaughter; in pre-Islamic times the Arabs said "bismi l-Lāt wa-l-ʿUzzā" — Islam removes this category from the lawful. The ruling applies because the mention of other names replaces the testimony (shahāda) of Allāh's sovereignty. Even the ḥadīth reports:«هَذَا مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ»— "This is from Muḥammad and his family: In the name of Allāh, Allāh is greatest." The Prophetﷺwould pronounce the divine name at slaughter.
Al-munkhaniqa — the strangled animal, whether by a rope or wire. Al-mawqūdha — struck or beaten to death. Al-mutaraddiya — that which falls from a height and dies. Al-naṭīḥa — that which is gored to death by another animal's horn. Mā akala l-sabʿu — what a predatory beast has begun to consume — unless you slaughter it in time while still alive and there remains breath in it. Mā dhubiḥa ʿalā l-nuṣub — slaughtered upon the stone altars of the idols; these are altars to which the pagans offered sacrifice. This falls under the same category as mā uhilla li-ghayri Allāh.
Al-azlām — divining arrows; the Arabs' practice of drawing lots using marked arrows to determine shares of meat or to decide courses of action; this is a form of gambling and is categorically forbidden.
Al-yawma yaʾisa lladhīna kafarū min dīnikum — this day, the disbelievers have despaired of ever turning you from your religion. The word al-yawm here refers to the era of the revelation of these complete rulings. Do not fear the disbelievers; fear only Allāh.
Al-yawma akmaltu lakum dīnakum — this day I have perfected your religion for you. All the essential and foundational rulings have now been revealed; from this point, the ʿulamāʾ will derive subsidiary rulings from Qurʾān and Sunna through ijtihād. Any position that opposes the foundational principles of Islam is to be rejected; the ultimate source of authority is the Qurʾān.
Wa-raḍītu lakumu l-Islāma dīnā — and I have approved Islam as your religion; among all the religions, Allāh has chosen Islam as the final and complete religion.
Fa-man iḍṭurra fī makhmaṣa — makhmaṣa is severe hunger, having gone without food for many days. Ghayra mutajānifin li-ithm — without inclining toward sin; i.e., without any desire for the unlawful, purely out of necessity to preserve life, taking only what is necessary, without excess. Then Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Translation: Forbidden to you are: carrion (mayta), blood, swine flesh, and what has been dedicated to other than Allāh, the strangled and the beaten and the fallen and the gored, and what the predator has begun to eat — unless you slaughter it in time — and what was slaughtered on stone altars, and divination by arrows (azlām) — all of that is transgression. This day the disbelievers have despaired of your religion — do not fear them but fear Me. This day I have perfected your religion and completed My favour upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion. But whoever is forced by dire hunger, not inclining to sin — then Allāh is Forgiving, Merciful.
The author remarks: In this verse, the essential rulings of the lawful and unlawful are set out. Pork is unlawful universally; even its fat is unlawful. It is the most shameless animal in creation, and those who eat it are observed to take on its shamelessness.
On the question of ḏabḥ (slaughter): the windpipe (ḥulqūm), the food-passage (marīʾ), and the two jugular veins (awdāj) — or at a minimum one — must be severed. Islam commands extreme cleanliness and forbids everything that is connected with filth in the moral or physical sense. Gambling (maysir) too is forbidden — its prohibition is mentioned alongside the prohibition of carrion because both corrupt the soul in analogous ways. The prohibition of gambling is stated with the prohibition of wine in Sūrat al-Māʾidah.
Al-yawm — "this day": the scholars have noted that this proclamation of perfection coincides with the completion of the farewell pilgrimage (Ḥajjat al-Wadāʿ).
يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُم مِّنَ الْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ اللَّهُ فَكُلُوا مِمَّا أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ
Yasʾalūnaka mādhā uḥilla lahum qul uḥilla lakumu l-ṭayyibātu wa-mā ʿallamtum mina l-jawāriḥi mukallibīna tuʿallimūnahunna mimmā ʿallamakumu Allāhu fa-kulū mimmā amsakna ʿalaykum wa-dhkurū sma Allāhi ʿalayhi wa-ttaqū Allāha inna Allāha sarīʿu l-ḥisāb.
"They ask you what has been made lawful for them. Say: Lawful for you are all wholesome things, and what you have trained of hunting animals — you training them as Allāh taught you — so eat of what they catch for you, and mention the name of Allāh over it. And fear Allāh — indeed Allāh is swift in reckoning." (al-Māʾidah 5:4)
Commentary: Al-ṭayyibāt — pure, wholesome things; al-jawāriḥ are the hunting animals — trained birds of prey such as falcons, hawks, and eagles, and hunting dogs. Mukallibīn — one who trains hunting dogs (kalb, dog; kalbun is the root; mukallibūn are those who train animals for hunting). Tuʿallimūnahunna — you teach them; the trained animal must hold its catch for its master, not eat of it for itself. Fa-kulū mimmā amsakna ʿalaykum — eat of what they catch and hold for you, provided: (a) the animal was properly trained; (b) you pronounced the name of Allāh (basmala) when releasing it; (c) the trained animal has not eaten of its kill; (d) if the prey was still alive when you reached it, you must slaughter it properly. Wa-dhkurū sma Allāhi ʿalayhi — and pronounce Allāh's name over it when releasing the hunting animal.
Regarding hunting birds — falcons, hawks, and the like — if Allāh's name is pronounced at the time of releasing the bird and the quarry dies, it is lawful even if the hunter was not present at the kill. And if the hunter releases the bird pronouncing the name of Allāh, and the bird kills the prey, that kill is lawful even if the bird ate a portion — according to most scholars. (There is some scholarly disagreement on this point.)
Translation: They ask you what has been made lawful for them. Say: Lawful for you are all wholesome things; and (lawful is) the prey of the hunting animals you have trained — you training them as Allāh taught you — so eat of what they catch for you and pronounce the name of Allāh over it. Fear Allāh — Allāh is swift in reckoning.
Since the hunt of a trained animal is lawful when Allāh's name is invoked, it follows that the game killed by People of the Book — when Allāh's name is pronounced at slaughter — is similarly lawful.
A clarification: Some ignorant people think that feeding people food upon which "Bismi l-Lāt wa-l-ʿUzzā" has been pronounced serves as a form of charitable donation (iṣāl al-thawāb). This is incorrect. The ḥadīth is clear:«كُلُّ أَمْرٍ ذِي بَالٍ لَمْ يُبْدَأْ بِحَمْدِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ أَجْذَمُ»— "Every matter of consequence that does not begin with the praise of Allāh is cut off from blessing." (Abū Dāwūd; Ibn Mājah) Feeding guests and family is itself an act of worship and reward — provided the food is pure and the name of Allāh is mentioned. A Muslim must always say "Bismi llāh Allāhu akbar" — never invoke another name.
الْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِي أَخْدَانٍ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالْإِيمَانِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
Al-yawma uḥilla lakumu l-ṭayyibātu wa-ṭaʿāmu lladhīna ūtū l-kitāba ḥillun lakum wa-ṭaʿāmukum ḥillun lahum wa-l-muḥṣanātu mina l-muʾmināti wa-l-muḥṣanātu mina lladhīna ūtū l-kitāba min qablikum idhā ātaytumūhunna ujūrahunna muḥṣinīna ghayra musāfiḥīna wa-lā muttakhidhī akhdānin wa-man yakfur bi-l-īmāni fa-qad ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhū wa-huwa fī l-ākhirati mina l-khāsirīn.
"This day the wholesome things have been made lawful for you. The food of those given the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And lawful are the chaste women from among the believing women, and the chaste women among those who were given the Scripture before you — when you give them their dowries, in marriage, not in fornication, and not taking secret companions. Whoever rejects faith, his deed has been nullified and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers." (al-Māʾidah 5:5)
Commentary: Al-ṭayyibāt — all previously permitted pure things; the reminder that many earlier communities had certain things prohibited to them on account of their own wrongdoings, but now all pure things are made lawful for this community. Ṭaʿāmu lladhīna ūtū l-kitāb — the food of the People of the Book; specifically their slaughtered meat, when the name of Allāh has been invoked at slaughter. Note the important limitation: this does not render pork lawful because a Christian has served it — swine flesh remains unlawful regardless; nor does it make lawful any animal over which Allāh's name was not pronounced. This would be a gross distortion of the ruling.
Al-muḥṣanāt — chaste, protected women; iḥṣān literally means "fortification" — a woman who guards her chastity through propriety and, in marriage, through the marital bond. Min al-muʾmināt — from the believing women. Wa-l-muḥṣanāt min alladhīna ūtū l-kitāb — and the chaste women from among those who received the Scripture before you — i.e., Jewish and Christian women who are genuinely chaste. This is a permission for Muslim men to marry chaste women from among the People of the Book — provided they pay their dowry (mahr) in a proper marriage contract, not in fornication or secret companionship (akhdān).
The dowry (mahr) has two categories: (1) muʿajjal — the promptly given portion, paid before consummation; and (2) muʾajjal — the deferred portion, payable upon divorce or death.
Wa-man yakfur bi-l-īmān — and whoever rejects faith — all their deeds are nullified and in the Hereafter they will be among the losers.
Translation: This day the wholesome things have been made lawful for you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And lawful in marriage are the chaste women from among the believing women and the chaste women from among those who received Scripture before you — when you give them their dowries in proper marriage, not in fornication and not taking them as secret companions. Whoever rejects faith, his deeds are void and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.
The author reflects: the question of Muslim men marrying from among the People of the Book requires strict adherence to conditions — genuine chastity, proper contract, full dowry, and the safeguarding of the children in the Muslim faith. Alas, in these times, many Muslims have lost their sense of religious honour (ghayra); some Muslim women are in unlawful relations with non-Muslim men — a catastrophe beyond description.
[p. 025 — extended theological reflection on Islam's universality and its superiority among all religions. The author exhorts Muslims to read the Qurʾān with attentive hearts.]
The author writes: Islam is a universal ocean in which all the spiritually pure are cleansed. Consider: among the Hindus, their sacred texts are restricted to the upper castes — their religion cannot be shared. Among the Zoroastrians, outsiders are not admitted into the faith. Among the Jews, even now none can become Jewish except by birth from a Jewish mother. And even the religion of Jesus (upon him be peace) — bound as it was to the Children of Israel — was explicitly delivered to them: wa-mā arsalnāka illā kāffatan li-l-nāsi — "We have not sent you except to all people." Only Islam alone is: kāffatan li-l-nāsi — for all humanity.
The strange matter is that Catholic and Protestant Christians have taken the opposite conclusion from Christ's own teaching — and have started in our time to welcome outsiders into their denominations against their founding principles, while simultaneously working against Islam. Their true intent and their doctrinal foundations are inconsistent. But the day will come when the truth of Islam will be made manifest, and all of humanity will see that it is the only living path.
O Muslims! Read the Qurʾān. Look at it with attention: something will strike your heart at once. Turn to it in sincerity; it will serve as your exemplar. Your ears will hear it; your eyes will see it; it will descend into your hearts; it will enter your minds. You will know what it is to be a reformer of yourselves and of others, according to the principles of Islam. Islam is the religion of life — it will revive dead hearts. If we become Muslims in truth, the world will witness it; it will see and declare: yes, this is the form and shape of Islam. It is in this spirit that Islam speaks. Alas — arms outstretched, tongue at work, hands reaching out — yet you abandon Islam and it leaves you. It tries to give you its milk — to make you its own. The true religion of humanity is Islam alone. Inna l-dīna ʿinda Allāhi l-Islāmu — "Indeed the religion before Allāh is Islam." Wa-man yabtaghi ghayra l-Islāmi dīnan fa-lan yuqbala minhu — "Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will never be accepted of him." Wa-huwa fī l-ākhirati min al-khāsirīn — "And in the Hereafter he will be among the losers."
Islam is a religion of universal brotherhood: those who enter it become as one, all distinctions dissolved into a single purified community. Consider the other religions of the world: which of them was sent by Allāh as a universal guidance for all mankind? Among the Hindus there is no provision for entry from outside — one cannot be initiated into their caste by any rite. Likewise the Zoroastrian (Pārsī) faith admits no convert. Judaism too remained closed: none could become a Jew save the Children of Israel, for ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) was himself an Israelite bound to the Mosaic law until his appointed mission. But Islam alone was sent — kāffat al-nās — to all mankind and to every people of the world.
It is a cause of sorrow that, seeing the worldwide spread of the Muslims, the Roman (Catholic) and Protestant Christians have begun to receive others into their fold against their own original creed — striving in their own way, with their own designs and principles, against the Muslims, conspiring to draw people away from Islam. Yet, by the leave of Allāh, a day shall come when the truth of Islam will be made manifest, and the whole world will be moved to embrace it.
O Muslim! Read the Qurʾān and look upon it with reflection: its words will strike deep into your heart. Receive it with longing; it will leave a lasting mark upon you. Through your ears it will descend into your heart and settle in your mind, and you will awaken — to reform yourself first and then to abide by its principles. The life-giving religion of Islam revives dead hearts, as our own profession of faith bears witness. Alas! today there is the word upon the tongue but no taste of it in the heart; the hand is empty of works. Learn well from Islam: it offers the nourishment of its own milk and would make you its own. The drawing-near of Allāh and His pleasure are found in Islam alone.
Indeed, this is confirmed by His words:﴿إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ﴾Inna al-dīna ʿinda Allāhi al-Islām — "Indeed, the religion before Allāh is Islam." (Āl ʿImrān 3:19), and﴿وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ﴾Wa-man yabtaghi ghayra al-Islāmi dīnan fa-lan yuqbala minhu — "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him,"﴿وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ﴾wa-huwa fī al-ākhirati mina al-khāsirīn — "and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers." (Āl ʿImrān 3:85)
Commentary: From this discussion it should be evident that Islam desires to abolish division and disorder in the world. One God, one Messenger, one creed, one law — and a simple, straightforward religion, easy for human nature to accept. Just as the whole body suffers when one limb is afflicted, and is restored to health only when each limb is sound, so too the entire community of Islam requires mutual compassion: when harm befalls a single individual, the whole social order is disturbed, and the well-being of each member secures the well-being of all.
Some foolish people say: times change, and law must change with them — how can one law serve all ages? They should understand: fundamental principles (uṣūl) do not change — they are timeless. And it is upon these enduring foundational principles that Islam stands. No state or system besides Islam has ever attained lasting glory and endured. The subsidiary rulings (furūʿ) of the Islamic system are derived in light of its enduring principles — and any comparison of the principles of rational law with the principles of Islam will show Islam to be superior. But only the person with a clear mind and sound judgment can see this. One who lacks proper discernment should weep over his own condition and recognise his own weakness.
How sad is the state of Islam — yet those of weak sight and weak understanding continue to harm it. Know: yurīdūna an yuṭfiʾū nūra Allāhi bi-afwāhihim wa-yaʾbā Allāhu illā an yutimma nūrahu — "They want to extinguish the light of Allāh with their mouths, but Allāh refuses except to perfect His light." (al-Tawba 9:32)
[p. 027 — continuing the commentary on al-Māʾidah 5:4, with rulings on hunting and the Islamic slaughter.]
فَكُلُوا مِمَّا أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ
Fa-kulū mimmā amsakna ʿalaykum wa-dhkurū sma Allāhi ʿalayhi.
Rulings on hunting: Eat of what the trained hunting animal holds for you — not for itself. When releasing the hunting animal, pronounce Allāh's name over it. If the trained animal kills its prey and holds it for you — provided the name of Allāh was pronounced at release — its catch is lawful. If, however, the animal ate of its kill before delivering it, the majority of scholars hold that this particular catch is doubtful and should not be eaten (for it shows the animal was hunting for itself rather than for its master). If the prey is found still alive, it must be slaughtered with the proper cut and the name of Allāh before it dies. If the animal kills the prey outright without eating from it, and the name of Allāh was pronounced at release, it is lawful.
Regarding birds of prey — falcon, hawk, eagle — the same conditions apply: if Allāh's name is pronounced at the moment of release, and the bird kills its quarry and holds it for the hunter without eating it, the quarry is lawful. Even if the bird kills at a distance and dies before the hunter arrives, provided Allāh's name was pronounced — the quarry is lawful. There is scholarly disagreement on the case of a blunt projectile weapon that does not have a sharp cutting point.
Wa-ttaqū Allāh — and fear Allāh; do not violate His commandments. Inna Allāha sarīʿu l-ḥisāb — Allāh is swift in reckoning.
Translation (of 5:4, complete): They ask you what has been made lawful for them. Say: Lawful for you are the wholesome things and whatever you have trained of hunting animals — you training them as Allāh taught you — so eat from what they catch for you, and pronounce Allāh's name over it, and fear Allāh. Indeed Allāh is swift in reckoning.
Since the game killed by trained animals — with Allāh's name — is lawful, it follows that the slaughtered meat of the People of the Book, provided Allāh's name was pronounced, is also lawful for Muslims.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ
Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū idhā qumtum ilā l-ṣalāti fa-ghsilū wujūhakum wa-aydiyakum ilā l-marāfiqi wa-msaḥū bi-ruʾūsikum wa-arjulakum ilā l-kaʿbayn.
"O you who believe! When you rise to perform the prayer, wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe over your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles." (al-Māʾidah 5:6)
Commentary on the terminology of ritual purification: There are three terms: ghusl (complete ablution: washing the entire body), wuḍūʾ (partial ablution), and masḥ (wiping). Ghusl refers to washing every part; wuḍūʾ is the specific ritual washing of the face, arms, wiping the head, and washing the feet; masḥ is a light wiping — as of the head in wuḍūʾ or the boots in masḥ ʿalā l-khuffayn.
Wujūhakum — your faces: from the hairline of the forehead down to the chin in length, and from ear to ear in breadth. The ears themselves are not included; but if there is a beard, it is a Sunna to pass wet fingers through it. Ilā l-marāfiq — up to and including the elbows: the elbow joint is part of what must be washed. Wa-msaḥū bi-ruʾūsikum — wipe your heads: Imām Mālik (may Allāh have mercy on him) held that the entire head must be wiped. Imām al-Shāfiʿī (may Allāh have mercy on him) considered even a small portion of the head sufficient. Imām Abū Ḥanīfa (may Allāh have mercy on him) required one quarter of the head, estimated by the surface area of three fingers. Wa-arjulakum ilā l-kaʿbayn — your feet up to and including the ankle bones; the ankles are the bones that protrude.
An important clarification: There is a difference between farḍ ʿitiqādī (what must be believed as obligatory, denial of which entails unbelief) and farḍ ʿamalī (what must be performed, neglect of which entails sin). Wājib is slightly lower than farḍ in the Ḥanafī terminology. Sunna is what the Prophetﷺregularly did — performing it brings reward; abandoning it is blameworthy. Mustaḥabb is a meritorious act — rewarded when performed, but not sinful when omitted.
Translation: O believers! When you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles.
وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ
Wa-in kuntum junuban fa-ṭṭahhharū wa-in kuntum marḍā aw ʿalā safarin aw jāʾa aḥadun minkum mina l-ghāʾiṭi aw lāmastumu l-nisāʾa fa-lam tajidū māʾan fa-tayammamū ṣaʿīdan ṭayyiban fa-msaḥū bi-wujūhikum wa-aydīkum minhu.
"And if you are in a state of major ritual impurity (junub), purify yourselves. And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you has come from the place of relieving nature, or you have had sexual contact with women and you find no water — then perform tayammum with pure earth and wipe your faces and hands from it." (al-Māʾidah 5:6)
Commentary: Junub — the state of major ritual impurity (janāba) requiring the full ritual bath (ghusl). When in this state, a complete washing of the body is obligatory. Marḍā — if one is ill and water would cause harm. ʿAlā safar — on a journey; the scholars have defined the minimum distance of qualifying travel as approximately one mīl (though the more generally accepted definition in Ḥanafī jurisprudence is three days' journey). Al-ghāʾiṭ — the place of excretion; the euphemism for relieving oneself. Lāmastum al-nisāʾ — the phrase used for sexual intercourse; the Ḥanafī position is that mere touching (lams, skin contact without intercourse) does not nullify wuḍūʾ — the Shāfiʿī position differs. There are ḥadīths recording that the Prophetﷺwould leave to pray while touching one of his wives and would not renew wuḍūʾ — this supports the Ḥanafī view.
Ṣaʿīdun ṭayyib — pure, clean earth; ṣaʿīd is any surface of the earth (arḍ). Tayammum requires the intention (niyya), unlike wuḍūʾ and ghusl — because tayammum being a substitute (badal) makes the intention more critical.
Translation: And if you are in a state of major impurity, purify yourselves. If you are ill or on a journey, or one of you has come from the place of relieving nature, or you have had contact with women and find no water — perform tayammum with pure earth, wiping your faces and hands from it.
The author notes: many people confuse the difference between farḍ (obligatory), wājib (necessary), sunna (prophetic practice), and mustaḥabb (recommended). The farḍ ʿitiqādī (what is doctrinally obligatory) differs from farḍ ʿamalī (what is practically obligatory). The farḍ ʿitiqādī requires doctrinal affirmation; the farḍ ʿamalī requires action. The denial of a farḍ ʿitiqādī is unbelief; the neglect of farḍ ʿamalī is grave sin. The distinction between farḍ and wājib in Ḥanafī fiqh: leaving a farḍ makes the prayer absolutely invalid (bāṭil); leaving a wājib makes it deficient (nāqiṣ) — and a sajdat al-sahw (prostration of forgetfulness) becomes obligatory, or repetition of the prayer if the wājib was intentionally omitted.
مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Mā yurīdu Allāhu li-yajʿala ʿalaykum min ḥarajin wa-lākin yurīdu li-yuṭahhirakum wa-li-yutimma niʿmatahu ʿalaykum laʿallakum tashkurūn.
"Allāh does not intend to place difficulty upon you, but intends to purify you and to complete His favour upon you, so that you may be grateful." (al-Māʾidah 5:6)
Commentary: The permission of tayammum instead of wuḍūʾ and ghusl in cases of illness or unavailability of water demonstrates that Allāh places no unnecessary hardship upon the believer. The ease allowed with tayammum — wiping only the face and hands with earth — proves the extreme mercy of the divine law. This is not an act of ritual uncleanliness; it is a spiritual purification (ṭahāra), for purity of intention makes the act of tayammum itself a cause of reward. Wa-li-yutimma niʿmatahu ʿalaykum — that He may complete His favour upon you in all its dimensions — physical, legal, and spiritual. Laʿallakum tashkurūn — so that you may give thanks: acknowledge His blessings and respond with obedience.
Translation: Allāh does not intend to place any burden on you; He intends to purify you and to complete His favour upon you — so that you may give thanks. (O believers! Rise to perform prayer after making wuḍūʾ or ghusl as prescribed; and when water is unavailable, perform tayammum, wipe your faces and hands, and know that Allāh wants no difficulty for you — He wants purity and the completion of His blessing. Give thanks to Him.)
The following verses come after the ablution rulings, in which Allāh invokes His covenant with the believers and their brothers among the People of the Book.
[p. 031 contains the author's extended discussion of the wuḍūʾ rules — its obligatory acts (farāʾiḍ), its Sunnah acts, its disliked acts, and the acts that break it.]
The obligatory acts (farāʾiḍ) of wuḍūʾ are four: 1. Washing the face once. 2. Washing both arms up to and including the elbows once. 3. Wiping one quarter of the head. 4. Washing both feet up to and including the ankles.
The Sunna acts of wuḍūʾ include: (1) intention (niyya); (2) saying "Bismi llāhi l-Raḥmāni l-Raḥīm"; (3) washing both hands up to the wrists three times; (4) using a tooth-stick (miswāk); (5) rinsing the mouth (maḍmaḍa); (6) sniffing water into the nose (istinshāq); (7) full wiping of the head; (8) wiping the ears; (9) passing the fingers between the fingers and toes (takhlīl); (10) washing each member three times; (11) washing the right limb before the left; (12) wiping the nape (raqaba); (13) maintaining sequence (tartīb) — obligatory in the Shāfiʿī school; (14) continuity (muwālāt), not allowing one member to dry before washing the next.
The Sunna acts of posture in wuḍūʾ: (1) beginning with the right limb; (2) rinsing the mouth with the right hand; (3) facing the qibla; (4) performing wuḍūʾ oneself without assistance; (5) using pure, running water; (6) wiping between the fingers and toes properly; (7) cleaning the inner nostrils with the left hand.
Note: rinsing the mouth (maḍmaḍa) and sniffing water (istinshāq) are wājib acts of wuḍūʾ in the Ḥanafī school — not merely Sunna — because they are required for the complete validity of ghusl.
The acts that nullify wuḍūʾ (nāqiḍāt al-wuḍūʾ) include: (1) excretion or urination; (2) discharge of wind; (3) any emission from the private parts or anus; (4) any flow of blood or pus from the body that spreads from its point of origin; (5) a deep sleep — lying on one side or leaning against a support and sleeping; (6) unconsciousness or intoxication; (7) a fit of insanity; (8) a loud burst of uncontrollable laughter during prayer for a mature person; (9) flow of blood from the mouth to the extent of filling the mouth.
وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَاقَهُ الَّذِي وَاثَقَكُم بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
Wa-dhkurū niʿmata Allāhi ʿalaykum wa-mīthāqahu lladhī wāthaqakum bihi idh qultum samiʿnā wa-aṭaʿnā wa-ttaqū Allāha inna Allāha ʿalīmun bi-dhāti l-ṣudūr.
"And remember the favour of Allāh upon you, and His covenant by which He bound you fast, when you said: 'We hear and we obey.' And fear Allāh — indeed, Allāh is All-Knowing of what lies within the breasts." (al-Māʾidah 5:7)
Commentary: Dhkurū niʿmata Allāh — remember Allāh's favour; reflect upon it, give thanks, and obey. Mīthāquhu — His firm covenant; the covenant taken at bayʿa (the pledge of allegiance) before the Prophetﷺ, when the Companions declared: samiʿnā wa-aṭaʿnā — "We have heard and we obey." Some scholars say this refers to the covenant of the fiṭra (innate disposition) when all souls testified to Allāh's lordship. Dhāt al-ṣudūr — what lies within the hearts: thoughts, intentions, hidden motivations, secrets. Allāh knows every inner state. The lesson: once you have entered into the covenant of obedience to Allāh and His Messenger, fear Allāh in the future; be consistent in that obedience.
Translation: And remember Allāh's favour upon you, and His covenant by which He bound you — when you said "We hear and we obey." And fear Allāh — Allāh knows what lies within the hearts.
[pp. 033–034: Extended commentary on the degrees of obligation — farḍ, wājib, sunna, mustaḥabb — and a discussion of their implications for prayer. Previously covered in the translation above as the author digresses pedagogically.]
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū kūnū qawwāmīna li-llāhi shuhadāʾa bi-l-qisṭi wa-lā yajrimannakum shanaānu qawmin ʿalā allā taʿdilū iʿdilū huwa aqrabu li-l-taqwā wa-ttaqū Allāha inna Allāha khabīrun bi-mā taʿmalūn.
"O you who believe! Be persistently upright for Allāh, bearing witness with justice; and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just — that is nearer to God-consciousness (taqwā). And fear Allāh — indeed Allāh is well-acquainted with what you do." (al-Māʾidah 5:8)
Commentary: Qawwāmīna li-llāh — qāʾim means one who stands firm and maintains something; qawwām is the intensive form — those who are resolutely steadfast in standing for Allāh's cause. Shuhadāʾa bi-l-qisṭ — bearing testimony with complete equity. Some people become so inflamed by the passion of enmity that justice is the first casualty. Allāh commands: let no hatred drive you to injustice, not even against your enemies. Iʿdilū huwa aqrabu li-l-taqwā — be just, for it is nearer to God-consciousness. Even in the punishment of enemies, even in adversarial litigation — maintain equity. Wa-ttaqū Allāh — and fear Allāh continuously. Khabīrun bi-mā taʿmalūn — He is acquainted with all that you do: every act, every intention, every hidden motive.
Translation: O believers! Be firmly upright for Allāh, bearing witness with justice — and do not let the enmity of a people turn you from justice. Be just — that is nearer to God-consciousness. And fear Allāh — indeed Allāh is fully aware of what you do.
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
Waʿada Allāhu lladhīna āmanū wa-ʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti lahum maghfiratun wa-ajrun ʿaẓīm.
"Allāh has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds — for them there is forgiveness and a mighty reward." (al-Māʾidah 5:9)
Commentary: Those who truly believe — not merely in name, and whose deeds correspond to their faith, who are genuinely Muslim and not merely nominally so — for them Allāh has given His divine promise: great forgiveness (maghfira) and a magnificent reward (ajr ʿaẓīm). Consider: Is it not time for those of us who call ourselves Muslims to take the spirit of Islam seriously? Desire for the world, love of ease, laxity, disregard for the obligations of Islam — all of these stand between the believer and the fulfilment of this promise. Those who are true in their faith and their works shall find the promise of Allāh realised.
Translation: Allāh has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds — for them is great forgiveness and a mighty reward.
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ
Wa-lladhīna kafarū wa-kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā ulāʾika aṣḥābu l-jaḥīm.
"And those who disbelieved and denied Our signs — those are the companions of the Blazing Fire." (al-Māʾidah 5:10)
Translation: And those who disbelieved and denied Our signs — they are the people of the Blazing Fire.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ هَمَّ قَوْمٌ أَن يَبْسُطُوا إِلَيْكُمْ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū dhkurū niʿmata Allāhi ʿalaykum idh hamma qawmun an yabsuṭū ilaykum aydiyahum fa-kaffa aydiyahum ʿankum wa-ttaqū Allāha wa-ʿalā Allāhi fa-l-yatawakkali l-muʾminūn.
"O you who believe! Remember the favour of Allāh upon you when a people resolved to stretch forth their hands against you, but He restrained their hands from you. And fear Allāh. And in Allāh let the believers place their trust." (al-Māʾidah 5:11)
Commentary: This verse recalls a specific occasion — likely the plot of a group of enemies who intended to attack or assassinate the Prophetﷺand the Muslims, and Allāh prevented their hands from reaching them. Fa-kaffa aydiyahum ʿankum — He restrained their hands: an unseen divine protection. The lesson for the believer in every age: when enemies resolve to harm you, trust in Allāh — He is the Disposer of affairs (wakīl), the Protector. Do not panic, do not flee from Allāh in despair; place your trust in Him, and He will suffice you. He will honour you, elevate you, and render you independent of need.
Translation: O believers! Remember Allāh's favour upon you when a people intended to stretch their hands against you, and He held back their hands from you. And fear Allāh — and in Allāh let the believers place their trust.
(A verse of Persianate piety — reconstructed from context:) "Commitment, steadfastness, and trust in Him — this is the way of the generous."
وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا وَقَالَ اللَّهُ إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ لَئِنْ أَقَمْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَيْتُمُ الزَّكَاةَ وَآمَنتُم بِرُسُلِي وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا لَّأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ فَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاءَ السَّبِيلِ
Wa-la-qad akhadha Allāhu mīthāqa Banī Isrāʾīla wa-baʿathnā minhumu ithnaʿashara naqīban wa-qāla Allāhu innī maʿakum la-in aqamtumu l-ṣalāta wa-ātaytumu l-zakāta wa-āmantum bi-rusulī wa-ʿazzartumūhum wa-aqraḍtumu Allāha qarḍan ḥasanan la-ukaffiranna ʿankum sayyiʾātikum wa-la-udkhilannnakum jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhāru fa-man kafara baʿda dhālika minkum fa-qad ḍalla sawāʾa l-sabīl.
"And Allāh did take the covenant of the Children of Israel, and We appointed among them twelve chieftains (nuqabāʾ). And Allāh said: 'I am with you — if you establish the prayer and give the zakāt and believe in My messengers and honour them and give Allāh a goodly loan — I shall surely expiate your evil deeds and admit you to Gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whoever among you disbelieves after this has strayed from the straight path.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:12)
Commentary: Mīthāq Banī Isrāʾīl — the covenant Allāh took from the Children of Israel; the firm pledge they gave. Ithnaʿashara naqīban — twelve chieftains, one from each tribe; the word naqīb (plural: nuqabāʾ) means a representative, a leader, a sponsor. Allāh appointed twelve such leaders over the twelve tribes — as a form of divinely sanctioned governance. Innī maʿakum — "I am with you": this is the maʿiyya bi-l-riḍā wa-l-naṣr (the accompaniment of pleasure and divine support), not the omnipresence of His essence — for that covers all creation regardless of obedience. The conditions of this divine companionship: (1) establishment of prayer, (2) giving of zakāt, (3) belief in all the messengers, (4) honouring and supporting them (taʿzīr — respect and defence), (5) lending to Allāh a goodly loan — i.e., spending in the path of Allāh generously. If these conditions are met, Allāh will expiate their sins and admit them to Paradise. Fa-man kafara baʿda dhālik — whoever disbelieves after receiving such a clear covenant has strayed utterly from the straight path.
Translation: And Allāh took the covenant of the Children of Israel, and We raised from among them twelve chieftains. And Allāh said: "I am with you — if you establish the prayer and give the zakāt and believe in My messengers and honour them and give Allāh a goodly loan — I shall surely expiate your evil deeds and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whoever among you disbelieves after this has gone far astray."
The author reflects: Dearly beloved! Look at what has happened to the Children of Israel because of their failings. Are Muslims today not treading in their footsteps? No steadfastness in prayer; no zakāt; no faith in the messengers; no honouring of the noble. The scholars are being disrespected and slighted. Wrongs have accumulated. Consider: will the promise of reward and forgiveness reach you by the mere name of "Muslim"? Self-examination is the beginning of reform. Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-llāh.
فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ وَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ وَلَا تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىٰ خَائِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Fa-bimā naqḍihim mīthāqahum laʿannāhum wa-jaʿalnā qulūbahum qāsiyatan yuḥarrifūna l-kalima ʿan mawāḍiʿihi wa-nasū ḥaẓẓan mimmā dhukkirū bihi wa-lā tazālu taṭṭaliʿu ʿalā khāʾinatin minhum illā qalīlan minhum fa-ʿfu ʿanhum wa-ṣfaḥ inna Allāha yuḥibbu l-muḥsinīn.
"So because of their breaking of the covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their proper places, and they have forgotten a good part of what they were reminded of. And you will not cease to discover treachery from all but a few of them — yet pardon them and overlook. Indeed Allāh loves those who act with excellence." (al-Māʾidah 5:13)
Commentary: Naqḍ al-mīthāq — the breaking of the covenant is cited as the direct cause of the divine curse (laʿna) and the hardening of their hearts. Yuḥarrifūna l-kalima ʿan mawāḍiʿihi — they distort words from their proper places: this is a precise charge — the Jews would take a statement from the divine text and shift its context, rendering its meaning false, or fabricate interpretations that served their purposes. Nasū ḥaẓẓan — they forgot a portion of what they had been reminded; they deliberately abandoned obligations they had been taught. Wa-lā tazālu taṭṭaliʿu ʿalā khāʾina — you will always find treachery among them (this refers to the Muslims' dealings with the Jewish tribes of Madīna who repeatedly broke their treaties). Illā qalīlan minhum — except a few honest souls. Fa-ʿfu ʿanhum wa-ṣfaḥ — pardon and overlook; turn away with magnanimity and forgive. Inna Allāha yuḥibbu l-muḥsinīn — Allāh loves those who excel in goodness.
Translation: So for their breaking of the covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their proper places, and they have forgotten a good part of what they were reminded of. You will never cease discovering treachery from all but a few of them — yet pardon them and overlook. Indeed Allāh loves those who do good.
The author exhorts: Dearly beloved! Reflect on the fate of the Children of Israel and the causes of their downfall: (1) hypocrisy and duplicity; (2) clinging to wealth and abandon of religious duty; (3) arrogance and distance from Allāh. These same causes are at work among Muslims today. The mountain has been lifted over their heads in warning, yet they continue on the same path. How is the state of Muslim discourse? Where is the straight road? Shame! Shame! Instead of self-improvement, complete disgrace has overtaken them. Reform! Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-llāh.
وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَىٰ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَهُمْ فَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَأَغْرَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَسَوْفَ يُنَبِّئُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ
Wa-mina lladhīna qālū innā naṣārā akhadhnā mīthāqahum fa-nasū ḥaẓẓan mimmā dhukkirū bihi fa-aghrāynā baynahumu l-ʿadāwata wa-l-baghḍāʾa ilā yawmi l-qiyāmati wa-sawfa yunabbiʾuhumu Allāhu bi-mā kānū yaṣnaʿūn.
"And from those who said 'We are Christians,' We took their covenant — but they forgot a portion of what they had been reminded of. So We aroused between them enmity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection. And Allāh will inform them of what they used to do." (al-Māʾidah 5:14)
Commentary: The Christians similarly made a covenant with Allāh and forgot a great part of it. As a consequence, Allāh placed enmity and hatred among the Christians themselves — the internecine warfare between Christian sects, the wars between Catholics and Protestants — until the Day of Resurrection. Wa-sawfa yunabbiʾuhumu Allāh — Allāh will inform them of all their doings in full.
Reflect: Jesus (upon him be peace) taught to turn the other cheek — yet does the reality of Christian nations bear any resemblance to this? One Christian nation destroys another. This is the fruit of forgetting the covenant and following the dictates of worldly ambition rather than divine guidance.
Translation: And from those who said "We are Christians," We took their covenant — but they forgot a portion of what they were reminded of. So We stirred enmity and hatred among them until the Day of Resurrection. And Allāh will inform them of what they used to do.
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ كَثِيرًا مِّمَّا كُنتُمْ تُخْفُونَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ
Yā ahla l-kitābi qad jāʾakum rasūlunā yubayyinu lakum kathīran mimmā kuntum tukhfūna mina l-kitābi wa-yaʿfū ʿan kathīrin qad jāʾakum mina Allāhi nūrun wa-kitābun mubīn.
"O People of the Book! Our messenger has come to you, making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture, and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allāh a light and a clear book." (al-Māʾidah 5:15)
Commentary: The Prophet Muḥammadﷺcame to the People of the Book with a Book containing both nūr (divine light) and bayān (clear exposition). He reveals what they had concealed from their own Scriptures — including the prophecies of the coming of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺwhich they had suppressed. He overlooks what would only cause further controversy; where the original purpose of revelation is still served, it is left without harsh correction.
Min Allāhi nūrun — from Allāh, a light: the person of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺhimself is that light sent from Allāh. Wa-kitābun mubīn — and a clear Book: the Qurʾān, whose clarity is such that no aspect of guidance, whether creed, law, or moral instruction, is left unexplained.
Translation: O People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you, clarifying much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture, and passing over much. A light from Allāh and a clear Book have come to you.
يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ وَيُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
Yahdī bihi Allāhu mani ttabaʿa riḍwānahu subula l-salāmi wa-yukhrijuhum mina l-ẓulumāti ilā l-nūri bi-idhnihi wa-yahdīhim ilā ṣirāṭin mustaqīm.
"Through it Allāh guides those who seek His pleasure to the paths of peace, and brings them out of darkness into light by His leave, and guides them to a straight path." (al-Māʾidah 5:16)
Commentary: Man ittabaʿa riḍwānahu — those who follow the ways that please Allāh, who keep His pleasure as their goal. Subula l-salām — the paths of peace (or salvation): Islam literally means submission and peace; its paths all lead to safety. Mina l-ẓulumāt ilā l-nūr — from the darknesses of disbelief, ignorance, and moral decay, to the light of faith and guidance. This movement from darkness to light is effected by Allāh's permission and grace (bi-idhnihi). Wa-yahdīhim ilā ṣirāṭin mustaqīm — and He guides them to the straight path — the path of Allāh upon which there is no deviation and no loss.
Translation: Allāh guides by it whoever follows His pleasure to the paths of peace, and brings them from darkness into light by His leave, and guides them to a straight path.
An important reflection: Faith (īmān) is one and indivisible; disbelief and polytheism are many — they come in numberless varieties. There is only one straight path; the deviant paths are innumerable.
لَّقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ قُلْ فَمَن يَمْلِكُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا إِنْ أَرَادَ أَن يُهْلِكَ الْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمَّهُ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
La-qad kafara lladhīna qālū inna Allāha huwa l-Masīḥu bnu Maryama qul fa-man yamliku mina Allāhi shayʾan in arāda an yuhlika l-Masīḥa bna Maryama wa-ummahu wa-man fī l-arḍi jamīʿan wa-li-llāhi mulku l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi wa-mā baynahumā yakhluqu mā yashāʾu wa-llāhu ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr.
"Certainly those who said: 'Allāh is the Messiah, son of Mary' have committed disbelief. Say: Who then has the power to prevent Allāh in anything if He intended to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother and all those on earth? To Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what is between them. He creates what He wills, and Allāh is over all things capable." (al-Māʾidah 5:17)
Commentary: The claim of the Melkite Christians that Allāh is the Messiah is here pronounced as disbelief (kufr). The argument given is irrefutable: if the Messiah were God, who could stop Allāh from destroying him? The Messiah himself, his mother, and all humanity are utterly subject to Allāh's will. Wa-li-llāhi mulku l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ — all dominion belongs to Allāh. He creates what He wills; He is omnipotent.
Translation: Those who say "Allāh is the Messiah, son of Mary" have committed disbelief. Say: Who has power to prevent Allāh from anything, if He wills to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother, and all on earth? To Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all between them. He creates as He wills, and Allāh has power over all things.
The author reflects: What are the matters of the Unseen (ghayb)? Two kinds: (1) those whose existence is beyond rational demonstration — and in these Allāh is present and known. (2) Lākin Allāhu ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr — the divine omnipotence means that what Allāh wills to create will be created; what He wills to destroy will be destroyed. The Messiah — being born of a mother, having a body that eats and drinks — is a creation. And a creation cannot be the Creator. The idea that Allāh would have a son is metaphysically impossible: for a son would either be co-eternal with Allāh (which contradicts divine uniqueness) or created (which contradicts divinity). Therefore divine transcendence (tanzīh) absolutely requires: Subḥānahu an yakūna lahu walad.
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُم بِذُنُوبِكُمْ بَلْ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاءُ وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ
Wa-qālati l-yahūdu wa-l-naṣārā naḥnu abnāʾu Allāhi wa-aḥibbāʾuhu qul fa-lima yuʿadhdhibukum bi-dhunūbikum bal antum basharun mimman khalaqa yaghfiru li-man yashāʾu wa-yuʿadhdhibu man yashāʾu wa-li-llāhi mulku l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi wa-mā baynahumā wa-ilayhi l-maṣīr.
"And the Jews and the Christians said: 'We are the sons of Allāh and His beloved.' Say: Then why does He punish you for your sins? Rather, you are human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. To Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and to Him is the final return." (al-Māʾidah 5:18)
Commentary: The Jews and Christians claimed a special filial or intimate relationship with Allāh — that they were His "children" (in a metaphorical or theological sense) or His "beloved." The Prophetﷺis commanded to respond: If you are truly His beloved children, why does He allow your sins to bring punishment upon you? The answer refutes their claim: you are nothing but human beings, from among those whom Allāh created. He forgives whom He wills through His mercy, and punishes whom He wills through His justice. The divine dominion is absolute and unconditional.
Translation: The Jews and the Christians said: "We are the children of Allāh and His beloved." Say: Then why does He punish you for your sins? No — you are but human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. To Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens, the earth, and all between them, and to Him is the ultimate return.
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ عَلَىٰ فَتْرَةٍ مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا جَاءَنَا مِن بَشِيرٍ وَلَا نَذِيرٍ فَقَدْ جَاءَكُم بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Yā ahla l-kitābi qad jāʾakum rasūlunā yubayyinu lakum ʿalā fatrating mina l-rusuli an taqūlū mā jāʾanā min bashīrin wa-lā nadhīrin fa-qad jāʾakum bashīrun wa-nadhīrun wa-llāhu ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr.
"O People of the Book! Our messenger has come to you, making things clear, after a period without messengers (fatra) — lest you say: 'No bearer of good tidings and no warner came to us.' A bearer of good tidings and a warner has now come to you. And Allāh has power over all things." (al-Māʾidah 5:19)
Commentary: Fatrat min al-rusul — the period of prophetic cessation between Jesus (upon him be peace) and Muḥammadﷺ: approximately six hundred years — a long interval during which no prophet came. During this time, the People of the Book had distorted, forgotten, or suppressed their scriptures. The Prophetﷺcame precisely at the end of this fatra so that no one could claim: "No one came to us." Bashīrun wa-nadhīr — a bearer of glad tidings (bushrā) and a warner (indhār): the complete prophetic function has now been fulfilled. Wa-Allāhu ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr — and Allāh has power over everything — including the guidance of even the most hardened of opponents.
Translation: O People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you, making clear to you after a long interval between messengers — so that you cannot say: "No bearer of good tidings and no warner came to us." A bearer of good tidings and a warner has indeed come to you. And Allāh has power over all things.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَعَلَ فِيكُمْ أَنبِيَاءَ وَجَعَلَكُم مُّلُوكًا وَآتَاكُم مَّا لَمْ يُؤْتِ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ
Wa-idh qāla Mūsā li-qawmihī yā qawmi dhkurū niʿmata Allāhi ʿalaykum idh jaʿala fīkum anbiyāʾa wa-jaʿalakum mulūkan wa-ātākum mā lam yuʾti aḥadan mina l-ʿālamīn.
"And when Moses said to his people: 'O my people! Remember the favour of Allāh upon you — when He placed prophets among you and made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to anyone else in the world.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:20)
Commentary: Anbiāʾ — Allāh appointed prophets from among the Children of Israel: Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon, and many others. Mulūk — kings: David (upon him be peace) was both a prophet and a king; Solomon (upon him be peace) likewise; and other kings arose among them. Mā lam yuʾti aḥadan mina l-ʿālamīn — things not given to anyone else: the manna and quails, the splitting of the sea, the cloud of shade, the twelve springs — extraordinary divine favours.
Translation: And recall when Moses said to his people: "O my people! Remember the favour of Allāh upon you — when He placed prophets among you and made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to anyone else in all creation."
يَا قَوْمِ ادْخُلُوا الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِي كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ
Yā qawmi dkhulū l-arḍa l-muqaddasata llatī kataba Allāhu lakum wa-lā tartaddū ʿalā adbārikum fa-tanqalibū khāsirīn.
"O my people! Enter the Holy Land that Allāh has decreed for you, and do not turn back, or you will be turned back as losers." (al-Māʾidah 5:21)
Commentary: Al-arḍ al-muqaddasa — the Holy Land (Palestine/Jerusalem), the blessed earth where the tombs of Ibrāhīm, Isḥāq, Yaʿqūb, Yūsuf, Sulaymān, Mūsā, and many other prophets (upon them all be peace) rest. Allāh wrote it for them — i.e., decreed it as their inheritance and dwelling. Wa-lā tartaddū ʿalā adbārikum — do not turn back; irtidād here means retreat and cowardice, not necessarily apostasy. Fa-tanqalibū khāsirīn — otherwise you will suffer complete loss: worldly, spiritual, and eternal.
Translation: O my people! Enter the Holy Land that Allāh has decreed for you, and do not retreat — or you will be turned about as losers.
قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّ فِيهَا قَوْمًا جَبَّارِينَ وَإِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَا حَتَّىٰ يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا فَإِن يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا فَإِنَّا دَاخِلُونَ
Qālū yā Mūsā inna fīhā qawman jabbārīna wa-innā lan nadkhulahā ḥattā yakhrujū minhā fa-in yakhrujū minhā fa-innā dākhilūn.
"They said: 'O Moses! Indeed in it is a people of mighty power, and we will never enter it until they depart from it. If they depart from it, then we will enter.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:22)
Commentary: Jabbārīn — a people of overwhelming size and power; jabbār from jabara (to set a broken bone, to overpower): mighty, overbearing tyrants. The Children of Israel, having lived as slaves under Pharaoh, had become cowardly and dispirited. When scouts reported the mighty inhabitants of Canaan — the ʿAmāliq — the people refused outright: "We will enter only if they leave first." Rank cowardice in the face of divine command.
Translation: They said: "O Moses! There is in it a people of terrible might, and we will never enter it until they leave it. If they leave it, then we will enter."
قَالَ رَجُلَانِ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمَا ادْخُلُوا عَلَيْهِمُ الْبَابَ فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُمُوهُ فَإِنَّكُمْ غَالِبُونَ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
Qāla rajulāni mina lladhīna yakhāfūna anʿama Allāhu ʿalayhimā dkhulū ʿalayhimu l-bāba fa-idhā dakhaltumūhu fa-innakum ghālibūna wa-ʿalā Allāhi fa-tawakkalū in kuntum muʾminīn.
"Two men — those whom Allāh had favoured — who feared Allāh said: 'Enter against them through the gate; and once you have entered, you will surely prevail. And in Allāh place your trust, if you are truly believers.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:23)
Commentary: The two men were Kālib (Caleb) and Yūshaʿ (Joshua) — two of the twelve chieftains of the Children of Israel — who were among the God-fearing and whose hearts Allāh had favoured with faith and courage. They argued: the key is to march through the gate boldly — Allāh's help will come. Fa-innakum ghālibūn — once you enter with trust in Allāh, you will prevail. Wa-ʿalā Allāhi fa-tawakkalū — and upon Allāh place your reliance; entrust your affairs to Him. In kuntum muʾminīn — if indeed you are believers: true faith requires action.
Translation: Two men among the God-fearing — whom Allāh had blessed — said: "Enter upon them through the gate; once you enter it, you will surely prevail. And place your trust in Allāh — if you are truly believers."
قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَا أَبَدًا مَّا دَامُوا فِيهَا فَاذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَاتِلَا إِنَّا هَاهُنَا قَاعِدُونَ
Qālū yā Mūsā innā lan nadkhulahā abadan mā dāmū fīhā fa-dhhab anta wa-rabbuka fa-qātilā innā hāhunā qāʿidūn.
"They said: 'O Moses! We will never enter it as long as they are in it. Go — you and your Lord — and fight; we are sitting here.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:24)
Commentary: The absolute nadir of insolence and cowardice: "We will never enter — so long as those giants remain. You and your Lord go and fight; we are staying here." A declaration of wilful disobedience in the face of a divine command — compounded by shameless irreverence. For this, they were condemned to wander in the desert for forty years.
Translation: They said: "O Moses! We will never enter it as long as they are in it — go, you and your Lord, and fight; we are sitting here."
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لَا أَمْلِكُ إِلَّا نَفْسِي وَأَخِي فَافْرُقْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ
Qāla rabbi innī lā amliku illā nafsī wa-akhī fa-fruq baynanā wa-bayna l-qawmi l-fāsiqīn.
"He said: 'My Lord! I have no power except over myself and my brother — so distinguish between us and the disobedient people.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:25)
Translation: He said: "My Lord! I control no one but myself and my brother — so judge between us and this disobedient people."
قَالَ فَإِنَّهَا مُحَرَّمَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً يَتِيهُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ
Qāla fa-innahā muḥarramatun ʿalayhim arbaʿīna sanatan yatīhūna fī l-arḍi fa-lā taʾsa ʿalā l-qawmi l-fāsiqīn.
"He said: 'Then it is forbidden to them for forty years — they will wander lost in the earth. So do not grieve over the disobedient people.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:26)
Commentary: Muḥarrama — made forbidden and inaccessible. Arbaʿīna sana — forty years; in this period the Children of Israel wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Sinai — yatīhūna fī l-arḍ — confused and directionless, their punishment for cowardice and defiance. Tīh means to wander without direction, to be lost in bewilderment. Fa-lā taʾsa ʿalā l-qawmi l-fāsiqīn — do not grieve for the disobedient people; their fate is self-chosen. The lesson for the believer: cowardice and disobedience to divine command bring their own punishment; the one who refuses to strive in the path of Allāh will be deprived of His blessings.
Translation: He said: "Then it is forbidden to them for forty years — they will wander lost in the land. So do not grieve for the disobedient people."
The author reflects: Contemplate the story of the Children of Israel. After liberation from the tyranny of Pharaoh, the Children of Israel came close to Palestine. The ʿAmāliq — mighty giants — were settled in the Levant. The Children of Israel, broken by slavery under Pharaoh, had become cowardly and dispirited. They were told to advance and take their inheritance. Caleb and Joshua argued: "Go in through the gate; trust Allāh; victory will come." The people refused: "You and your God go and fight; we stay here." So they wandered the Tīh — the desert wasteland — for forty years.
When the generation that had known slavery passed away, the next generation — free-spirited and courageous — entered under Joshua and conquered the land. For as long as the spirit of servitude clung to them, Allāh did not admit them into honour.
O Muslims! Reflect on your own condition. Has freedom (āzādī) entered your souls, or has servility (ghulāmī) become your second nature? As long as selfishness and laziness dominate you, as long as you avoid the path of self-sacrifice toward excellence, you will not be truly free. Freedom is earned through sacrifice.
(A verse of Urdu poetry — reconstructed:) "The cowardly man dies every day; the brave man dies but once. Man! die for Allāh — this alone is life."
The divine rebuke of the disobedient was severe. Now the author transitions to the story of Adam's two sons — a narrative that directly follows the mention of the fāsiqūn (disobedient people) — to illustrate the origin of jealousy, murder, and injustice.
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ابْنَيْ آدَمَ بِالْحَقِّ إِذْ قَرَّبَا قُرْبَانًا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِن أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ الْآخَرِ قَالَ لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُقَتِّينَ
Wa-tlu ʿalayhim nabaʾa bnay Ādama bi-l-ḥaqqi idh qarrabā qurbānan fa-tuqqubbila min aḥadihimā wa-lam yutaqabbal mina l-ākhiri qāla la-aqtulannaka qāla innamā yataqabbalu Allāhu mina l-muttaqīn.
"And recite to them the true story of the two sons of Adam, when they each offered a sacrifice — and it was accepted from one of them and not accepted from the other. (The latter) said: 'I will surely kill you!' (The other) said: 'Allāh only accepts from the God-conscious.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:27)
Commentary: The two sons of Adam (upon him be peace) are named in traditions as Hābīl (Abel) and Qābīl (Cain). Qurban (the offering of sacrifice for drawing near to Allāh) — both offered their sacrifices. The sign of acceptance of a sacrifice in the earlier dispensation was that a divine fire would descend and consume the accepted offering while leaving the rejected one. Abel (the shepherd) offered an animal from his flock — the best; Cain (the farmer) offered produce, but grudgingly. Allāh accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's. Qāla la-aqtulannaka — Cain declared: "I will kill you." Abel responded: innamā yataqabbalu Allāhu mina l-muttaqīn — Allāh accepts only from the God-conscious.
Reflect carefully: as long as there is no taqwā (God-consciousness) in a person, no prayer, no sacrifice, no deed is accepted. What will become of the prayers and offerings of those who trade in usury? What of the "charitable" gifts of those who earn through bribery? A single sincere act of a God-fearing poor man outweighs ten thousand such offerings.
Translation: And recite to them the true story of the two sons of Adam: when each offered a sacrifice, it was accepted from one and not from the other. (The latter) said: "I will surely kill you." (The other) replied: "Allāh accepts only from the God-conscious."
لَئِن بَسَطتَ إِلَيَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي مَا أَنَا بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَقْتُلَكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ
La-in basaṭta ilayya yadaka li-taqtulanī mā anā bi-bāsiṭin yadiya ilayka li-aqtulaka innī akhāfu Allāha rabba l-ʿālamīn.
"If you stretch your hand towards me to kill me, I will not stretch my hand towards you to kill you. Indeed I fear Allāh, the Lord of all creation." (al-Māʾidah 5:28)
Commentary: Abel's response is one of the most sublime moral declarations in the Qurʾān: steadfast non-retaliation born not of cowardice but of genuine taqwā. Innī akhāfu Allāha rabba l-ʿālamīn — I fear Allāh, Lord of all the worlds. This is the source of his restraint. The pronunciation of basaṭta requires care in recitation: the ṣ is emphatic (mufakham).
Translation: "If you stretch your hand toward me to kill me, I will not stretch my hand toward you to kill you — I fear Allāh, Lord of all creation."
إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَن تَبُوءَ بِإِثْمِي وَإِثْمِكَ فَتَكُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الظَّالِمِينَ
Innī urīdu an tabūʾa bi-ithmī wa-ithmika fa-takūna min aṣḥābi l-nāri wa-dhālika jazāʾu l-ẓālimīn.
"I desire that you return with my sin and your sin, so that you become among the companions of the Fire — that is the recompense of the wrongdoers." (al-Māʾidah 5:29)
Commentary: An tabūʾa bi-ithmī wa-ithmika — "that you bear my sin and your sin": this means that by killing me unjustly, you will bear the sin of murdering me in addition to your own accumulated sins. Fatakunna min aṣḥābi l-nār — you will then be among the people of the Fire. Dhālika jazāʾu l-ẓālimīn — that is the just recompense of wrongdoers.
Translation: "I desire that you return carrying my sin and your own sin, and become among the people of the Fire — that is the recompense of wrongdoers."
فَطَوَّعَتْ لَهُ نَفْسُهُ قَتْلَ أَخِيهِ فَقَتَلَهُ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
Fa-ṭawwaʿat lahu nafsuhu qatla akhīhi fa-qatalahu fa-aṣbaḥa mina l-khāsirīn.
"But his soul inclined him toward the killing of his brother — so he killed him and became among the losers." (al-Māʾidah 5:30)
Commentary: Ṭawwaʿat — his soul (nafs) made the deed seem smooth and easy; the nafs ammāra (the commanding self) invited him toward the killing of his brother. Fa-qatalahu — and he killed him. Fa-aṣbaḥa mina l-khāsirīn — and he became of the losers: the foremost of the losers in this world and in the next.
Translation: But his soul made the killing of his brother seem easy to him — so he killed him, and became one of the losers.
فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ غُرَابًا يَبْحَثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُ كَيْفَ يُوَارِي سَوْأَةَ أَخِيهِ قَالَ يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَٰذَا الْغُرَابِ فَأُوَارِيَ سَوْأَةَ أَخِي فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ النَّادِمِينَ
Fa-baʿatha Allāhu ghurāban yabḥathu fī l-arḍi li-uriyahu kayfa yuwārī sawʾata akhīhi qāla yā waylatā aʿajaztu an akūna mithla hādhā l-ghurābi fa-uwāriya sawʾata akhī fa-aṣbaḥa mina l-nādimīn.
"Then Allāh sent a crow, scratching in the earth, to show him how to conceal the exposed body of his brother. He said: 'Alas for me! Was I unable to be like this crow and to conceal the body of my brother?' And he became of the remorseful." (al-Māʾidah 5:31)
Commentary: Ghurāb — a crow; ghurab, gharbun (root), black. Yabḥathu — scratching, digging; manifesting how to bury. Allāh sent a crow to demonstrate to Cain — who had never witnessed death or burial — how to bury the dead: the crow scratched and dug in the earth beside a dead bird, burying it. Yā waylatā — "Woe is me!" (waylatā — my ruin and grief). Aʿajaztu an akūna mithla hādhā l-ghurāb — "Was I unable even to be like this crow?" — more incapable than a bird! Fa-uwāriya sawʾata akhī — to conceal the body (sawʾa — the shameful exposed corpse) of my brother. Fa-aṣbaḥa mina l-nādimīn — he became of the deeply remorseful.
Translation: Then Allāh sent a crow, scratching in the earth, to show him how to conceal the body of his brother. He said: "Alas for me! Was I too helpless to be like this crow and conceal my brother's body?" And he became of the deeply remorseful.
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
Min ajli dhālika katabnā ʿalā Banī Isrāʾīla annahu man qatala nafsan bi-ghayri nafsin aw fasādin fī l-arḍi fa-ka-annamā qatala l-nāsa jamīʿā.
"Because of that, We decreed for the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul — unless it be for another soul or for corruption in the land — it is as if he has killed all mankind." (al-Māʾidah 5:32)
Commentary: Min ajli dhālik — because of this first murder and its catastrophic consequences, Allāh established for the Children of Israel — and, by extension, for all humanity — the absolute sanctity of human life. Man qatala nafsan bi-ghayri nافsin — whoever takes a life without legal justification (qiṣāṣ — legal retaliation for a life) or without warrant of fasād fī l-arḍ (corruption in the land — i.e., the punishment prescribed for the bandit, rebel, or violent terrorist) — it is as if he has killed all of humanity. The verse establishes that the wrongful killing of a single innocent soul is, in its moral weight, equivalent to the killing of all mankind. Conversely, to save a single life is like saving all of mankind. The verse thus establishes the foundations of the Islamic law of qiṣāṣ (just retaliation) and the supreme value of the individual human soul.
It is to be understood clearly: this verse does not remove the punishment for a criminal who has wrongfully killed — it emphasises the gravity of murder. He who kills without right will face the full weight of the law and of divine reckoning.
Translation: Because of this, We decreed for the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul — without it being (in just retaliation) for another soul, or for corruption in the land — it is as though he has killed all mankind. And this makes plain that the one who kills without right will not escape the punishment of all — rather, the gravity of each such act is immeasurable.
Sūrat al-Māʾidah (5) — continued
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ
Min ajli dhālika katabnā ʿalā Banī Isrāʾīla annahu man qatala nafsan bi-ghayri nafsin aw fasādin fī l-arḍi fa-kaʾannamā qatala l-nāsa jamīʿan wa-man aḥyāhā fa-kaʾannamā aḥyā l-nāsa jamīʿan wa-laqad jāʾathum rusulunā bi-l-bayyināti thumma inna kathīran minhum baʿda dhālika fī l-arḍi la-musrifūn.
"It was on that account that We decreed for the Children of Israel: whosoever takes a life — unless it be in retaliation for another life or for causing corruption in the land — it is as though he has killed all of mankind. And whosoever saves one life, it is as though he has saved all of mankind. And indeed Our messengers came to them with clear signs; yet after that, many of them continued to exceed all bounds in the land." (al-Māʾidah 5:32)
Translation: On account of that crime of Cain — We laid down for the Children of Israel this ruling: whosoever takes an innocent life — not in lawful retaliation (qiṣāṣ) and not in punishment for corruption in the land — it is as though he has slain all of humanity. And whosoever preserves one life, it is as though he has given life to all humanity. Our messengers came to them with manifest proofs and signs; yet after all this, many of them persist in committing excesses in the land.
Commentary: Here the author pauses in profound reverence before the sanctity of human life. He reflects: the human being (insān) is the noblest of created things (ashraf al-makhlūqāt). Before man was created, the world of existence lacked a soul and a spirit; the manifestation of Divine governance (shān-i ḥākim) had not yet appeared. Through the human being, all of the Divine Names and Attributes (asmāʾ wa-ṣifāt) find expression; the human is the locus of the Divine Names (maẓhar-i asmāʾ-yi ilāhī). To kill a person is to obliterate that locus of Divine manifestation — it is, in effect, to attempt to extinguish the light of Allāh. It is therefore among the gravest of all sins. As the poet has said: "Do not break the heart of any living being, for that which is fashioned by the Living is living." The exception is clear: to take a life in lawful retaliation, or to suppress violent corruption and brigandage upon the appointment of the legitimate Imām (amīr) — for these a different dispensation exists, the details of which are governed by the discretion of the Imām. The great Imāms have said: if the crime is solely murder, execution is required; if it is coupled with armed robbery, the Imām has discretion to crucify the criminal or to amputate his hands and feet on alternate sides, or to exile him from the land — each according to the nature of the offence. After capture, repentance remains possible and hope in Divine mercy is open; but the rights of other humans — whether financial or corporal — are not lifted by repentance alone.
إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا أَنْ يُقَتَّلُوا أَوْ يُصَلَّبُوا أَوْ تُقَطَّعَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ مِنْ خِلَافٍ أَوْ يُنْفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ذَلِكَ لَهُمْ خِزْيٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
Innamā jazāʾu l-ladhīna yuḥāribūna Llāha wa-rasūlahu wa-yasʿawna fī l-arḍi fasādan an yuqattalu aw yuṣallabū aw tuqaṭṭaʿa aydīhim wa-arjuluhum min khilāfin aw yunfaw mina l-arḍi dhālika lahum khizyun fī l-dunyā wa-lahum fī l-ākhirati ʿadhābun ʿaẓīm.
"The recompense of those who wage war against Allāh and His Messenger, and who strive to spread corruption in the land, is that they be killed, or crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter a severe punishment awaits them." (al-Māʾidah 5:33)
Translation: The punishment of those who wage war against Allāh and His Messenger and strive to spread corruption in the land is that they be killed, or crucified, or have their hands and feet severed on opposite sides, or be expelled from the land. This is their humiliation in this world, and in the Hereafter there is a grievous punishment for them.
Commentary: The term muḥārabah (waging war against Allāh and His Messenger) encompasses violent brigandage (qaṭʿ al-ṭarīq), armed insurrection against the legitimate authority, and the forcible spreading of terror and disorder. The Ḥanafī jurists hold: if the crime involves killing alone, execution is warranted; if both killing and plunder, the Imām may choose execution or crucifixion as a deterrent; if plunder alone without killing, the penalty is amputation of the right hand and left foot; if the bandits merely terrorised without committing murder or theft, they are imprisoned or banished — this too is within the Imām's discretion. After apprehension, repentance and hope in Divine mercy remain open; yet the rights owed to other human beings — whether of the same community or not — must still be fulfilled, and the divinely ordained punishment (ḥadd) will apply.
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهِمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Illā l-ladhīna tābū min qabli an taqdirū ʿalayhim fa-ʿlamū anna Llāha ghafūrun raḥīm.
"Except those who repent before you gain power over them; know that Allāh is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (al-Māʾidah 5:34)
Translation: Excepted are those who repent before you are able to seize them — know that Allāh is All-Forgiving and Most Merciful.
Commentary: O beloved reader! The human being is the noblest of creation. Before he came into existence the world of the unseen was without soul, the manifestation of the Divine was hidden. Through the human being all the Divine Names find expression — the human is the mirror of the Divine Names. To kill a human being is to deface that mirror and to extinguish that light. And yet — Allāh's mercy has no limit. The one who turns before being seized: Allāh opens the door of repentance and forgiveness even for the gravest offences.
The author then comments on the status of those who repent before capture: if their repentance is sincere and their conduct reformed, the Ḥadds (fixed punishments) that are purely rights of Allāh — such as the penalty for brigandage — are lifted by repentance before apprehension. However, claims owed to human beings — blood-money (diya), restitution of property, and similar — remain in force and must be settled.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū ittaqū Llāha wa-btaghū ilayhi l-wasīlata wa-jāhidū fī sabīlihi laʿallakum tufliḥūn.
"O you who believe! Fear Allāh and seek the means of drawing near to Him, and strive in His path, that you may prosper." (al-Māʾidah 5:35)
Translation: O believers! Adopt taqwā (God-consciousness and piety) and seek the means of approach (wasīla) to Allāh, and strive and struggle in His path — that you may attain success and felicity.
Commentary: This noble verse contains profound instruction. Firstly, taqwā: manifest the truth — let the heart be awakened by love of truth; keep at a distance from the forbidden (ḥurumāt), from vices, and from the desires of the lower self (khawāhishāt-i nafsānī); guard the heart from the stain of the forbidden. Guard against lies, bribery, usury, hypocrisy, and self-conceit. So long as the heart is not cleansed of these filths, the image of true knowledge (ṣūrat-i ʿilm) will not become visible. As a poet has said: "Gaze upon the Friend in the same way; consider that all imaginary veils have vanished." (Ḥasrat)
Then the verse commands: wa-btaghū ilayhi l-wasīlata — seek the wasīla (means of access) to Allāh. All acts of worship (ʿibādāt) are means of approach to Allāh — the prescribed prayer (ṣalāt), fasting (ṣawm), the Pilgrimage (Ḥajj), the Zakāt, and all good deeds. But the greatest means of all is love for Allāh and His Messengerﷺ. As the ḥadīth states:«لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ»Lā yuʾminu aḥadukum ḥattā akūna aḥabba ilayhi min wālidihi wa-walidihi wa-l-nāsi ajmaʿīn — "None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all of mankind." (al-Bukhārī; Muslim)
The love of the Prophetﷺand the Awliyāʾ (may Allāh have mercy on them) is a firm rope. Those who dispute the validity of this wasīla should know: when you have found a beloved, do not abandon him, but hold fast to him — recite this supplication persistently, make it a litany of your tongue:
Allāhumma innī astashfiʿu wa-atawassalu ilayka bi-ḥabībika l-Muṣṭafā yā Ḥabībanā yā Muḥammad! Innā natawassalu bika ilā Rabbika fa-shfaʿ lanā ʿinda l-Mawlā l-ʿAẓīm. Yā niʿma l-Rasūlu l-ṭāhir! Allāhumma shaffiʿhu fīnā bi-jāhihi ʿindak.
"O Allāh! I seek intercession and draw near to You through Your Beloved, al-Muṣṭafā — O our Beloved, O Muḥammad! We draw near to You through You to our Lord; intercede for us before the Great Master. O what a pure Messenger! O Allāh, grant him intercession on our behalf by virtue of his standing with You."
O lovers of the Messengerﷺ! Keep the cry of Yā Rasūla Llāh! on your tongues day and night. Supplicate that Allāh grant you the love of His Prophetﷺ, the love of his friends, and immersion in his remembrance. This true love will be your vehicle to Allāh. As the poet says: "Friend, companion, brother — in whatever direction you look, He is your intimate."
Then the verse commands jihād in Allāh's path. Do not be deceived by the superficial strength of armies and weapons — the believer's true jihād begins within: breaking down the walls of the lower self, dismantling the ramparts of the ego, marching upon the straight path, and inviting others to it. Then, to strive with one's possessions and life in the service of the community of the faith.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لِيَفْتَدُوا بِهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا تُقُبِّلَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
Inna l-ladhīna kafarū law anna lahum mā fī l-arḍi jamīʿan wa-mithlahu maʿahu li-yaftadū bihi min ʿadhābi yawmi l-qiyāmati mā tuqubbila minhum wa-lahum ʿadhābun alīm.
"Indeed, if the disbelievers possessed all that is in the earth, and as much again besides, and offered it as ransom to escape the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it would not be accepted from them, and theirs would be a painful punishment." (al-Māʾidah 5:36)
Translation: Truly, if the disbelievers possessed everything in the earth and as much again, and sought to ransom themselves with it from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it would not be accepted from them. For them is a painful punishment.
يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنْهَا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ
Yurīdūna an yakhrujū mina l-nāri wa-mā hum bi-khārijīna minhā wa-lahum ʿadhābun muqīm.
"They will wish to escape from the Fire, but they shall not escape from it; and theirs will be an enduring punishment." (al-Māʾidah 5:37)
Translation: They will long to be released from the Fire, but they will never be released from it — and theirs is a punishment that is permanent and abiding.
Commentary: After the account of brigands and wrongdoers, the discourse now turns to the subject of male and female thieves (sāriq and sāriqa) and the legal penalty prescribed for them.
وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَاءً بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَالًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Wa-l-sāriqu wa-l-sāriqatu fa-qṭaʿū aydiyahumā jazāʾan bimā kasabā nakālan mina Llāhi wa-Llāhu ʿazīzun ḥakīm.
"As for the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands as recompense for what they have earned — an exemplary punishment from Allāh. And Allāh is Mighty, All-Wise." (al-Māʾidah 5:38)
Translation: And the male thief and the female thief — cut off the hands of both as a recompense for what they have perpetrated, an exemplary deterrent (nakāl) from Allāh. And Allāh is Almighty and All-Wise (His ordained punishment is perfectly appropriate and measured).
Commentary: What, in the eyes of the Law, constitutes theft (sariqah)? It is to take another's property entirely without right and secretly. As for the minimum value (niṣāb) on account of which amputation is imposed: according to Imām Abū Ḥanīfa (may Allāh have mercy on him) the threshold is ten dirhams; according to Imām al-Shāfiʿī (may Allāh have mercy on him), one dīnār (approximately one quarter of a dīnār in his madhhab, equivalent to three dirhams). The Dāwūdīs and Khawārij hold that the ḥadd applies however small the amount. The stolen article must have been secured in a place of proper custody (ḥirz). If there was no proper custody, or if there was any doubt in the matter, the ḥadd does not apply. And the amputated hand is the right hand.
The author then reflects with urgency on the state of his time: when the ḥadd of theft was enforced in an Islamic society, theft disappeared entirely. In his own era he has observed that where the punishment was held in check, theft and robbery became rampant. Those who argue for leniency or seek modern alternatives to divine punishments are argued against by the author with vigour — and Allāh's word stands as its own argument: wa-man lam yaḥkum bimā anzala Llāhu fa-ulāʾika humu l-kāfirūn — "Those who do not judge by what Allāh has revealed — they are the disbelievers." (al-Māʾidah 5:44)
The author asks with heat: is it just to brand the Hand of God (qāṭiʿ yad — the one who executes the ḥadd) as cruel while leaving thieves free to prey on the poor? Those who object to Allāh's law while accepting man-made penalties betray a profound inconsistency.
فَمَنْ تَابَ مِنْ بَعْدِ ظُلْمِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Fa-man tāba min baʿdi ẓulmihi wa-aṣlaḥa fa-inna Llāha yatūbu ʿalayhi inna Llāha ghafūrun raḥīm.
"But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms himself, Allāh will relent towards him. Indeed, Allāh is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (al-Māʾidah 5:39)
Translation: Yet one who repents after his transgression and makes genuine amends — Allāh turns towards him in mercy. Indeed Allāh is All-Forgiving and Most Merciful.
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Alam taʿlam anna Llāha lahu mulku l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi yuʿadhdhibu man yashāʾu wa-yaghfiru li-man yashāʾu wa-Llāhu ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr.
"Do you not know that the dominion of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allāh? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills. And Allāh has power over all things." (al-Māʾidah 5:40)
Translation: Know that the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs entirely to Allāh alone. He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and Allāh has power over all things.
Commentary: The author notes: after elucidating the legal punishments (aḥkām al-sharīʿa), the Qurʾān reminds us of the ultimate Divine sovereignty and mercy. Certain communities — including some hypocrites — had distorted their scriptures; the verse reminds them that it is Allāh who rewards and punishes, and His will is supreme. No earthly power can constrain the mercy or the justice of Allāh. As the couplet says: "This humble servant is a slave of Allāh's beauty." (Ṣiddīqī)
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ لَا يَحْزُنْكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ مِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا سَمَّاعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ أَكَّالُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ...
Yā ayyuhā l-rasūlu lā yaḥzunka l-ladhīna yusāriʿūna fī l-kufri mina l-ladhīna qālū āmannā bi-afwāhihim wa-lam tuʾmin qulūbuhum wa-mina l-ladhīna hādū sammāʿūna li-l-kadhibi akkālūna li-l-suḥt...
"O Messenger! Let not those who hasten into disbelief grieve you — those who say 'We believe' with their mouths but whose hearts have not believed; and among the Jews are those who listen eagerly to falsehood, who devour forbidden gain..." (al-Māʾidah 5:41)
Translation: O Messengerﷺ! Do not let grief or distress come to you on account of those who race headlong into disbelief — those who proclaim faith with their mouths while their hearts remain devoid of it — nor on account of certain Jews who are avid listeners to lies and devourers of unlawfully acquired wealth (suḥt). They are those who twist and distort words after they have been set in their proper places and say: "If you are given this ruling, accept it; but if you are not given it, then beware." Allāh wills to afflict them for their sins. For them in this world is humiliation, and in the Hereafter a tremendous punishment.
Commentary: The verse refers to the hypocrites (munāfiqūn) among the nominal Muslims and to certain factions among the Jews of Madīna. They would spy on the Prophet's pronouncements, hoping to receive legal rulings that favoured them. The phrase suḥt refers to unlawfully earned wealth, including bribes. The author observes: Allāh consoles His Prophetﷺ— let not grief enter your blessed heart on account of those who flee from faith after professing it. Their works are void and their reckoning is with Allāh.
سَمَّاعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ أَكَّالُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ فَإِنْ جَاءُوكَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَإِنْ تُعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ فَلَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْئًا وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ
Sammāʿūna li-l-kadhib akkālūna li-l-suḥti fa-in jāʾūka fa-ḥkum baynahum aw aʿriḍ ʿanhum wa-in tuʿriḍ ʿanhum fa-lan yaḍurrūka shayʾan wa-in ḥakamta fa-ḥkum baynahum bi-l-qisṭi inna Llāha yuḥibbu l-muqsiṭīn.
"They are avid listeners to lies and devourers of forbidden gain. If they come to you, judge between them, or turn away from them — and if you turn away, they shall not harm you in the least. But if you do judge, judge between them with equity; Allāh loves those who act with equity." (al-Māʾidah 5:42)
Translation: These people are habitually given to hearkening after lies and to devouring forbidden wealth. If they come to you seeking a ruling, it is your option: judge between them or turn away from them. And if you turn away, they will not harm you in the slightest. But if you do judge — judge among them with perfect equity and justice. Indeed Allāh loves those who deal justly.
وَكَيْفَ يُحَكِّمُونَكَ وَعِنْدَهُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ فِيهَا حُكْمُ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَمَا أُولَئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Wa-kayfa yuḥakkimūnaka wa-ʿindahumu l-tawrātu fīhā ḥukmu Llāhi thumma yatawallawna min baʿdi dhālika wa-mā ulāʾika bi-l-muʾminīn.
"And how can they ask you to adjudicate for them when they have the Torah, in which is Allāh's judgement — and then they turn away even after all this? Such people are not believers at all." (al-Māʾidah 5:43)
Translation: And how strange it is that they come to you to judge between them, when they themselves possess the Torah in which Allāh's own ruling is set down — and then they turn away after all this! Such people are in truth not believers.
Commentary: The author observes the deep contradiction: they reject the ruling of their own revealed book and come to the Prophetﷺhoping for a more lenient verdict. Then when the Prophetﷺpronounces the truth, they walk away. This is not the behaviour of people of faith — it is the behaviour of those who follow their desires rather than their scripture.
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ فَلَا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ
Innā anzalnā l-tawrāta fīhā hudan wa-nūrun yaḥkumu bihā l-nabiyyūna l-ladhīna aslamū li-l-ladhīna hādū wa-l-rabbāniyyūna wa-l-aḥbāru bimā stuḥfiẓū min kitābi Llāhi wa-kānū ʿalayhi shuhadāʾa fa-lā takhshawu l-nāsa wa-khshawni wa-lā tashtarū bi-āyātī thamanan qalīlan wa-man lam yaḥkum bimā anzala Llāhu fa-ulāʾika humu l-kāfirūn.
"Indeed, We sent down the Torah containing guidance and light. The prophets who had submitted to Allāh judged by it for those who were Jewish, as did the godly scholars and the rabbis — according to what they had been entrusted to guard of Allāh's Book, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear people; fear Me. And do not sell My revelations for a paltry price. Whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed — such are the disbelievers." (al-Māʾidah 5:44)
Translation: Truly We sent down the Torah, in which were guidance and light. The Prophets (anbiyāʾ) who had submitted themselves to Allāh judged according to it on behalf of the Jewish people, as did the rabbāniyyūn (godly, spiritual masters) and the aḥbār (scholars of Jewish law) — for they had been entrusted as guardians of Allāh's Book and were witnesses thereto. So fear not the people — fear Me alone. And do not sell My verses for a paltry price. Whosoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed — those are the disbelievers.
Commentary: The word rabbāniyyūn refers to those devoted to Allāh in the deepest spiritual sense — the spiritually disciplined masters; aḥbār (singular ḥibr) refers to the scholars and jurisconsults among the Jews, just as ʿulamāʾ and fuqahāʾ serve among Muslims. They were appointed as custodians (ḥuffāẓ) of Allāh's Book, and they bore witness to its truths. The divine command is stern: do not fear people — fear Me. And the penalty for not judging by Allāh's revelation is plainly stated: such a person falls into the category of kufr (disbelief), whether the matter concerns Muslims, Jews, or Christians. This applies equally to anyone who abandons Allāh's law and substitutes human custom or positive law.
وَكَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِيهَا أَنَّ النَّفْسَ بِالنَّفْسِ وَالْعَيْنَ بِالْعَيْنِ وَالْأَنفَ بِالْأَنفِ وَالْأُذُنَ بِالْأُذُنِ وَالسِّنَّ بِالسِّنِّ وَالْجُرُوحَ قِصَاصٌ فَمَنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَهُ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
Wa-katabnā ʿalayhim fīhā anna l-nafsa bi-l-nafsi wa-l-ʿayna bi-l-ʿayni wa-l-anfa bi-l-anfi wa-l-udhuna bi-l-udhuni wa-l-sinna bi-l-sinni wa-l-jurūḥa qiṣāṣun fa-man taṣaddaqa bihi fa-huwa kaffāratun lahu wa-man lam yaḥkum bimā anzala Llāhu fa-ulāʾika humu l-ẓālimūn.
"And We prescribed for them therein: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and wounds in retaliation. But whoever remits it as charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed — those are the wrongdoers." (al-Māʾidah 5:45)
Translation: And We wrote in the Torah for them: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and wounds are subject to qiṣāṣ (equal retaliation). But whoever remits his right to retaliation as an act of charity — that remission is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed — those are the wrongdoers.
Commentary: This ruling of qiṣāṣ (legal retaliation, the principle of equal requital) was laid down in the Torah for the Children of Israel and remains a foundational principle of Islamic law in all schools (madhāhib). The one who foregoes retaliation and pardons the offender earns a great spiritual reward — it becomes an expiation (kaffāra) for his own sins. Yet the Law does not compel pardon; the choice is the victim's or the victim's heirs'. And at the end of this verse, the refrain is repeated for the third time: "whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed — those are the wrongdoers" (ẓālimūn) — just as in the previous verses those same people were called kāfirūn (disbelievers) and the verse to follow will call them fāsiqūn (transgressors). This three-fold condemnation — disbeliever, wrongdoer, transgressor — constitutes a complete repudiation of any human system of governance that sets aside the divine Law.
وَقَفَّيْنَا عَلَى آثَارِهِمْ بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًى وَنُورٌ وَمُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةً لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
Wa-qaffaynā ʿalā āthārihim bi-ʿĪsā ibni Maryama muṣaddiqan limā bayna yadayhi mina l-tawrāti wa-ātaynāhu l-injīla fīhi hudan wa-nūrun wa-muṣaddiqan limā bayna yadayhi mina l-tawrāti wa-hudan wa-mawʿiẓatan li-l-muttaqīn.
"And in the footsteps of the prophets, We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming what was before him of the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, which contains guidance and light, confirming what was before it of the Torah — a guidance and admonition for the God-fearing." (al-Māʾidah 5:46)
Translation: And after those Prophets We sent ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary, upon him be peace), confirming the Torah that had come before him; and We gave him the Injīl (Gospel), in which there is guidance and light, confirming the Torah before it — and a guidance and admonition for the pious and God-fearing.
Commentary: Allāh sent the blessed Prophet ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) as the next link in the great chain of prophethood (silsila-yi nubuwwa), following the Torah of Mūsā (upon him be peace). The Injīl — the true original Gospel — affirmed and confirmed the Torah. The two Books shared the same fundamental principles (uṣūl); the difference was in the secondary rulings (furūʿ) appropriate to their respective communities and ages. The original Injīl contained guidance (hidāya), light (nūr), and admonition (mawʿiẓa) — but only for those whose hearts were prepared to receive it through taqwā.
وَلْيَحْكُمْ أَهْلُ الْإِنجِيلِ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
Wa-l-yaḥkum ahlu l-injīli bimā anzala Llāhu fīhi wa-man lam yaḥkum bimā anzala Llāhu fa-ulāʾika humu l-fāsiqūn.
"And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allāh has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed — those are the transgressors." (al-Māʾidah 5:47)
Translation: And let the People of the Gospel judge and rule according to what Allāh has revealed in it. Whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed — those are the transgressors (fāsiqūn), the wicked and disobedient.
وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
Wa-anzalnā ilayka l-kitāba bi-l-ḥaqqi muṣaddiqan limā bayna yadayhi mina l-kitābi wa-muhayminan ʿalayhi fa-ḥkum baynahum bimā anzala Llāhu wa-lā tattabiʿ ahwāʾahum ʿammā jāʾaka mina l-ḥaqqi li-kullin jaʿalnā minkum shirʿatan wa-minhājan wa-law shāʾa Llāhu la-jaʿalakum ummatan wāḥidatan wa-lākin li-yabluwakum fī mā ātākum fa-stabiqū l-khayrāti ilā Llāhi marjiʿukum jamīʿan fa-yunabbiʾukum bimā kuntum fīhi takhtalifūn.
"And We have sent down to you the Book with truth, confirming what was before it of Scripture and as a guardian over it (muhaymin). So judge between them by what Allāh has revealed, and do not follow their desires away from the truth that has come to you. For each of you We have established a law (shirʿa) and a way (minhāj). And had Allāh willed, He would have made you one community — but His purpose is to test you in what He has given you. So race towards goodness. To Allāh is the return of you all; then He will inform you of that wherein you used to differ." (al-Māʾidah 5:48)
Translation: And We have revealed to you, O Prophetﷺ, this Book with Truth — confirming all the divine scriptures that came before it, and standing as a guardian and overseer over them. Judge between them by what Allāh has revealed, and do not follow the desires of those people, turning away from the truth that has come to you. For each community We have appointed a particular Law (shirʿa) and a way (minhāj). Had Allāh willed, He would have made you all a single community — but He wills to test you in what He has given you. So race one another in good deeds. To Allāh all of you will return, and then He will inform you of the matters in which you disagreed.
Commentary: The Qurʾān is here proclaimed the muhaymin (guardian, witness, and criterion) over all previous scriptures. The term muhaymin means that the Qurʾān preserves the truth of the earlier Books, corrects the distortions that entered them, and serves as the supreme criterion by which all other divine revelations are to be assessed. It is called Furqān — the Distinguisher — because it distinguishes truth from falsehood, authentic revelation from interpolation. The diversity of revealed laws across the nations — each community having its own shirʿa and minhāj — is by Divine wisdom, so that Allāh may test each community in what they have been given. The response to this test is clear: fa-stabiqū l-khayrāt — "race towards goodness." This is the Muslim's obligation: not to lament diversity but to compete in virtue and God-consciousness.
وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَهُمْ بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ لَفَاسِقُونَ
Wa-ani ḥkum baynahum bimā anzala Llāhu wa-lā tattabiʿ ahwāʾahum wa-ḥdharhum an yaftinūka ʿan baʿḍi mā anzala Llāhu ilayka fa-in tawallawā fa-ʿlam annamā yurīdu Llāhu an yuṣībahum bi-baʿḍi dhunūbihim wa-inna kathīran mina l-nāsi la-fāsiqūn.
"And judge between them by what Allāh has revealed, and do not follow their desires; and beware lest they lure you away from part of what Allāh has revealed to you. But if they turn away, know that Allāh only wishes to afflict them for some of their sins. And indeed many people are transgressors." (al-Māʾidah 5:49)
Translation: And judge between them by what Allāh has revealed, and do not follow their desires. And guard yourself lest they tempt you and draw you away from some of what Allāh has sent down to you. If they turn away, then know that it is Allāh's will to strike them with punishment for some of their sins. And indeed a great many people are transgressors and immoral.
أَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
Afa-ḥukma l-jāhiliyyati yabghūna wa-man aḥsanu mina Llāhi ḥukman li-qawmin yūqinūn.
"Do they then seek the judgement of the Age of Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allāh, for a people who are certain in faith?" (al-Māʾidah 5:50)
Translation: Is it the judgement of Jāhiliyya (pre-Islamic ignorance) that they are seeking? And who could possibly be better in judgement than Allāh, for a people who have firm certainty and faith?
Commentary: The author reflects with anguish on his own age: it is as though the footsteps of the People of the Book are being followed by many Muslims, step by step (ḥadhwa al-naʿl bi-l-naʿl). The People of the Book in their time also had sages (rabbāniyyūn) and scholars (aḥbār) — yet both fell silent in the face of wickedness and unlawful consumption, and so they were degraded and humiliated, as they are to this day. The same pattern is emerging in the Muslim community. Alas! Alas! The author then notes: the Qurʾān has freed you from all the distortions in the previous Books. The fundamental principles of all the revealed religions are one. Islām and the Qurʾān uphold these principles. The objection that Islām rejects the previous Books is baseless — Islām affirms all heavenly scriptures in general (ijmālī). The Qurʾān is the supreme standard (furqān), the criterion that distinguishes truth from falsehood.
The author recounts: once Sayyidunā ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allāh be pleased with him) brought some pages from the Torah and read from them in the presence of the Prophetﷺ. The Prophet's noble face changed, and he said: "Are you in doubt, O son of al-Khaṭṭāb? By Allāh, if Mūsā (upon him be peace) were alive today, he would have no option but to follow me." In any case, do not pursue the distortions of the previous Books or fabricate stories from them. The Qurʾān has given you all that you need.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى أَوْلِيَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَومَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū lā tattakhidhū l-yahūda wa-l-naṣārā awliyāʾa baʿḍuhum awliyāʾu baʿḍin wa-man yatawallahum minkum fa-innahu minhum inna Llāha lā yahdī l-qawma l-ẓālimīn.
"O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as close allies (awliyāʾ); they are allies of one another. And whoever among you allies himself with them — he is indeed one of them. Truly, Allāh does not guide a wrongdoing people." (al-Māʾidah 5:51)
Translation: O believers! Do not take the Jews and Christians as your close allies and protectors — they are each other's allies. Whoever among you allies himself with them is in truth one of them. Surely Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Commentary: The word awliyāʾ (singular walī) here means intimate confederates, political and strategic allies, and those to whom one entrusts one's affairs — not simply acquaintances or traders. The Qurʾān elsewhere notes that the Christians were, in a certain era, closer in affection to the believers than the Jews — this was at a time when corruption had not yet taken root among them to the same degree. The author applies this verse to his own time with great urgency: the entire world is now a stage of conflict (dār al-malāḥim), and the only unity created for the Muslims is to make them a single weapon of offence and defence against them. He writes bitterly: the current state of all religious communities is one of moral collapse — the world is full of conflict, and taqwā — fear of Allāh — is the only escape.
فَتَرَى الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ يُسَارِعُونَ فِيهِمْ يَقُولُونَ نَخْشَى أَنْ تُصِيبَنَا دَائِرَةٌ فَعَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِالْفَتْحِ أَوْ أَمْرٍ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ فَيُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَا أَسَرُّوا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ نَادِمِينَ
Fa-tarā l-ladhīna fī qulūbihim maraḍun yusāriʿūna fīhim yaqūlūna nakhshā an tuṣībanā dāʾiratun fa-ʿasā Llāhu an yaʾtiya bi-l-fatḥi aw amrin min ʿindihi fa-yuṣbiḥū ʿalā mā asarrū fī anfusihim nādimīn.
"And you will see those in whose hearts is disease racing towards them, saying: 'We fear that some reversal may befall us.' But it may well be that Allāh will bring victory, or some other matter from Himself — and then they will be filled with remorse over what they secretly harboured in their hearts." (al-Māʾidah 5:52)
Translation: You will see those whose hearts are diseased with hypocrisy — rushing eagerly to ally themselves with the disbelievers, saying: "We fear that some calamity (dāʾira) may come upon us." But it may well be that Allāh will bring the great victory or some decisive matter from His own will — and then they will wake up full of remorse and shame over what they secretly harboured in their hearts.
Commentary: The dāʾira they fear is the turning of the wheel of fortune — that the enemies of Islām might prevail and leave them without a protector among them. This is the mentality of those whose faith is shallow: they hedge their bets by maintaining secret ties with the adversaries of Islām. Allāh's response is clear: the real victory comes from Him alone, and the day will come when the treachery of the hypocrites will be exposed, and they will stand in the humiliation of their own deceit.
وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ إِنَّهُمْ لَمَعَكُمْ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فَأَصْبَحُوا خَاسِرِينَ
Wa-yaqūlu l-ladhīna āmanū a-hāʾulāʾi l-ladhīna aqsamū bi-Llāhi jahda aymānihim innahum la-maʿakum ḥabiṭat aʿmāluhum fa-aṣbaḥū khāsirīn.
"And those who believe will say: 'Are these the people who swore by Allāh their most solemn oaths that they were with you?' Their deeds have come to nothing, and they have become the losers." (al-Māʾidah 5:53)
Translation: And the true believers will say in astonishment: "Are these the very people who swore the most solemn oaths in Allāh's name that they were with you?" All their deeds have collapsed into ruin, and they have become the great losers.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَنْ يَرْتَدَّ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū man yartadda minkum ʿan dīnihi fa-sawfa yaʾtī Llāhu bi-qawmin yuḥibbuhum wa-yuḥibbūnahu adhillatin ʿalā l-muʾminīna aʿizzatin ʿalā l-kāfirīna yujāhidūna fī sabīli Llāhi wa-lā yakhāfūna lawmata lāʾimin dhālika faḍlu Llāhi yuʾtīhi man yashāʾu wa-Llāhu wāsiʿun ʿalīm.
"O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion — Allāh will soon bring a people He loves and who love Him, humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, striving in the path of Allāh, and not fearing the blame of any blamer. That is the grace of Allāh; He gives it to whom He wills. And Allāh is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing." (al-Māʾidah 5:54)
Translation: O believers! If any of you should turn back from his faith (irtidād — apostasy), Allāh will soon bring a people whom He loves and who love Him — humble and gentle towards the believers, firm and strong against the disbelievers; they will strive in the path of Allāh and will fear no blame from any blamer. This is the grace of Allāh — He bestows it on whom He wills. And Allāh's favour is vast and He is All-Knowing.
Commentary: This verse carries a double message: first, a warning that apostasy does not harm Allāh's religion in the least — He will replace those who fall away with a people better than them. Second, a description of the ideal community of believers: gentle among themselves, firm against enemies of the faith, tireless in jihād, and utterly free from the fear of human censure. The quality lā yakhāfūna lawmata lāʾim — "fearing no blame" — is a hallmark of the sincere believer: he does not soften truth to please men; he does not abandon what is right out of social cowardice. The author notes that this strength of character is the faḍl (grace) of Allāh — not something earned by human merit alone, but a gift poured by Allāh into the hearts He has chosen.
إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ
Innamā waliyyukumu Llāhu wa-rasūluhu wa-l-ladhīna āmanū l-ladhīna yuqīmūna l-ṣalāta wa-yuʾtūna l-zakāta wa-hum rākiʿūn.
"Your true ally is only Allāh, His Messenger, and the believers — those who establish the prayer and give the Zakāt while bowing in prayer (rukūʿ)." (al-Māʾidah 5:55)
Translation: Your true master and protector (walī) is Allāh alone, and His Messengerﷺ, and the believers — those who establish the prayer with regularity and devotion, and give Zakāt, and who bow their heads before Allāh in humility and submission.
Commentary: After the prohibition of taking disbelievers as close allies, Allāh declares who the true allies and guardians of the believers are: Allāh Himself, His Messengerﷺ, and the community of the faithful — characterised by regular prayer, Zakāt, and the spirit of rukūʿ (bowing before Allāh — understood as complete submission and humility).
وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَإِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ
Wa-man yatawalla Llāha wa-rasūlahu wa-l-ladhīna āmanū fa-inna ḥizba Llāhi humu l-ghālibūn.
"And whoever allies himself with Allāh, His Messenger, and the believers — indeed, the party of Allāh are the victors." (al-Māʾidah 5:56)
Translation: And whoever takes Allāh and His Messenger and the believers as his allies — it is surely the party of Allāh (ḥizbu Llāh) that shall be victorious.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَكُمْ هُزُوًا وَلَعِبًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَالْكُفَّارَ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū lā tattakhidhū l-ladhīna ittakhadhū dīnakum huzuwan wa-laʿiban mina l-ladhīna ūtū l-kitāba min qablikum wa-l-kuffāra awliyāʾa wa-ttaqū Llāha in kuntum muʾminīn.
"O you who believe! Do not take as close allies those who have made your religion a jest and a plaything — whether from those who were given the Book before you, or from the disbelievers. And fear Allāh, if you are true believers." (al-Māʾidah 5:57)
Translation: O believers! Do not take as your close allies and intimates those who have turned your religion into a mockery and a game — whether they be from among the People of the Book who received scripture before you, or from the disbelievers. And fear Allāh, if you are truly people of faith.
وَإِذَا نَادَيْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ اتَّخَذُوهَا هُزُوًا وَلَعِبًا ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
Wa-idhā nādaytum ilā l-ṣalāti ttakhadhūhā huzuwan wa-laʿiban dhālika bi-annahum qawmun lā yaʿqilūn.
"And when you call to prayer (adhān), they take it as a jest and a game. That is because they are a people who do not use their reason." (al-Māʾidah 5:58)
Translation: And when you call the adhān to prayer, they make it an object of mockery and play. This is because they are a people devoid of understanding and reason.
Commentary: The author makes a searching application to his time: had the noble Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them) reached a compromise with the opponents in those twenty-three years of prophethood, where would Islām be today? Allāh's command is unambiguous: keep no intimacy with those who mock the faith. The author warns: those who mock Islām and call the Qurʾān backward or barbaric — they do so because the blindness and corruption in their own hearts makes the light of truth painful to them. The one who hates the adhān is precisely the person who needs its call most desperately.
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ هَلْ تَنْقِمُونَ مِنَّا إِلَّا أَنْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
Qul yā ahla l-kitābi hal tanqimūna minnā illā an āmannā bi-Llāhi wa-mā unzila ilaynā wa-mā unzila min qablu wa-anna aktharakum fāsiqūn.
"Say: O People of the Book! Do you resent us for anything other than that we believe in Allāh and what has been sent down to us and what was sent down before, and that most of you are transgressors?" (al-Māʾidah 5:59)
Translation: Say, O Prophetﷺ: O People of the Book! What grievance do you harbour against us? Only this — that we have believed in Allāh, and in what has been revealed to us, and in what was revealed before — and the fact is that most of you are transgressors (fāsiqūn).
Commentary: This verse turns the challenge back on the People of the Book. Their "grievance" against the Muslims is nothing but the Muslims' unwavering faith in Allāh, in the Qurʾān, and in all the previous scriptures. The Muslims accept and honour all the Prophets, including Mūsā and ʿĪsā (upon them be peace). The one who truly respects Allāh's Prophets should have been the first to accept the final and universal Messengerﷺ.
قُلْ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَثُوبَةً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ وَعَبَدَ الطَّاغُوتَ أُولَئِكَ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ
Qul hal unabbiʾukum bi-sharrin min dhālika mathūbatan ʿinda Llāhi man laʿanahu Llāhu wa-ghaḍiba ʿalayhi wa-jaʿala minhumu l-qiradatu wa-l-khanāzīra wa-ʿabada l-ṭāghūta ulāʾika sharrun makānan wa-aḍallu ʿan sawāʾi l-sabīl.
"Say: Shall I inform you of those who have a worse recompense with Allāh than that? Those whom Allāh has cursed and upon whom He has expressed wrath, and from among whom He made monkeys and pigs, and who worshipped the ṭāghūt — such are in a worse plight and more astray from the right path." (al-Māʾidah 5:60)
Translation: Say: Shall I inform you of something even worse in terms of recompense with Allāh? Those are the people whom Allāh has cursed, upon whom His wrath has descended, from among whom He made monkeys and pigs, and who worshipped the ṭāghūt (tyrannical forces, devils, idols) — those are in a worse position and most astray from the straight path.
Commentary: The author explains the reference to monkeys and pigs. These transformations were literal — Divine punishment upon those who transgressed the Sabbath — but they also carry a deeper symbolism: the pig represents the slave of carnal desires and the monkey represents the ape of shallow imitation, servile mimicry. The author notes: in later generations, those who trod the path of their ancestors — indulging in every wrong without restraint — have inherited the spiritual condition of monkeys and pigs, even if not the physical form.
وَإِذَا جَاءُوكُمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَقَدْ دَخَلُوا بِالْكُفْرِ وَهُمْ قَدْ خَرَجُوا بِهِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْتُمُونَ
Wa-idhā jāʾūkum qālū āmannā wa-qad dakhalū bi-l-kufri wa-hum qad kharajū bihi wa-Llāhu aʿlamu bimā kānū yaktumūn.
"And when they come to you, they say: 'We believe' — yet they entered with disbelief and they departed with it. And Allāh knows best what they were concealing." (al-Māʾidah 5:61)
Translation: When these hypocrites come to you they declare "We believe" — yet they came in with disbelief in their hearts and they leave with the same disbelief intact. And Allāh knows best what they have been concealing.
وَتَرَى كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Wa-tarā kathīran minhum yusāriʿūna fī l-ithmi wa-l-ʿudwāni wa-aklihimu l-suḥti la-biʾsa mā kānū yaʿmalūn.
"And you will see many of them rushing into sin and transgression and the devouring of forbidden gain. Evil indeed is what they have been doing." (al-Māʾidah 5:62)
Translation: And you will see many of them hastening eagerly into sin, transgression, and the eating of the unlawfully obtained (suḥt). How wretchedly evil are the things they do.
لَوْلَا يَنْهَاهُمُ الرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِمُ الْإِثْمَ وَأَكْلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ
Lawlā yanhāhumu l-rabbāniyyūna wa-l-aḥbāru ʿan qawlihimu l-ithma wa-aklihimu l-suḥta la-biʾsa mā kānū yaṣnaʿūn.
"Why did the godly masters and the scholars not forbid them from their sinful speech and devouring of forbidden gain? Evil indeed was what they were doing." (al-Māʾidah 5:63)
Translation: Why did the rabbāniyyūn (spiritual masters) and the aḥbār (scholars) not forbid them from their sinful speech and their consumption of the unlawfully acquired? How wretched indeed was what they were doing!
Commentary: The author pauses here with deep anguish. He writes: look at what is happening today — what happened to the Children of Israel is happening to the Muslims step by step (ṭabaqan ʿan ṭabaq). The wickedness was there, the unlawful consumption was there — and the scholars and the pious kept silence; they were passive bystanders, completely indifferent to the evil. Because of that silence, those people were humiliated and degraded — and they are being degraded again to this day. Alas! Alas! The command al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf wa-l-nahy ʿan al-munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil) is a binding communal obligation of this community (farḍ kifāya). When those entrusted with knowledge — the scholars and the spiritual guides — fall silent before transgression and unlawful consumption, they share in the guilt and hasten the community's downfall.
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ يَدُ اللَّهِ مَغْلُولَةٌ غُلَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَلُعِنُوا بِمَا قَالُوا بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِ يُنفِقُ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا وَأَلْقَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ كُلَّمَا أَوْقَدُوا نَارًا لِلْحَرْبِ أَطْفَأَهَا اللَّهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
Wa-qālati l-yahūdu yadu Llāhi maghlūlatun ghullat aydīhim wa-luʿinū bimā qālū bal yadāhu mabsūṭatāni yunfiqu kayfa yashāʾu wa-la-yazīdanna kathīran minhum mā unzila ilayka min rabbika ṭughyānan wa-kufrān wa-alqaynā baynahumu l-ʿadāwata wa-l-baghḍāʾa ilā yawmi l-qiyāmati kullamā awqadū nāran li-l-ḥarbi aṭfaʾahā Llāhu wa-yasʿawna fī l-arḍi fasādan wa-Llāhu lā yuḥibbu l-mufsidīn.
"And the Jews said: 'The hand of Allāh is fettered!' May their own hands be fettered, and may they be cursed for what they said! Rather, both His hands are outstretched — He gives freely however He wills. And what has been sent down to you from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. And We have cast enmity and hatred between them until the Day of Resurrection — every time they kindle a fire for war, Allāh extinguishes it. And they roam the earth spreading corruption — and Allāh does not love the corruptors." (al-Māʾidah 5:64)
Translation: The Jews made a vile slander: they said "the Hand of Allāh is shackled" — may their own hands be shackled and may they be accursed for what they uttered! Nay — both of Allāh's Hands are stretched wide open, He bestows as He wills. And what has been revealed to you from your Lord will only increase many of them in arrogance and disbelief. We have cast enmity and hatred between them until the Day of Resurrection. Every time they kindle the fires of war, Allāh extinguishes them. Yet they roam the earth sowing corruption — and Allāh does not love those who spread corruption.
Commentary: The saying "the Hand of Allāh is fettered" was a vile blasphemy uttered by some among the Jews in mockery, claiming that Allāh had become stingy or restricted. The Qurʾān's reply is devastating: their own hands are fettered — they are under permanent restraint — and the curse of Allāh is upon them for this outrage. In reality both of Allāh's Hands are perfectly open, bestowing infinite bounty as He wills. The revelation of the Qurʾān serves as a divine test: those whose hearts are diseased find only more arrogance and disbelief in it, while those whose hearts are sound find only more guidance and light. The enmity cast between the various factions among them endures until the Day of Judgment — yet whenever they try to light the fires of war, Allāh subdues and quenches those fires.
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَكَفَّرْنَا عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَلَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ
Wa-law anna ahla l-kitābi āmanū wa-ttaqaw la-kaffarnā ʿanhum sayyiʾātihim wa-la-adkhalnāhum jannāti l-naʿīm.
"And had the People of the Book believed and been God-fearing, We would have remitted their sins and admitted them into the Gardens of Delight." (al-Māʾidah 5:65)
Translation: And had the People of the Book believed and adopted taqwā, We would have wiped away all their sins and admitted them into Gardens of bliss and felicity.
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ أَقَامُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَأَكَلُوا مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أُمَّةٌ مُقْتَصِدَةٌ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ سَاءَ مَا يَعْمَلُونَ
Wa-law annahum aqāmū l-tawrāta wa-l-injīla wa-mā unzila ilayhim min rabbihim la-akalū min fawqihim wa-min taḥti arjulihim minhum ummatun muqtaṣidatun wa-kathīrun minhum sāʾa mā yaʿmalūn.
"And had they truly upheld the Torah and the Gospel and what was sent down to them from their Lord, they would have eaten abundantly from above and from beneath their feet. Among them is a moderate community, but many of them — evil is what they do." (al-Māʾidah 5:66)
Translation: And had they truly observed the Torah and the Gospel and what was sent down to them from their Lord, they would have been showered with abundance from above and from below their feet. Among them there is a moderately upright community — but a great many of them are doing very badly.
Commentary: The author reflects with sorrow: had the People of the Book truly followed their own scriptures and then accepted the Final Messengerﷺ, they would have received abundance from both heaven and earth. Now consider the state of the Muslim community today. What has happened? What is happening? What will happen? The world of spiritual reality has been lost; the Hereafter has gone out of sight; there is no unity (ittiḥād) and no loyalty (wafādārī), no servitude to Allāh and no obedience to His Messengerﷺ. God has declared: Mā yughhayyiru mā bi-qawmin ḥattā yughayyirū mā bi-anfusihim — "Allāh does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves." (al-Raʿd 13:11) — The situation will not be altered until Muslims change the state of their own souls.
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ
Yā ayyuhā l-rasūlu balligh mā unzila ilayka min rabbika wa-in lam tafʿal fa-mā ballaghta risālatahu wa-Llāhu yaʿṣimuka mina l-nāsi inna Llāha lā yahdī l-qawma l-kāfirīn.
"O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord. And if you do not, you have not conveyed His message. And Allāh will protect you from people. Indeed, Allāh does not guide the disbelieving people." (al-Māʾidah 5:67)
Translation: O Messengerﷺ! Convey fully everything that has been revealed to you from your Lord. If you do not, you have not fulfilled the duty of the Divine Message. And Allāh will protect and guard you from the harm of people. Truly Allāh does not guide the disbelieving people.
Commentary: This great verse is a solemn divine commissioning of the Prophetﷺ. The command balligh — "convey" — encompasses not just the specific revelation that preceded this verse, but the entire mission, including the succession (khilāfa), the protection of the Dīn, the proclamation of all truths including those that opponents find unwelcome. The divine assurance Allāhu yaʿṣimuka mina l-nāsi — "Allāh will protect you from people" — is a guarantee of the Prophet's protection from assassination, from being overcome by enemies, and from the corruption of his message by enemies of faith. The author notes: ʿiṣma (protection, infallibility from sin) of the Prophets is a foundational article of Sunnī ʿaqīda — the Prophets are maʿṣūm (protected from sin and error in matters of the Dīn). And Allāh's guidance is not forced upon those who choose, with their full reason, to refuse the truth.
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَسْتُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ حَتَّى تُقِيمُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
Qul yā ahla l-kitābi lastum ʿalā shayʾin ḥattā tuqīmū l-tawrāta wa-l-injīla wa-mā unzila ilaykum min rabbikum wa-la-yazīdanna kathīran minhum mā unzila ilayka min rabbika ṭughyānan wa-kufrān fa-lā taʾsa ʿalā l-qawmi l-kāfirīn.
"Say: O People of the Book! You stand on nothing until you uphold the Torah and the Gospel and what has been sent down to you from your Lord. And what has been revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief — so do not grieve over the disbelieving people." (al-Māʾidah 5:68)
Translation: Say: O People of the Book! You stand on nothing of substance until you uphold the Torah and the Gospel and all that has been revealed to you from your Lord. And what is revealed to you from your Lord only increases many of them in arrogance and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.
Commentary: The verse is a categorical declaration: without adherence to all of Allāh's revelation — including the final Qurʾān — the People of the Book have no valid religious standing. The Prophet Muḥammadﷺis the seal and culmination of all prophetic missions. To believe in Mūsā and ʿĪsā (upon them be peace) while rejecting the Prophet Muḥammadﷺis an internal contradiction — for all the heavenly Books contained signs and prophecies of his coming. As the author writes: whoever believes in Mūsā (upon him be peace) but not in Muḥammadﷺhas, in effect, failed to believe even in Mūsā properly.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالصَّابِئُونَ وَالنَّصَارَى مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Inna l-ladhīna āmanū wa-l-ladhīna hādū wa-l-ṣābiʾūna wa-l-naṣārā man āmana bi-Llāhi wa-l-yawmi l-ākhiri wa-ʿamila ṣāliḥan fa-lā khawfun ʿalayhim wa-lā hum yaḥzanūn.
"Indeed, those who believe, and those who are Jewish, and the Sabians, and the Christians — whoever truly believes in Allāh and the Last Day and does righteous deeds — no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve." (al-Māʾidah 5:69)
Translation: Indeed — those who profess Islām, those who are of Jewish faith, the Sabians, and the Christians — among them, whoever sincerely believes in Allāh and the Last Day and performs righteous deeds — upon such persons there shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
Commentary: This verse does not mean that all persons from all these communities are saved regardless of their relationship to the final Prophetﷺ. The condition is clear: man āmana bi-Llāhi wa-l-yawmi l-ākhiri wa-ʿamila ṣāliḥan — genuine faith in Allāh and the Last Day and righteous deeds. And sincere faith in Allāh in the era of the final Messengerﷺnecessarily requires belief in him. The author writes pointedly to those who fear the People of the Book and cater to their sentiments: O brothers, behave as Muslims! Be neither Jewish nor Christian in your loyalties. Know and understand that until a person accepts Muḥammad Rasūlu Llāhﷺwith a sincere heart and submits to his commands, there is no salvation — under no circumstances. To reject even one Messenger is to reject the entire framework of prophethood. The Prophet Muḥammadﷺis the imām of all Prophets — his religion is the summation of all religions — the goal of all heavenly Books was to lead up to his blessed arrival. The author cites the much-discussed statement: Law kāna Mūsā ḥayyan mā wasiʿahu illā ittibāʿī — "Had Mūsā been alive today, he would have had no option but to follow me."
لَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ رُسُلًا كُلَّمَا جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَى أَنفُسُهُمْ فَرِيقًا كَذَّبُوا وَفَرِيقًا يَقْتُلُونَ
Laqad akhadhnā mīthāqa Banī Isrāʾīla wa-arsalnā ilayhim rusulān kullamā jāʾahum rasūlun bimā lā tahwā anfusuhum farīqan kadhdhabū wa-farīqan yaqtulūn.
"We indeed took a solemn covenant from the Children of Israel and sent messengers to them. Every time a messenger came to them with what their souls did not desire, they called some of them liars and killed others." (al-Māʾidah 5:70)
Translation: We took a solemn covenant (mīthāq) from the Children of Israel, and We sent Messengers to them one after another. But every time a Messenger came to them with what their souls did not desire — some they rejected as liars and some they killed.
وَحَسِبُوا أَلَّا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ فَعَمُوا وَصَمُّوا ثُمَّ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ عَمُوا وَصَمُّوا كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
Wa-ḥasibū allā takūna fitnatun fa-ʿamū wa-ṣammū thumma tāba Llāhu ʿalayhim thumma ʿamū wa-ṣammū kathīrun minhum wa-Llāhu baṣīrun bimā yaʿmalūn.
"And they thought that there would be no tribulation — so they became blind and deaf. Then Allāh turned towards them; then again many of them became blind and deaf. And Allāh sees well what they do." (al-Māʾidah 5:71)
Translation: They thought that no tribulation would befall them — and so they became spiritually blind and deaf, unable to see or hear the truth. Then Allāh turned towards them with mercy and they repented. But then, following their inveterate habit (ʿādatan qadīma), many of them again became blind and deaf. And Allāh sees full well all that they do.
لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَقَالَ الْمَسِيحُ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ
Laqad kafara l-ladhīna qālū inna Llāha huwa l-Masīḥu bnu Maryama wa-qāla l-Masīḥu yā Banī Isrāʾīla ʿbudū Llāha rabbī wa-rabbakum innahu man yushrik bi-Llāhi fa-qad ḥarrama Llāhu ʿalayhi l-jannata wa-maʾwāhu l-nāru wa-mā li-l-ẓālimīna min anṣār.
"Those who say that Allāh is the Messiah, son of Mary, have certainly fallen into disbelief. The Messiah himself said: 'O Children of Israel! Worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners with Allāh — Allāh has forbidden him the Garden, and his abode is the Fire. And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:72)
Translation: Those who say "Allāh is the Messiah, son of Mary" — they have indeed committed disbelief (kufr). The Messiah himself declared: O Children of Israel! Worship Allāh, Who is my Lord and your Lord. Whosoever associates partners with Allāh — Allāh has forbidden him Paradise, and his dwelling is the Fire. And for the wrongdoers there shall be no helpers.
Commentary: This verse directly refutes the Christian doctrine of the divinity of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace). The Qurʾān points to a decisive argument: ʿĪsā himself, with his own words, declared his submission to Allāh — ʿbudū Llāha rabbī wa-rabbakum — "Worship Allāh, Who is my Lord and your Lord." The Messiah was a servant and Prophet of Allāh; his miraculous birth from a virgin mother no more makes him divine than the creation of Ādam (upon him be peace) without either father or mother makes Ādam more divine. The doctrine of the Trinity — Father, Son, Holy Spirit — is examined: the author explains that the "Father" in this context means the al-Murabbi (the Sustainer), the "Son" denotes ʿĪsā who was sustained through miraculous means, and the "Holy Spirit" (Rūḥ al-Qudus) refers to the angel Jibrīl (upon him be peace) or to the breath of life itself. All three of these are created things under Allāh's absolute authority — none of them is divine.
لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلَّا إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
Laqad kafara l-ladhīna qālū inna Llāha thālithu thalāthatin wa-mā min ilāhin illā ilāhun wāḥidun wa-in lam yantahū ʿammā yaqūlūna la-yamassanna l-ladhīna kafarū minhum ʿadhābun alīm.
"Those who say that Allāh is the third of three have certainly fallen into disbelief. There is no god but the One God. And if they do not desist from what they say, a painful punishment will surely befall those among them who disbelieve." (al-Māʾidah 5:73)
Translation: Those who say "Allāh is the third of a trinity" have truly fallen into disbelief. There is no god but the One Allāh. If they do not desist from this utterance, a painful punishment will assuredly descend upon those among them who persist in disbelief.
Commentary: The Trinitarian doctrine — the belief in three co-equal divine persons — is declared by the Qurʾān to be kufr (disbelief). There is only one God (ilāhun wāḥid). Three distinct beings cannot be one being in any logical sense — and Allāh is exalted far above the contradictions of human theology. The Qurʾān's condemnation is not of the person of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace), whom Islām reveres as a great Prophet and Messenger of Allāh — it is of the doctrine that elevates a servant of Allāh to the status of divinity.
أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Afa-lā yatūbūna ilā Llāhi wa-yastaghfirūnahu wa-Llāhu ghafūrun raḥīm.
"Will they not then repent to Allāh and seek His forgiveness? And Allāh is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (al-Māʾidah 5:74)
Translation: Will they not then turn to Allāh in repentance and seek His forgiveness? Allāh is All-Forgiving and Most Merciful.
Commentary: Even after this severe condemnation, the door of mercy remains open. Allāh is Ghafūr Raḥīm — All-Forgiving and Merciful. This verse is an open invitation to the People of the Book, particularly the Christians, to abandon their false doctrines, seek Allāh's forgiveness, and enter into the pure tawḥīd (divine unity) of Islām.
مَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ كَانَا يَأْكُلَانِ الطَّعَامَ انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الْآيَاتِ ثُمَّ انظُرْ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ
Mā l-Masīḥu bnu Maryama illā rasūlun qad khalat min qablihi l-rusulu wa-ummuhu ṣiddīqatun kānā yaʾkulāni l-ṭaʿāma unẓur kayfa nubayyinu lahumu l-āyāti thumma unẓur annā yuʾfakūn.
"The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger — messengers had passed before him. And his mother was a woman of great truthfulness. They both ate food. See how We make the signs clear to them, and then see how they are turned away." (al-Māʾidah 5:75)
Translation: The Messiah, son of Mary, was nothing other than a Messenger of Allāh — and many Messengers had come and gone before him. His mother was a great truthteller (ṣiddīqa). They both ate food — from which is born the one who depends on food, which is the mark of a created being. Consider how We make the signs clear for them, and then look again — where are they turned?
Commentary: The simplest and most logical argument against the divinity of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace): he ate food. One who eats food is dependent on created sustenance for survival — such a being cannot be the self-subsisting, eternal God (Ṣamad). The author reflects with amazement: We make the signs of truth so clear, and yet — where are they being led? By what false path are their hearts being deflected?
قُلْ أَتَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا وَاللَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Qul ataʿbudūna min dūni Llāhi mā lā yamliku lakum ḍarran wa-lā nafʿan wa-Llāhu huwa l-samīʿu l-ʿalīm.
"Say: Do you worship, instead of Allāh, that which has no power to harm you or to benefit you? And Allāh — He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (al-Māʾidah 5:76)
Translation: Say, O Prophetﷺ: Why do you worship, instead of Allāh, those who have no power to harm you or benefit you in the slightest? Allāh alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing — aware of your condition and knowing all your affairs.
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْوَاءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَضَلُّوا عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ
Qul yā ahla l-kitābi lā taghlū fī dīnikum ghayra l-ḥaqqi wa-lā tattabiʿū ahwāʾa qawmin qad ḍallū min qablu wa-aḍallū kathīran wa-ḍallū ʿan sawāʾi l-sabīl.
"Say: O People of the Book! Do not transgress the bounds of truth in your religion, and do not follow the desires of people who went astray before, who led many astray and strayed from the even path." (al-Māʾidah 5:77)
Translation: Say: O People of the Book! Do not commit ghuluww (excess and transgression) in your religion beyond what the truth allows. And do not follow the desires and caprices of people who went astray before you, who led many others astray with them, and who themselves strayed from the straight and level path.
Commentary: The prohibition of ghuluww (theological excess) applies in both directions: the Jews who degraded their Prophets and distorted their scriptures, and the Christians who exalted their Prophet to the status of divinity. Both are forms of ghuluww — both are departures from the straight path. True religion is the middle way: affirming the Prophets as noble servants and Messengers of Allāh, neither belittling them nor deifying them.
لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى لِسَانِ دَاوُودَ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ
Luʿina l-ladhīna kafarū min Banī Isrāʾīla ʿalā lisāni Dāwūda wa-ʿĪsā ibni Maryama dhālika bimā ʿaṣaw wa-kānū yaʿtadūn.
"Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed on the tongue of Dāwūd and of Jesus, son of Mary — because they disobeyed and used to transgress." (al-Māʾidah 5:78)
Translation: Those of the Children of Israel who fell into disbelief were cursed by Allāh through the tongues of Dāwūd (David, upon him be peace) and ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (upon him be peace) — because of their disobedience, their rebellion, and their habitual transgression.
كَانُوا لَا يَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَنْ مُنكَرٍ فَعَلُوهُ لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
Kānū lā yatanāhawna ʿan munkarin faʿalūhu la-biʾsa mā kānū yafʿalūn.
"They used not to prevent one another from the wrongs they committed. Evil indeed was what they used to do." (al-Māʾidah 5:79)
Translation: They used not to restrain one another from the evil they perpetrated. How truly wretched were the things they used to do!
Commentary: The root cause of the curse upon the disobedient among the Children of Israel is identified: they did wrong and they failed to restrain one another from it. The twin sins — commission of wrong and silence before wrong — are the formula for collective punishment and communal degradation. The author applies this with urgency to his own community: today, alas, the situation is the same. Transgressions are committed openly; scholars and pious persons are silent; no one forbids the evil from the other. And therefore humiliation and degradation are the outcome — as it was for those who preceded us.
تَرَى كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَبِئْسَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَهُمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ أَنْ سَخِطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَفِي الْعَذَابِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ
Tarā kathīran minhum yatawallawna l-ladhīna kafarū la-biʾsa mā qaddamat lahum anfusuhum an sakhaṭa Llāhu ʿalayhim wa-fī l-ʿadhābi hum khālidūn.
"You will see many of them allying themselves with those who disbelieve. Evil indeed is what their souls have sent forward for them — that Allāh's wrath should be upon them, and in the punishment they will abide forever." (al-Māʾidah 5:80)
Translation: You will see many of them allying themselves with the disbelievers. How evil is what their own souls have stored up for themselves — the wrath of Allāh upon them and an eternal abiding in punishment.
وَلَوْ كَانُوا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالنَّبِيِّ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَكِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
Wa-law kānū yuʾminūna bi-Llāhi wa-l-nabiyyi wa-mā unzila ilayhi mā ttakhadhūhum awliyāʾa wa-lākinna kathīran minhum fāsiqūn.
"And had they believed in Allāh and the Prophet and what was sent down to him, they would not have taken the disbelievers as allies — but many of them are transgressors." (al-Māʾidah 5:81)
Translation: Had they truly believed in Allāh and the Prophetﷺand what was revealed to him, they would not have taken the disbelievers as their allies. But many of them are transgressors who do not heed.
لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَوَدَّةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَى ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
La-tajidanna ashadda l-nāsi ʿadāwatan li-l-ladhīna āmanū l-yahūda wa-l-ladhīna ashrakū wa-la-tajidanna aqrabahum mawaddatan li-l-ladhīna āmanū l-ladhīna qālū innā naṣārā dhālika bi-anna minhum qissīsīna wa-ruhbānan wa-annahum lā yastakbirūn.
"You will certainly find that the most intense of all people in enmity towards the believers are the Jews and those who associate partners with Allāh. And you will find that those closest in affection to the believers are those who say: 'We are Christians' — because among them are priests (qissīsīn) and monks (ruhbān) and they do not behave arrogantly." (al-Māʾidah 5:82)
Translation: You will certainly find that the most fiercely hostile to the believers are the Jews and the polytheists (mushrikūn). And you will find that the closest in love and affection to the believers are those who call themselves Christians — because among them are learned priests (qissīsīn, godly scholars) and monks (ruhbān, ascetics), and they are not filled with arrogance.
Commentary: The author reflects with pain on the contemporary reality. He writes: consider the present era — the Christians appear to be far closer to the disbelievers than to the Muslims. They wear the same dress, share the same habits; some of them even go over to the disbelievers and become their agents. Their names they change; they care nothing for the state of the non-Muslims. Why, he asks bitterly, do Muslims have no love even for one another? They cut each other's throats; they harbour chronic enmity; they expend every energy in mutual destruction, in the arms race, in a competition that benefits only their enemies. Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Llāh.
[Page 82 contains extensive OCR damage with large sections irrecoverable. The page appears to continue the devotional commentary on the hospitality of the Christians and the spiritual qualities praised in those who receive the Qurʾān with tears — leading into the next passage about those who weep upon hearing the Revelation.]
وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَى أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ
Wa-idhā samiʿū mā unzila ilā l-rasūli tarā aʿyunahum tafīḍu mina l-damʿi mimmā ʿarafū mina l-ḥaqqi yaqūlūna rabbanā āmannā fa-ktub nā maʿa l-shāhidīn.
"And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you will see their eyes overflow with tears because of what they recognise of the truth. They say: 'Our Lord! We believe — so write us down among the witnesses.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:83)
Translation: And when those (sincere Christians who came to Islam) heard what has been revealed to the Messengerﷺ, you could see their eyes overflowing with tears — because they recognised in it the truth they had always known in their hearts. They said: "Our Lord! We believe — enrol us among the witnesses (al-shāhidīn)."
Commentary: This verse and the following refer to the group of Christians — likely the delegation from Abyssinia or the Najrānī scholars — who upon hearing the Qurʾān were moved to tears and immediately embraced Islām. The author meditates: what an exquisite state — to have one's eyes filled with tears from the recognition of Divine truth! Mimmā ʿarafū min al-ḥaqq — the key is recognition: ʿarafū, they "recognised" — the truth was already in their hearts, dormant; the Qurʾān awakened it. Their prayer: iktub nā maʿa l-shāhidīn — "write us among the witnesses," i.e., among the Muslims who bear witness to the truth of Islām and who witness on behalf of the previous Prophets and communities on the Day of Judgment.
وَمَا لَنَا لَا نُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا جَاءَنَا مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَنَطْمَعُ أَنْ يُدْخِلَنَا رَبُّنَا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الصَّالِحِينَ
Wa-mā lanā lā nuʾminu bi-Llāhi wa-mā jāʾanā mina l-ḥaqqi wa-naṭmaʿu an yudkhilanā rabbunā maʿa l-qawmi l-ṣāliḥīn.
"And what reason do we have not to believe in Allāh and in the truth that has come to us, when we hope that our Lord will admit us among the righteous people?" (al-Māʾidah 5:84)
Translation: And why should we not believe in Allāh and in the truth that has reached us — while we eagerly hope and yearn that our Lord will bring us into the company of the righteous? How could we not believe?
فَأَثَابَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِمَا قَالُوا جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Fa-athābahumu Llāhu bimā qālū jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhāru khālidīna fīhā wa-dhālika jazāʾu l-muḥsinīn.
"So Allāh rewarded them for what they said with Gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever — and that is the reward of those who do good." (al-Māʾidah 5:85)
Translation: And Allāh rewarded them for what they said — with Gardens beneath which rivers flow, in which they will dwell forever. That is the reward of those who pursue excellence (muḥsinīn).
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ
Wa-l-ladhīna kafarū wa-kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā ulāʾika aṣḥābu l-jaḥīm.
"And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs — those are the companions of the blazing Fire." (al-Māʾidah 5:86)
Translation: As for those who disbelieved and denied Our signs — those are the people of the blazing Fire.
Commentary: The contrast is total: the sincere seekers of truth, moved to tears by the Qurʾān, admitted into Paradise forever — and those who harden their hearts against the truth, the companions of Hell. The author notes: among the Christians there were — and in some degree still are — those of genuine taqwā and intellectual honesty who, when they encounter the truth of Islām, respond with the openness described in these verses. Islām does not find the monastic institution (rahbāniyya) reprehensible in principle — it finds it problematic as a permanent systemic institution that exempts people from the full responsibilities of life. Islām calls all people to the balanced path: moderation in food, in dress, in worldly activity, and in devotion. The Qurʾān has a supreme standard of moral balance.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū lā tuḥarrrimū ṭayyibāti mā aḥalla Llāhu lakum wa-lā taʿtadū inna Llāha lā yuḥibbu l-muʿtadīn.
"O you who believe! Do not forbid the good things that Allāh has made lawful for you, and do not transgress — indeed Allāh does not love those who transgress." (al-Māʾidah 5:87)
Translation: O believers! Do not make unlawful the wholesome things (ṭayyibāt) which Allāh has made lawful for you — and do not transgress the bounds. Surely Allāh does not love those who exceed the limits.
Commentary: This verse was revealed in response to a group of Companions who, in a spirit of intense asceticism, had resolved to deprive themselves of all pleasures, including sleep, food, and conjugal relations — as if in imitation of monasticism. The Prophetﷺcorrected this: Islām is the middle way. Allāh has made wholesome things lawful — to refuse them out of false piety is itself a form of transgression. The ṭayyibāt (wholesome good things) are a gift of Allāh; they are to be received with gratitude, used in moderation, and shared generously.
وَكُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي أَنتُمْ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ
Wa-kulū mimmā razaqakumu Llāhu ḥalālan ṭayyiban wa-ttaqū Llāha l-ladhī antum bihi muʾminūn.
"And eat of what Allāh has provided for you — lawful and wholesome — and fear Allāh, in Whom you believe." (al-Māʾidah 5:88)
Translation: Eat of what Allāh has bestowed upon you — of that which is lawful (ḥalāl) and wholesome (ṭayyib) — and fear Allāh in Whom you have placed your faith.
Commentary: Many people, out of excessive scrupulosity or mistaken piety, refrain from perfectly lawful and wholesome things. This is not taqwā — it is a form of transgression in the opposite direction. The three-fold classification of oaths (yamīn) is introduced here in connection with the verse on expiation: (1) the yamīn laghw — an idle, inadvertent oath, uttered without intent; (2) the yamīn munʿaqida — a formal, deliberate oath, the breaking of which requires expiation (kaffāra); and (3) the yamīn ghammūs — a deliberate false oath, a grave sin that requires both repentance and, if it caused harm to others, restitution.
لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يُؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا عَقَّدْتُمُ الْأَيْمَانَ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ وَاحْفَظُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Lā yuʾākhidhukumu Llāhu bi-l-laghwi fī aymānikum wa-lākin yuʾākhidhukum bimā ʿaqqadtumu l-aymāna fa-kaffāratuhu iṭʿāmu ʿashrati masākīna min awsaṭi mā tuṭʿimūna ahlīkum aw kiswatuhum aw taḥrīru raqabatin fa-man lam yajid fa-ṣiyāmu thalāthati ayyāmin dhālika kaffāratu aymānikum idhā ḥalaftum wa-ḥfaẓū aymānakum kadhālika yubayyinu Llāhu lakum āyātihi laʿallakum tashkurūn.
"Allāh does not hold you accountable for idle speech in your oaths, but He holds you accountable for the oaths you have solemnly contracted. The expiation (kaffāra) for that is: feeding ten poor persons with the average of what you feed your families, or clothing them, or freeing a slave. Whoever cannot find such means shall fast for three days. That is the expiation for your oaths when you have sworn. And guard your oaths. Thus does Allāh make clear to you His signs, that you may be grateful." (al-Māʾidah 5:89)
Translation: Allāh does not call you to account for idle and unintentional oaths (yamīn laghw), but He does hold you accountable for oaths deliberately and solemnly contracted. The kaffāra (expiation) for breaking such an oath is: to feed ten poor persons with the average quality of food you provide for your own family, or to clothe them, or to free a slave. Whoever cannot do any of these must fast for three days. This is the expiation for your oaths when you have sworn — so guard your oaths carefully. Thus does Allāh make His signs plain to you, that you may give thanks.
Commentary: The author makes a practical application: today the habit of idle and purposeless oath-taking (laghw) has become extremely widespread among Muslims. They invoke Allāh's name and say "I swear by Allāh" and "By Allāh!" constantly, without intent or seriousness. This is reprehensible and shows a lack of reverence for the sacred. The deliberate oath, if made and then broken, requires the kaffāra described here — feeding ten poor persons with average quality food, or clothing them, or freeing a slave; if none of these is possible, fasting three days. The author then reflects on the terrible sin of the yamīn ghammūs — the deliberately false oath. This is so grave that some scholars hold it cannot be expiated at all, because it involves willful deception. It causes harm to others and violates the fundamental fabric of social trust. He writes with force: people have become so habituated to lying that its evil is no longer felt. Some regard cunning and deception as wisdom and prudence. These people brand the honest as naive and simple. But laʿnatu Llāhi ʿalā l-kādhibīn — the curse of Allāh is upon liars.
The author continues his commentary on the kaffāra of oaths. He reiterates: the first category — the idle, unintentional oath — carries no penalty. The second — the formal deliberate oath — if broken, must be expiated by one of the three means (feeding, clothing, or freeing). If none is available, three days of fasting. He warns sternly: he has seen people who make oaths solemnly, then break them, and then think they have done nothing wrong. Such a person has sinned before Allāh. The expiation must be performed. And the most grievous oath-related sin — the deliberate false oath — demands not only expiation but sincere repentance and compensation to the one harmed. The author concludes: all of this points to the absolute importance of truthfulness (ṣidq) in Islāmic ethics — and truthfulness begins with the tongue, which must be brought under the discipline of taqwā.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū innamā l-khamru wa-l-maysiru wa-l-anṣābu wa-l-azlāmu rijsun min ʿamali l-shayṭāni fa-jtanibūhu laʿallakum tufliḥūn.
"O you who believe! Intoxicants (khamr), gambling (maysir), sacrificial altars (anṣāb), and divining arrows (azlām) are nothing but filth (rijs), the work of Shayṭān — so avoid them, that you may be successful." (al-Māʾidah 5:90)
Translation: O believers! Intoxicants (khamr) and gambling (maysir) and idolatrous altars (anṣāb) and divining arrows (azlām) are nothing but filth — they are the work of Shayṭān. Shun them utterly, so that you may attain success and felicity.
Commentary: The author reflects: note how Allāh prohibited wine (khamr) and gambling (maysir) by the most comprehensive method — declaring them rijs (filth and abomination) and min ʿamal al-shayṭān (from the work of Shayṭān). He did not merely say "they are harmful" — He branded them with the mark of Shayṭān. The anṣāb were stone altars on which animals were sacrificed in the name of idols; the azlām were divination arrows used for fortune-telling. All four — wine, gambling, idol-worship, and divination — are classified together as works of Shayṭān and sources of spiritual defilement. The word rijs (filth, abomination) encompasses both physical and spiritual pollution. And the command is not merely "reduce" or "moderate" — it is fa-jtanibūhu — "shun it completely, avoid it entirely."
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فَهَلْ أَنتُمْ مُنتَهُونَ
Innamā yurīdu l-shayṭānu an yūqiʿa baynakumu l-ʿadāwata wa-l-baghḍāʾa fī l-khamri wa-l-maysiri wa-yaṣuddakum ʿan dhikri Llāhi wa-ʿani l-ṣalāti fa-hal antum muntahūn.
"Shayṭān only wants to stir up enmity and hatred between you through intoxicants and gambling, and to turn you away from the remembrance of Allāh and from prayer. Will you not then desist?" (al-Māʾidah 5:91)
Translation: Shayṭān desires nothing but to cast enmity and deep hatred between you through wine and gambling — and to divert you from the remembrance (dhikr) of Allāh and from the prayer. Will you not then desist?
Commentary: Two fundamental harms of wine and gambling are identified: (1) they generate enmity and hatred among people — destroying friendship, brotherhood, and family ties; (2) they divert from dhikr (remembrance of Allāh) and ṣalāt (prayer). The author notes: wine and gambling are a form of spiritual death — they strip a person of the dignity that makes them different from animals. No sense of shame, no civility, no morality, no thought of Allāh, no desire for prayer. And this is Shayṭān's greatest victory. The closing rhetorical challenge — fa-hal antum muntahūn — "Will you not then desist?" — is one of the most powerful in the Qurʾān: it is not a mere command but an urgent, almost anguished appeal to reason and conscience.
وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَاحْذَرُوا فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا عَلَى رَسُولِنَا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ
Wa-aṭīʿū Llāha wa-aṭīʿū l-rasūla wa-ḥdhārū fa-in tawalaytum fa-ʿlamū annamā ʿalā rasūlinā l-balāghu l-mubīn.
"And obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and be on guard. But if you turn away — know that upon Our Messenger is only the clear conveyance of the message." (al-Māʾidah 5:92)
Translation: Obey Allāh and obey His Messengerﷺ, and remain on guard. But if you turn away, then know that upon Our Messenger lies no responsibility except the clear conveyance of the message — he has fulfilled his duty of proclamation; the choice is yours.
Commentary: The author reflects: if after all these warnings — about wine, gambling, the prohibition of taking disbelievers as intimate allies, and the comprehensive summons to taqwā — people still turn away, they should know that the Messengerﷺis not a compulsory coercer of souls. His role is al-balāgh al-mubīn — the clear and complete conveyance of the message. The duty of the Messenger has been discharged. The responsibility for the consequences of disobedience falls entirely on those who choose to disobey.
لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا طَعِمُوا إِذَا مَا اتَّقَوْا وَآمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّقَوْا وَآمَنُوا ثُمَّ اتَّقَوْا وَأَحْسَنُوا وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Laysa ʿalā l-ladhīna āmanū wa-ʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti junāḥun fīmā ṭaʿimū idhā mā ttaqaw wa-āmanū wa-ʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti thumma ttaqaw wa-āmanū thumma ttaqaw wa-aḥsanū wa-Llāhu yuḥibbu l-muḥsinīn.
"There is no blame on those who believe and do righteous deeds concerning what they have consumed in the past, provided that they fear Allāh and believe and do righteous deeds — then they feared Allāh and believed — then they feared Allāh and did good. And Allāh loves those who do good." (al-Māʾidah 5:93)
Translation: There is no blame upon those who believed and performed good deeds regarding what they consumed before the prohibition was revealed — so long as they now observe taqwā, believe, and do good deeds. Then they advanced further in taqwā and faith. Then they attained the station of taqwā paired with iḥsān (excellence of worship, in which one worships Allāh as though seeing Him). And Allāh loves those who pursue iḥsān.
Commentary: This verse addresses the Companions who had consumed wine before its final prohibition. There is no sin upon them for what was consumed before the divine ruling was established. The verse then outlines a threefold spiritual ascent: (1) taqwā + īmān + ʿamal ṣāliḥ — God-consciousness, faith, and good works — the foundational stage; (2) deeper taqwā + īmān — a more confirmed, settled faith; (3) taqwā + iḥsān — the highest stage, where the soul turns away from everything other than Allāh and attains the station of iḥsān — worshipping with the awareness of Divine presence. The author reflects: the prohibition of wine and gambling was achieved in stages, by wisdom — Allāh first made people love Islām, then gradually lifted away the things that corrupted the heart and the intellect. This is the method of the Qurʾān: wisdom, gentleness, and progressive guidance.
The author continues his extended commentary on the prohibition of wine and gambling. He notes: a certain wise person once observed that wine was responsible for more sins than almost any other single thing — it removes the barriers of reason and shame that prevent murder, adultery, and every other major sin. That is why it was called umm al-khabāʾith — "the mother of all evils." Wine was prohibited in Islām in stages — first, its harm was described; then prayer while intoxicated was prohibited; then the final and definitive prohibition. The wisdom of gradual prohibition is a lesson in pedagogical and legal ḥikma (wisdom). The phrase laʿallakum tuflihūn — "that you may be successful" — points to the connection: true success (falāḥ) is incompatible with wine and gambling.
He continues: today many Muslims in the matter of wine have become indistinguishable from non-Muslims — Al-amān! Al-amān! How catastrophic — the liver is destroyed, all the organs weaken and collapse, the brain closes down. There is no thought of God, no mention of the Messengerﷺ. And the owners of worldly power (mulūk al-mawadda) have adopted its use as their symbol of prestige. Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Llāh.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَيَبْلُوَنَّكُمُ اللَّهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الصَّيْدِ تَنَالُهُ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَرِمَاحُكُمْ لِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَخَافُهُ بِالْغَيْبِ فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَلَهُ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū la-yabluwannakumu Llāhu bi-shayʾin mina l-ṣaydi tanāluhu aydīkum wa-rimāḥukum li-yaʿlama Llāhu man yakhāfuhu bi-l-ghaybi fa-mani ʿtadā baʿda dhālika fa-lahu ʿadhābun alīm.
"O you who believe! Allāh will certainly test you with something from the game that your hands and lances can reach — so that Allāh may make clear who fears Him in the unseen. Whoever transgresses after this — for him is a painful punishment." (al-Māʾidah 5:94)
Translation: O believers! Allāh will surely test you with certain game — prey that your hands and spears can easily reach — in order to make manifest who truly fears Allāh in the unseen (al-ghayb). Whoever transgresses after this clear warning — for him is a painful, grievous punishment.
Commentary: This verse relates to the test of the muḥrim (one in the state of iḥrām during Ḥajj or ʿUmra) — the prohibition of hunting while in iḥrām. The game was made easily accessible and abundant as a divine test: would the believers restrain themselves from what was lawful at other times but forbidden in this sacred state? The phrase li-yaʿlama Llāhu man yakhāfuhu bi-l-ghayb — "so that Allāh may make manifest who fears Him in the unseen" — is the heart of the test. True fear of Allāh (taqwā) is precisely the one that operates in the unseen — when no one is watching, when the forbidden thing is easy to obtain, when only the consciousness of Allāh stands between the believer and transgression.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْتُلُوا الصَّيْدَ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ وَمَنْ قَتَلَهُ مِنْكُمْ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاءٌ مِثْلُ مَا قَتَلَ مِنَ النَّعَمِ يَحْكُمُ بِهِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِنْكُمْ هَدْيًا بَالِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ أَوْ كَفَّارَةٌ طَعَامُ مَسَاكِينَ أَوْ عَدْلُ ذَلِكَ صِيَامًا لِيَذُوقَ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَمَّا سَلَفَ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَيَنتَقِمُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَامٍ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū lā taqtulū l-ṣayda wa-antum ḥurumun wa-man qatalahu minkum mutaʿammidan fa-jazāʾun mithlu mā qatala mina l-naʿami yaḥkumu bihi dhawā ʿadlin minkum hadyan bāligha l-kaʿbati aw kaffāratun ṭaʿāmu masākīna aw ʿadlu dhālika ṣiyāman li-yadhūqa wabāla amrihi ʿafā Llāhu ʿammā salafa wa-man ʿāda fa-yantaqimu Llāhu minhu wa-Llāhu ʿazīzun dhū ntiqām.
"O you who believe! Do not kill game while you are in a state of iḥrām. And whoever kills game intentionally — the penalty is livestock equivalent to what he killed, as judged by two men of equity among you, the offering to be brought to the Kaʿba — or expiation (kaffāra) by feeding the poor, or an equivalent in fasting, so that he tastes the consequence of his deed. Allāh has pardoned what is past; but whoever reverts, Allāh will take retribution from him. And Allāh is Mighty, the Lord of retribution." (al-Māʾidah 5:95)
Translation: O believers! Do not kill game while you are in the sacred state of iḥrām. Whoever among you kills game intentionally — the penalty is a livestock animal equivalent in value to the game killed, as assessed by two just men from among you, brought as an offering to the Kaʿba. Or, as kaffāra, he may feed the poor — or the equivalent of that in fasting — so that he tastes the bitter consequence (wabāl) of his deed. Allāh has overlooked what occurred in the past (before the rule was known). But whoever repeats the offence — Allāh will exact retribution from him. And Allāh is Almighty, the Lord of retribution.
Commentary: The author discusses the juristic details. The game that is forbidden while in iḥrām is the land game — wild animals and birds. Harmful creatures — lions, wolves, serpents, scorpions, and similar — may be killed even in iḥrām. As for the kaffāra: according to Imām Abū Ḥanīfa (may Allāh have mercy on him), if the game is equivalent to a domestic animal, a corresponding animal is offered; if not, its value in food is given to the poor; if unable to provide food, he fasts — one day per ṣāʿ (a measure of grain). Imām al-Shāfiʿī (may Allāh have mercy on him) holds to the equivalent animal offering (hady). The author concludes: the sanctity of the Kaʿba (Bayt al-Ḥarām) extends to all the rites of Ḥajj — respecting the iḥrām, respecting the sacred months, and respecting all the bounds Allāh has set. Wilful violation after knowledge earns a stern divine accounting.
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُ مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَرِّ مَادُمْتُمْ حُرُمًا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
Uḥilla lakum ṣaydu l-baḥri wa-ṭaʿāmuhu matāʿan lakum wa-li-l-sayyārati wa-ḥurrima ʿalaykum ṣaydu l-barri mā dumtum ḥuruman wa-ttaqū Llāha l-ladhī ilayhi tuḥsharūn.
"Lawful for you is the game of the sea and its food — a provision for you and for travellers. But forbidden to you is the game of the land as long as you are in a state of iḥrām. And fear Allāh, before Whom you will be gathered." (al-Māʾidah 5:96)
Translation: The game of the sea and its food are made lawful for you — a provision and enjoyment for you and for travellers. But the game of the land is forbidden to you as long as you remain in iḥrām. Fear Allāh, before Whom all of you will be assembled.
جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الْكَعْبَةَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ قِيَامًا لِلنَّاسِ وَالشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَالْهَدْيَ وَالْقَلَائِدَ ذَلِكَ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Jaʿala Llāhu l-Kaʿbata l-bayta l-ḥarāma qiyāman li-l-nāsi wa-l-shahra l-ḥarāma wa-l-hadya wa-l-qalāʾida dhālika li-taʿlamū anna Llāha yaʿlamu mā fī l-samāwāti wa-mā fī l-arḍi wa-anna Llāha bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm.
"Allāh has made the Kaʿba, the Sacred House, a means of sustenance and stability for people, and likewise the sacred months, the sacrificial offerings (hady), and the garlanded animals (qalāʾid). That is so you may know that Allāh knows what is in the heavens and the earth, and that Allāh has knowledge of all things." (al-Māʾidah 5:97)
Translation: Allāh has appointed the Kaʿba — the Sacred House — as a source of stability and uprightness for all people; and likewise the sacred months (Rajab, Dhū al-Qaʿda, Dhū al-Ḥijja, and Muḥarram), and the sacrificial animals (hady), and the garlanded animals (qalāʾid — animals wearing a garland as a mark of dedication). All of this is so that you may know that Allāh knows everything in the heavens and the earth, and that Allāh has knowledge of all things.
Commentary: The Kaʿba is the spiritual and civilisational centre of all humanity — qiyāman li-l-nāsi: a source of moral order, safety, and spiritual life for all people. The sacred months bring security to travellers and traders, ensuring the free movement of peoples. The sacrificial animals garlanded with a mark of dedication are signs of devotion and remembrance. All of these institutions point to Allāh's all-encompassing knowledge (ʿilm) and wisdom — He has designed the entire system for human benefit in this world and salvation in the next.
اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Iʿlamū anna Llāha shadīdu l-ʿiqābi wa-anna Llāha ghafūrun raḥīm.
"Know that Allāh is severe in punishment and that Allāh is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (al-Māʾidah 5:98)
Translation: Know with certainty that Allāh is severe in punishment — and that Allāh is at the same time All-Forgiving and Most Merciful.
مَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا تَكْتُمُونَ
Mā ʿalā l-rasūli illā l-balāghu wa-Llāhu yaʿlamu mā tubdūna wa-mā taktumūn.
"The Messenger's duty is only to convey the message. And Allāh knows what you reveal and what you conceal." (al-Māʾidah 5:99)
Translation: The Messengerﷺbears no responsibility beyond the clear conveyance of the message. And Allāh knows everything you openly manifest and everything you secretly harbour.
قُلْ لَا يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Qul lā yastawī l-khabīthu wa-l-ṭayyibu wa-law aʿjabaka kathuratu l-khabīthi fa-ttaqū Llāha yā ulī l-albābi laʿallakum tufliḥūn.
"Say: The impure and the pure are not equal — even if the abundance of the impure amazes you. So fear Allāh, O people of reason, that you may be successful." (al-Māʾidah 5:100)
Translation: Say: The impure (khabīth) and the pure (ṭayyib) are never equal — even if the sheer quantity of the impure dazzles you and captures your wonder. So fear Allāh, O people of sound intellect and understanding, that you may achieve true success.
Commentary: This verse contains a profound ethical and economic principle. The unlawfully acquired good — however vast and glittering — can never equal the little that is pure and lawfully earned. The criterion is not quantity but quality: not kammiyya but kayfiyya. The author applies this to the juristic question of the price of hunted game: there is a difference between the assessed monetary value and the actual moral weight of what was violated. He then notes the general principle: the ḥalāl and the ḥarām can never be equal regardless of volume. The counsel fa-ttaqū Llāha yā ulī l-albāb — "fear Allāh, O men of reason" — makes clear that the ability to distinguish the pure from the impure is itself a mark of true intelligence.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَسْأَلُوا عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ إِنْ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ تَسُؤْكُمْ وَإِنْ تَسْأَلُوا عَنْهَا حِينَ يُنَزَّلُ الْقُرْآنُ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهَا وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū lā tasʾalū ʿan ashyāʾa in tubda lakum tasʾukum wa-in tasʾalū ʿanhā ḥīna yunazzalu l-qurʾānu tubda lakum ʿafā Llāhu ʿanhā wa-Llāhu ghafūrun ḥalīm.
"O you who believe! Do not ask about things which, if they were made known to you, would distress you. And if you ask about them when the Qurʾān is being revealed, they will be made known to you. Allāh has pardoned that — and Allāh is All-Forgiving, Most Forbearing." (al-Māʾidah 5:101)
Translation: O believers! Do not ask about things which, if disclosed to you, would only cause you distress and harm. But if you do ask about them while the Qurʾān is being revealed, they will be disclosed to you. Allāh has pardoned past instances of such questioning — and Allāh is All-Forgiving and Most Forbearing.
Commentary: The author provides a charming anecdote: a student once posed a grammatical puzzle to a learned scholar about the word ashyāʾ — asking whether it was derived from shayʾ (in which case the usual plural form would apply) or was a different form. The scholar, who was extremely sharp, replied: "O people! Allāh the Most High says do not ask about certain things — and here this student is even asking about the word ashyāʾ!" The point is that excessive questioning — especially when the answers would bring only difficulty and burden — is discouraged. The background is certain Companions who asked questions during the revelation that resulted in rulings that made things harder for them. The principle applies: do not seek out new burdens through unnecessary questioning. However, questions asked in sincere pursuit of knowledge and understanding are of course entirely commended.
قَدْ سَأَلَهَا قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَصْبَحُوا بِهَا كَافِرِينَ
Qad saʾalahā qawmun min qablikum thumma aṣbaḥū bihā kāfirīn.
"A people before you asked about such things and then became disbelievers on account of them." (al-Māʾidah 5:102)
Translation: A community before you asked similar questions and then, when the answers came, rejected them and became disbelievers.
Commentary: Once an insistent questioner pressed many questions in the presence of the Prophetﷺ, demanding to know who his father was. The Prophetﷺnamed him — and this man was thereafter overcome by shame. A Companion present was moved by concern for the man's dignity and made the supplication: Raḍīnā bi-Llāhi Rabban wa-bi-l-Islāmi dīnan wa-bi-sayyidinā Muḥammadin nabiyyan — "We are well satisfied with Allāh as our Lord, Islām as our religion, and our master Muḥammad as our Prophet." The Prophetﷺobserved: "Had Mūsā been alive today, he would have had no option but to follow me."
مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَحِيرَةٍ وَلَا سَائِبَةٍ وَلَا وَصِيلَةٍ وَلَا حَامٍ وَلَكِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
Mā jaʿala Llāhu min baḥīratin wa-lā sāʾibatin wa-lā waṣīlatin wa-lā ḥāmin wa-lākinna l-ladhīna kafarū yaftarūna ʿalā Llāhi l-kadhiba wa-aktharuhum lā yaʿqilūn.
"Allāh has not instituted baḥīra, sāʾiba, waṣīla, or ḥāmī — but the disbelievers fabricate lies against Allāh, and most of them have no understanding." (al-Māʾidah 5:103)
Translation: Allāh has not ordained baḥīra (a she-camel whose ear was slit after five births, set free), nor sāʾiba (a she-camel freed after a vow), nor waṣīla (a she-goat given special status), nor ḥāmī (a stallion freed from labour after ten pregnancies). These were all inventions of the Age of Ignorance. The disbelievers fabricate lies against Allāh and most of them have no understanding.
Commentary: The author gives a warning concerning a practice that he sees in his own time: some people set aside animals in the name of deceased saints (buzurgān) and will not permit anyone to use them — claiming this is a form of ṣadaqa or dedication. He clarifies sharply: this is completely separate from the lawful practices of slaughtering animals as ṣadaqa, distributing their meat as charity (Fātiḥa), and feeding guests in honour of the departed. Those practices are permissible. But declaring a living animal to be the property of a saint such that no one may use it, ride it, or benefit from it — and associating this with the will of the saint — is an innovation that has its roots in the forbidden pre-Islamic customs of baḥīra and ḥāmī. The learned and the ignorant should both be made aware of this distinction.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ قَالُوا حَسْبُنَا مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ
Wa-idhā qīla lahum taʿālaw ilā mā anzala Llāhu wa-ilā l-rasūli qālū ḥasbunā mā wajadnā ʿalayhi ābāʾanā awa-law kāna ābāʾuhum lā yaʿlamūna shayʾan wa-lā yahtadūn.
"And when it is said to them: 'Come to what Allāh has revealed and to the Messenger,' they say: 'Sufficient for us is what we found our forefathers upon.' Even though their forefathers knew nothing and were not guided?" (al-Māʾidah 5:104)
Translation: And when they are told: "Come to what Allāh has revealed, and to the Messengerﷺ," they reply: "What we found our ancestors practising is sufficient for us." — Even if their ancestors had no knowledge whatsoever and were wandering without guidance?
Commentary: Blind adherence to ancestral custom — however erroneous — is one of the perennial obstacles to the acceptance of divine guidance. The Qurʾān here delivers its piercing challenge: what if your forefathers were wrong? What if they had no knowledge and were astray? The answer of reason (ʿaql) is clear: truth is established by evidence (dalīl), not by lineage. The author applies this to the inherited practices of his time: people accept superstitions, forbidden innovations, and ancestral customs simply because "this is how our fathers did it." The duty of the scholar and the pious Muslim is to hold up the mirror of the Qurʾān and the Sunna against every inherited practice.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū ʿalaykum anfusakum lā yaḍurrukum man ḍalla idhā htadaytum ilā Llāhi marjiʿukum jamīʿan fa-yunabbiʾukum bimā kuntum taʿmalūn.
"O you who believe! You are responsible for your own souls. The one who goes astray cannot harm you if you are on the right path. To Allāh is the return of all of you — and He will inform you of what you used to do." (al-Māʾidah 5:105)
Translation: O believers! Guard your own souls — ʿalaykum anfusakum. The one who goes astray cannot harm you if you yourselves have found the right path. To Allāh all of you will return; and then He will inform you of everything you did.
Commentary: The verse does not teach indifference to the wrongs of others — this would contradict the entire Qurʾānic obligation of al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf wa-l-nahy ʿan al-munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil). Rather, it means: once you have fulfilled your duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil, the sin of those who persist in wrongdoing falls on them and cannot harm you. The analogy is given: if several people are in a boat and one of them begins to drill a hole in his section, saying "I am only affecting my part" — the others must stop him; if they do not, they will all drown together. The Muslim's refusal to "mind his own business" in matters of communal obligation is a religious duty. But after the duty of remonstrance has been discharged, the personal spiritual harm of others' sin does not transfer to the one who tried to prevent it.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ حِينَ الْوَصِيَّةِ اثْنَانِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِنْكُمْ أَوْ آخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَأَصَابَتْكُمْ مُصِيبَةُ الْمَوْتِ تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا مِنْ بَعْدِ الصَّلَاةِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ لَا نَشْتَرِي بِهِ ثَمَنًا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى وَلَا نَكْتُمُ شَهَادَةَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا إِذًا لَمِنَ الْآثِمِينَ
Yā ayyuhā l-ladhīna āmanū shahādatu baynamkum idhā ḥaḍara aḥadakumu l-mawtu ḥīna l-waṣiyyati thnaāni dhawā ʿadlin minkum aw ākharāni min ghayrikum in antum ḍarabtum fī l-arḍi fa-aṣābatkum muṣībatu l-mawti taḥbisūnahumā min baʿdi l-ṣalāti fa-yuqsimāni bi-Llāhi ini rtabtum lā nashtarī bihi thamanan wa-law kāna dhā qurbā wa-lā naktumu shahādata Llāhi innā idhan la-mina l-āthimīn.
"O you who believe! The testimony between you when death approaches one of you — at the time of making a bequest — should be from two just men among you, or two others from outside your community if you are travelling in the land and the calamity of death befalls you. Detain them both after the prayer and let them swear by Allāh — if you doubt — saying: 'We will not trade this oath for any price, even if it concerns a near kinsman. We will not conceal the testimony of Allāh — if we did, we would surely be among the sinners.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:106)
Translation: O believers! When death draws near to one of you at the time of making his will (waṣiyya), the testimony should be from two men of established uprightness from among you — or if you are travelling in the land and death overtakes you, then two others from outside your community. Retain them both after the prayer and have them swear by Allāh, if you are in doubt, saying: "We will not sell this oath for any price, even for the sake of a near kinsman. We will not conceal the testimony of Allāh — for if we did we would be among the sinners." Concealing testimony or giving false witness is a sin that harms others' rights.
Commentary: This verse establishes a Qurʾānic legal procedure for the witnessing of wills — a matter of high importance, since the making of a lawful will is a religious duty and the rights of heirs depend on it. In the ordinary situation, two Muslim witnesses of established moral character (ʿadāla) are required. In the special circumstance of travel — where no Muslim witnesses are available at the moment of impending death — testimony from two non-Muslims (ahl al-dhimma or others) may be accepted, subject to the oath-taking procedure described. The oath is to be administered after the congregational prayer, when the atmosphere of reverence is greatest. The oath itself is a solemn declaration of integrity, of freedom from bribery and nepotism. The author notes: in Islām the entire edifice of the judicial system depends on the integrity of witnesses and the sanctity of testimony. The prohibition of bearing false witness is among the gravest prohibitions in the faith.
فَإِنْ عُثِرَ عَلَى أَنَّهُمَا اسْتَحَقَّا إِثْمًا فَآخَرَانِ يَقُومَانِ مَقَامَهُمَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَوْلَيَانِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ لَشَهَادَتُنَا أَحَقُّ مِنْ شَهَادَتِهِمَا وَمَا اعْتَدَيْنَا إِنَّا إِذًا لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Fa-in ʿuthira ʿalā annahumā staḥaqqā ithman fa-ākharāni yaqūmāni maqāmahumā mina l-ladhīna staḥaqqa ʿalayhimu l-awlayāni fa-yuqsimāni bi-Llāhi la-shahādatunā aḥaqqu min shahādatihimā wa-mā ʿtadaynā innā idhan la-mina l-ẓālimīn.
"If it is later discovered that both of them have been guilty of a sin, then two others shall stand in their place from among those who had rights against the first two — both shall swear by Allāh: 'Our testimony is truer than their testimony and we have not transgressed — if we had we would be among the wrongdoers.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:107)
Translation: But if it becomes apparent that the two witnesses have been guilty of treachery or false testimony, then two others shall take their place — from among the rightful heirs whose rights were violated — and these two shall swear by Allāh: "Our testimony is more truthful than theirs and we have not transgressed the bounds of truth — if we had, we would be among the wrongdoers."
ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِالشَّهَادَةِ عَلَى وَجْهِهَا أَوْ يَخَافُوا أَنْ تُرَدَّ أَيْمَانٌ بَعْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْمَعُوا وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ
Dhālika adnā an yaʾtū bi-l-shahādati ʿalā wajhihā aw yakhāfū an turadda aymānun baʿda aymānihim wa-ttaqū Llāha wa-smaʿū wa-Llāhu lā yahdī l-qawma l-fāsiqīn.
"That way it is more likely that they will give true testimony in its proper form, or they will fear that other oaths may follow their oaths. Fear Allāh and listen; and Allāh does not guide transgressors." (al-Māʾidah 5:108)
Translation: This procedure is more conducive to accurate testimony being given in its proper form, or to the witnesses fearing that their oaths might be challenged and overturned by subsequent oaths from the heirs. Fear Allāh and hear — and Allāh does not guide transgressors.
Commentary: The author reflects on the subject of testimony (shahāda) with depth. He observes: testimony is a matter of the utmost seriousness — the entire edifice of Islamic jurisprudence concerning rights, property, marriage, divorce, and criminal punishment rests upon the validity of witnesses. The purpose of the elaborate oath procedure described in these verses is deterrence — to make potential perjurers afraid that their false testimony will be exposed and overturned. The mention of fornicators — in the broader juristic context — requiring four witnesses is specifically because this is the most serious crime against public morals, and Allāh has made its legal proof extremely difficult precisely to protect reputation and to deter unfounded accusations. In ordinary civil matters, two male witnesses — or one male and two females — constitute the standard niṣāb (minimum required for testimony).
The author also mentions: testimony between spouses who accuse each other (liʿān — mutual imprecation) is another category established by the Qurʾān. And in matters witnessed only by women — such as childbirth — a single female witness may suffice. The testimony of non-Muslims against Muslims is rejected in Ḥanafī jurisprudence (maẓlima) out of concern for bias. The relationship of proximity and interest makes testimony of close kin suspect. The overall aim of the Qurʾānic system of testimony is to produce the highest possible certainty of truth in judicial proceedings.
يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ الرُّسُلَ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَا أُجِبْتُمْ قَالُوا لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ
Yawma yajmaʿu Llāhu l-rusula fa-yaqūlu mādhā ujibtum qālū lā ʿilma lanā innaka anta ʿallāmu l-ghuyūb.
"The Day when Allāh will assemble the Messengers and say: 'What answer were you given?' They will say: 'We have no knowledge — You are the All-Knowing of all that is hidden.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:109)
Translation: Bear in mind the Day when Allāh will assemble all the Messengers and ask them: "What answer were you given?" They will say: "We have no knowledge — You are the All-Knowing of all that is hidden."
Commentary: The Messengers — on that tremendous Day of Reckoning — will answer that they have no independent knowledge; everything is with Allāh. The author meditates on the nature of ʿilm al-ghayb (knowledge of the unseen): knowledge of the unseen belongs, in its absolute and intrinsic (bāl-dhāt) sense, to Allāh alone. Whatever is made known to the Prophets or to others from the unseen is by divine disclosure (ʿalā sabīl al-iṭlāʿ) — it is given to them, not possessed by them independently. The phrase Allāhu ʿallāmu l-ghuyūb — "Allāh is the All-Knower of all that is hidden" — is one of the great asmāʾ al-ḥusnā (Beautiful Names of Allāh). What is hidden to all creation is present and manifest before Allāh. This is the Sunnī Maturīdī position: propogation of a correct understanding of divine knowledge is part of proper ʿaqīda.
إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى وَالِدَتِكَ إِذْ أَيَّدْتُكَ بِرُوح
إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى وَالِدَتِكَ إِذْ أَيَّدْتُكَ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا وَإِذْ عَلَّمْتُكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَإِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ بِإِذْنِي فَتَنفُخُ فِيهَا فَتَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِي وَتُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ بِإِذْنِي وَإِذْ تُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَى بِإِذْنِي وَإِذْ كَفَفْتُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَنكَ إِذْ جِئْتَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ
Idh qāla Llāhu yā ʿĪsā ibna Maryama udhkur niʿmatī ʿalayka wa-ʿalā wālidatika idh ayyadtuka bi-rūḥi l-qudusi tukallimu l-nāsa fī l-mahdi wa-kahlan wa-idh ʿallamtuka l-kitāba wa-l-ḥikmata wa-l-tawrāta wa-l-injīla wa-idh takhluqu mina l-ṭīni ka-hayʾati l-ṭayri bi-idhniī fa-tanfukhu fīhā fa-takūnu ṭayran bi-idhnī wa-tubriʾu l-akmaha wa-l-abraṣa bi-idhnī wa-idh tukhriju l-mawtā bi-idhnī wa-idh kafaftu Banī Isrāʾīla ʿanka idh jiʾtahum bi-l-bayyināti fa-qāla l-ladhīna kafarū minhum in hādhā illā siḥrun mubīn.
"And when Allāh will say: 'O ʿĪsā, son of Maryam! Remember My favour upon you and upon your mother — how I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-qudus) so that you spoke to people in the cradle and in maturity; and how I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel; and how you fashioned, by My leave, the likeness of a bird from clay, then breathed into it and it became a bird by My leave; and how you healed the one born blind and the leper by My leave; and how you raised the dead by My leave; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from you when you came to them with the clear signs — and those who disbelieved among them said: This is nothing but manifest sorcery.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:110)
Translation: Bear in mind when Allāh the Most High will say: O ʿĪsā, son of Maryam! Remember and enumerate the favours I bestowed upon you and upon your noble mother Maryam (upon her be peace): I strengthened you through the Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-qudus) — most scholars hold that this refers to Sayyidunā Jibrīl (upon him be peace), who accompanied ʿĪsā and supported him — so that you spoke to people from your cradle as an infant, and likewise in mature age. I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. I granted you the power, by My leave, to fashion the figure of a bird from clay and breathe into it, whereupon it became a living bird by My leave; to heal those born blind and those afflicted with leprosy by My leave; and to raise the dead from their graves by My leave. And when you came to the Children of Israel with manifest signs and proofs, I restrained them from harming you — yet those who disbelieved among them declared: "This is nothing but clear sorcery."
Commentary: O friends! All these are the wonders of the Divine Power (qudrat-i ilāhī). These are the miracles (muʿjizāt) of the Prophet ʿĪsā (upon him be peace). The disbelievers of his time acknowledged them in their hearts but refused to submit. They called those very signs sorcery. The critical theological point that this verse establishes — and which the author emphasises emphatically — is that all of ʿĪsā's miracles were performed bi-idhni Llāh ("by the leave of Allāh"). This phrase appears five times in the verse. It is the Qurʾānic refutation of the Christian claim that ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) is divine or acts from his own intrinsic power. Everything was by divine permission and divine enablement — not by personal, independent, or self-subsisting power. There is no divine essence (dhāt) in any creature; all power belongs to Allāh alone. The miraculous events — breathing life into clay, healing the blind and the leprous, raising the dead — are all acts of Allāh through His prophet, not acts of an independent deity.
The author also addresses here the accusation of shirk levelled by some narrow-minded persons against those who hold love for the Prophets and the Awliyāʾ (may Allāh have mercy on them). He notes: when one ascribes to a Prophet or a Walī a miracle that occurred through them by divine permission, this is not shirk — for the miracle itself declares bi-idhniī (by My leave). What truly constitutes shirk is to attribute to any being independent, self-originating power equal to or rivalling the Divine. Those who misread the words of love and acknowledge miracles of the Awliyāʾ are not the polytheists; the true danger is those who, out of narrow zealotry, accuse sincere Muslims of polytheism — and by doing so themselves fall into the transgression of slandering the community of the faithful.
وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِي وَبِرَسُولِي قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ
Wa-idh awḥaytu ilā l-ḥawāriyyīna an āminū bī wa-bi-rasūlī qālū āmannā wa-shhad bi-annanā muslimūn.
"And when I inspired the disciples: 'Believe in Me and in My Messenger,' they said: 'We believe; and bear witness that we are Muslims (those who submit).'" (al-Māʾidah 5:111)
Translation: And recall when I cast inspiration (waḥy) into the hearts of the disciples (ḥawāriyyūn) — the close companions of ʿĪsā — commanding: Believe in Me and in My Messenger. They responded: We have believed. And bear witness, O Allāh, that we are Muslims — those who have surrendered and submitted to You.
Commentary: The word awḥaytu here is used in the sense of ilhām — divine inspiration cast into the heart — not prophetic waḥy in the technical sense, which is reserved for prophets alone. The ḥawāriyyūn were the devoted companions of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace); the word is cognate with aḥwār, denoting radiant whiteness — either because their hearts were pure and luminous, or because they were washermen who wore white. In Arabic the word ḥawrāʾ (a woman of beautiful radiant eyes) derives from the same root. Their response — āmannā wa-shhad bi-annanā muslimūn — is a model declaration of faith: to believe and then to call upon Allāh as witness to one's submission.
إِذْ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَبُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
Idh qāla l-ḥawāriyyūna yā ʿĪsā ibna Maryama hal yastaṭīʿu rabbuka an yunazzila ʿalaynā māʾidatan mina l-samāʾi qāla ttaqū Llāha in kuntum muʾminīn.
"When the disciples said: 'O ʿĪsā, son of Maryam! Can your Lord send down to us a table spread (māʾida) from the heavens?' He said: 'Fear Allāh, if you are believers.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:112)
Translation: And when the disciples said: O ʿĪsā, son of Maryam! Is your Lord able — will your Lord send down to us a table spread (māʾida) from the sky? He replied: Fear Allāh and be mindful of Him — if you are truly believers.
Commentary: The question of the disciples has been understood in two ways by the commentators. Some read hal yastaṭīʿu as an honest inquiry about the possibility: "Can your Lord do this?" — in which case ʿĪsā's sharp response "Fear Allāh!" was a reprimand for doubting divine omnipotence. Others — and this is the preferred reading — understand the question as: "Will your Lord please send us this," using the word yastaṭīʿu in the sense of hal yafʿalu (will He do so), an idiom of petition rather than doubt. On this reading, the disciples are requesting a miracle to strengthen their certainty and faith, not doubting the divine power. ʿĪsā's admonition "Fear Allāh, if you are believers" means: approach this request with proper reverence and adab — do not demand signs flippantly, but trust in the Lord's wisdom regarding what He bestows and when.
قَالُوا نُرِيدُ أَن نَّأْكُلَ مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُنَا وَنَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَكُونَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ
Qālū nurīdu an naʾkula minhā wa-taṭmaʾinna qulūbunā wa-naʿlama an qad ṣadaqtanā wa-nakūna ʿalayhā mina l-shāhidīn.
"They said: 'We wish to eat from it, so that our hearts are reassured and that we know you have spoken truth to us, and that we may be among those who bear witness to it.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:113)
Translation: They said: We desire to eat from it so that our hearts may achieve complete tranquillity and reassurance (iṭmiʾnān), and that we may know with certainty that you have indeed told us the truth, and that we may become among those who bear witness to this miracle.
Commentary: Their three stated purposes are instructive: eating from the heavenly table (māʾida) as a means of sustenance; the settling and reassurance of the heart; and becoming eyewitnesses who can testify. The third purpose — bearing witness — is particularly significant. In the spiritual path, eyewitnessing (mushāhada) is the highest station of certainty: above mere knowledge (ʿilm) and above intellectual conviction (yaqīn al-ʿaql) rises the direct witnessing of the heart (ʿayn al-yaqīn and ḥaqq al-yaqīn). The disciples desired to rise from the station of faith on testimony to the station of direct witnessing.
قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدًا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآيَةً مِّنكَ وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ
Qāla ʿĪsā ibnu Maryama Llāhumma Rabbanā anzil ʿalaynā māʾidatan mina l-samāʾi takūnu lanā ʿīdan li-awwalinā wa-ākhirinā wa-āyatan minka wa-rzuqnā wa-anta khayru l-rāziqīn.
"ʿĪsā, son of Maryam, said: 'O Allāh, our Lord! Send down to us a table spread from the heavens, that it may be for us a festival (ʿīd) — for the first of us and the last of us — and a sign from You. And provide for us; for You are the Best of providers.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:114)
Translation: ʿĪsā, son of Maryam (upon him be peace), then supplicated: O Allāh! O our Lord! Send down upon us a table spread from the sky, that it may become for us a day of festival and commemoration — for those of us who are present now and for those who come after us — and a sign and wonder (āya) from You. And grant us provision and sustenance; for You are the finest of all who provide.
Commentary: The supplication of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) is a model of prophetic etiquette (adab al-duʿāʾ). He addresses Allāh with Allāhumma and Rabbanā — combining the name and the attribute of Lordship. He gives a threefold reason for the request: (1) it will be a source of commemoration and spiritual renewal (ʿīd) for all generations of believers — not just a personal satisfaction; (2) it will be a divine sign (āya), confirming prophethood and strengthening faith; (3) it will be a means of divine provision (rizq). The closing acknowledgement — wa-anta khayru l-rāziqīn ("You are the Best of providers") — is the appropriate acknowledgement of Allah's absolute generosity. The author notes here: the word ʿīd literally means "that which returns" — a day of recurring remembrance and joy. The Eid in Islām is similarly a day of communal rejoicing and renewed gratitude.
قَالَ اللَّهُ إِنِّي مُنَزِّلُهَا عَلَيْكُمْ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بَعْدُ مِنكُمْ فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَّا أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ
Qāla Llāhu innī munazziluhā ʿalaykum fa-man yakfur baʿdu minkum fa-innī uʿadhdhibuhu ʿadhāban lā uʿadhdhibuhu aḥadan mina l-ʿālamīn.
"Allāh said: 'I am sending it down to you. But whoever disbelieves after this, among you — I will surely punish him with a punishment the like of which I have not inflicted upon anyone among the worlds.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:115)
Translation: Allāh the Most High declared: I shall indeed send down the table spread upon you. But whoever disbelieves after this among you — I will inflict upon him a punishment such as I have inflicted upon none in all the worlds.
Commentary: The divine response to ʿĪsā's supplication was acceptance — the māʾida was sent down. But the granting of the miracle came with a severe divine warning: those who witness this extraordinary sign and then persist in disbelief will face a uniquely severe punishment. This is the consistent Qurʾānic principle: the greater the evidence, the greater the responsibility; the clearer the sign, the more grave the sin of rejection. The people of Thamūd, for example, were given the miraculous she-camel (nāqat Allāh) as a clear sign, and their destruction after rejecting it was swift and total. The disciples and those who witnessed the māʾida were placed under a heightened covenant — a blessing that carried within it an intensified accountability.
The author notes: the blessed mother Sayyidatunā Maryam (upon her be peace) was also present on that occasion and witnessed the descent of the māʾida; she too became a witness of this divine favour. The māʾida — the heavenly table spread — is the event from which this entire sūra takes its name.
وَإِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَأَنتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَٰهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ إِن كُنتُ قُلْتُهُ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ
Wa-idh qāla Llāhu yā ʿĪsā ibna Maryama a-anta qulta li-l-nāsi ttakhidhūnī wa-ummiya ilāhayni min dūni Llāhi qāla subḥānaka mā yakūnu lī an aqūla mā laysa lī bi-ḥaqqin in kuntu qultuhu fa-qad ʿalimtahu taʿlamu mā fī nafsī wa-lā aʿlamu mā fī nafsika innaka anta ʿallāmu l-ghuyūb.
"And when Allāh said: 'O ʿĪsā, son of Maryam! Did you say to people: Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allāh?' He said: 'Glory be to You! It does not befit me to say what I have no right to say. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is in my soul, and I do not know what is in Your Self — You are the All-Knowing of all that is hidden.'" (al-Māʾidah 5:116)
Translation: And recall when Allāh the Most High will say — on the Day of Resurrection: O ʿĪsā, son of Maryam! Did you tell people to take you and your mother as two deities (ilāhayn) alongside Allāh? ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) will reply: Glory be to You (subḥānaka)! It does not become me — it is not within the compass of my right — to say what I have no claim to say. If I had indeed said such a thing, You would have known it already. You know what is within my soul, and I do not know what is within Your Self — You are the All-Knowing of all that is hidden.
Commentary: This divine interrogation will take place on the Day of Resurrection, in the presence of all humankind. It is a public refutation of the central error of Christianity — the ascription of divinity to the Prophet ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) and to his mother, the Lady Maryam (upon her be peace). The response of ʿĪsā is perfect in its adab: he begins with subḥānaka — declaring the utter transcendence of Allāh from any partner or equal — then makes three statements: (1) I have no right to claim divinity; (2) if I had claimed it, You would know, for nothing is hidden from You; (3) You know my inner reality, and I cannot claim to know Your inner reality — taʿlamu mā fī nafsī wa-lā aʿlamu mā fī nafsika. This sentence is one of the most profound in the Qurʾān: it establishes the absolute asymmetry between the creature's knowledge and the divine knowledge. The knowledge of the human soul is limited even regarding its own self; the divine knowledge encompasses all things.
The author reflects deeply here: ʿilm al-ghayb — knowledge of the unseen — belongs to Allāh alone in its absolute, intrinsic (bāl-dhāt) mode. Whatever any Prophet or Walī knows of the unseen has been given to them by Allāh through divine disclosure (iṭlāʿ) — it is bestowed, not innate. This is the correct Maturīdī position. The phrase innaka anta ʿallāmu l-ghuyūb — Verily You are the All-Knowing of all hidden things — encompasses not only the secrets of the heavens and the earth, but also the innermost states of hearts and souls.
مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَمَرْتَنِي بِهِ أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنتَ أَنتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
Mā qultu lahum illā mā amartanī bihi ani ʿbudū Llāha rabbī wa-rabbakum wa-kuntu ʿalayhim shahīdan mā dumtu fīhim fa-lammā tawaffaytanī kunta anta l-raqība ʿalayhim wa-anta ʿalā kulli shayʾin shahīd.
"I said to them only what You commanded me: 'Worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are Witness over all things." (al-Māʾidah 5:117)
Translation: ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) will continue: I told them nothing except what You commanded me — namely: Worship Allāh, who is my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness and guardian over them for as long as I remained among them; but when You caused me to depart — raising me up to You — You Yourself became the Watcher (raqīb) over them, and You are Witness over all things.
Commentary: This is the complete, final testimony of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) before his Lord on the Day of Reckoning. He states with absolute clarity: my message was tawḥīd — pure, exclusive monotheism — "Worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord." He did not claim to be a god, nor did he instruct anyone to worship him or his mother. His mission was the same mission of every prophet: to call humanity to the worship of the One True God. After his raising up (rafʿ) — and the Qurʾān affirms clearly that Allāh raised him to Himself, bal rafaʿahu Llāhu ilayhi — he could no longer exercise personal oversight over his community; Allāh became the Watcher in his stead, and indeed Allāh is Witness over all things at all times.
إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
In tuʿadhdhibhum fa-innahum ʿibāduka wa-in taghfir lahum fa-innaka anta l-ʿazīzu l-ḥakīm.
"If You punish them — they are Your servants. And if You forgive them — You are the Almighty, the All-Wise." (al-Māʾidah 5:118)
Translation: If You punish them — they are Your servants and wholly in Your power and possession; You are the Master and Owner. And if You forgive them — then You are the Almighty (ʿAzīz), the All-Wise (Ḥakīm): You act with might and wisdom in all that You do, and none can question Your decree.
Commentary: This verse is among the most moving in the Qurʾān. It is the speech of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) in a state of complete submission — tafwīḍ (total entrustment to Allāh). He does not intercede against the divine will, nor does he claim authority over the fate of those who deviated from his message. He places the matter entirely before Allāh: "They are Your servants (ʿibāduka) — the absolute authority is Yours." This is the supreme station of servanthood (ʿubūdiyya): having no will of one's own in the face of the divine will. The juxtaposition of ʿAzīz (Almighty — possessing all power and honour) with Ḥakīm (All-Wise — acting with perfect wisdom and purpose) is significant: divine forgiveness is not arbitrary indulgence, but flows from the infinite wisdom and might of the One Who alone knows the full reality of His servants.
The author notes the theological subtlety here: ʿĪsā does not say "forgive them" outright as an intercession — for at that moment the time for intercession is not his to claim; rather he presents the matter to the divine will in a spirit of complete surrender. The scholars observe: the most beloved of Allāh are those who, like the Prophet ʿĪsā (upon him be peace), hold themselves in utter humility before the Majesty of the Divine, neither demanding nor despairing, but resting in the perfection of the divine wisdom.
قَالَ اللَّهُ هَذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
Qāla Llāhu hādhā yawmu yanfaʿu l-ṣādiqīna ṣidquhum lahum jannātun tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhāru khālidīna fīhā abadan raḍiya Llāhu ʿanhum wa-raḍū ʿanhu dhālika l-fawzu l-ʿaẓīm.
"Allāh said: 'This is the Day on which the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. For them are gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. Allāh is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is the great triumph (al-fawz al-ʿaẓīm).'" (al-Māʾidah 5:119)
Translation: Allāh the Most High will declare: This is the Day on which truthful people (ṣādiqūn) will be rewarded for their truthfulness. For them are gardens of Paradise beneath which rivers flow, and they shall dwell therein forever and ever. Allāh is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Allāh. This — dhālika l-fawzu l-ʿaẓīm — is the supreme success, the greatest triumph.
Commentary: This is the glorious conclusion of Sūrat al-Māʾidah. After the interrogation of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) and his magnificent declaration of servanthood, Allāh pronounces the verdict: this is the Day of truthfulness bearing fruit. The word ṣidq (truthfulness) encompasses every dimension: truthfulness of belief (ʿaqīda) — holding correct doctrine without deviation; truthfulness of speech — never lying; truthfulness of action — acting in accordance with one's stated faith; truthfulness of character (akhlāq) — integrity of the inner life. On this Day, the truthful will find that their every moment of sincerity has been preserved and recorded, and will now yield gardens, rivers, and the everlasting pleasure of Allāh.
The supreme crown of all rewards is not the gardens, nor the rivers, nor even the eternal stay — though all these are beyond imagination. The supreme reward is stated in two phrases: raḍiya Llāhu ʿanhum wa-raḍū ʿanhu — Allāh is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Allāh. This is riḍwān Allāh — the good pleasure of Allāh — which the Qurʾān elsewhere calls greater than everything: wa-riḍwānun mina Llāhi akbar (al-Tawba 9:72). The author reflects with the deepest longing: the station where one rests in the pleasure of Allāh and Allāh rests in His pleasure with one — this is the ultimate goal of all worship, all striving, all love, all sacrifice. He quotes a verse of poetry: "When He is pleased and you are pleased — then all is well between you; this is the happiness that death itself cannot diminish."
Then Allāh declares: dhālika l-fawzu l-ʿaẓīm — that is the supreme triumph. Not the triumph of armies, not the triumph of wealth, not the triumph of worldly rank — but the triumph of standing before Allāh as a truthful servant, enveloped in His pleasure, dwelling in gardens of infinite beauty, never to depart — this is al-fawz al-ʿaẓīm: the Great Success, the Magnificent Attainment.
O friends! (ṣāḥibō!) This is the destination toward which Sūrat al-Māʾidah has been directing us from its very first verse. The surah opened with the command to fulfil covenants (awfū bi-l-ʿuqūd) — and it closes with the reward of those who fulfilled the covenant of truthfulness with their Lord. May Allāh the Most High include us among the ṣādiqūn — the truthful — on that Day, and may He grant us the shade of His pleasure. Āmīn, bi-ḥurmati Sayyid al-Mursalīnﷺ.
لِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا فِيهِنَّ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Li-Llāhi mulku l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi wa-mā fīhinna wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr.
"To Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is within them, and He is over all things All-Powerful." (al-Māʾidah 5:120)
Translation: The absolute sovereignty (mulk) over the heavens and the earth and all that they contain belongs to Allāh alone — and He is over all things all-powerful.
Commentary: Sūrat al-Māʾidah closes with this majestic verse of divine sovereignty and omnipotence — a fitting seal upon a surah that has traversed the full range of divine commands: covenants and their fulfilment, lawful and unlawful food, the sanctity of life, the governance of justice, the authority of revealed scripture, the true nature of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) and the refutation of trinitarian excess, and the supreme reward of the truthful. The final statement returns to the foundational truth underlying all of these: mulku l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi — all dominion is His. The Prophetﷺ, the Messengers, the angels, the Awliyāʾ — all are servants within a dominion that belongs entirely and exclusively to Allāh. Wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr — and He is able to do all things. This is the keystone of the Sunnī Maturīdī creed: the absolute omnipotence of the Creator over every particle of existence, the utter dependence of the creation upon the Creator, and the boundless mercy of the One Who, despite His absolute power, has promised Paradise to the truthful.
May Allāh make us of those who hear and submit. Āmīn.
End of Sūrat al-Māʾidah — Section 2 (pages 51–107)