Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida

whereas they who are bent on denying the truth and giving the lie to Our messages - they are destined for the blazing fire.

  - Mohammad Asad

As for those who reject and deny Our revelations, they shall become the inmates of hellfire.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But those who disbelieve and deny Our revelations, they are owners of hell fire.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not deprive yourselves of the good things of life which God has made lawful to you,¹⁰⁰ but do not transgress the bounds of what is right: verily, God does not love those who transgress the bounds of what is right.

  - Mohammad Asad

Most of the commentators - including Tabari, Zamakhshari and Razi - explain the expression la tuharrimu (lit., "do not forbid" or "do not declare as forbidden") in the sense given by me above, and take it to refer to the self-mortification practiced, in particular, by Christian priests and monks. The term at-tayyibat comprises all that is good and wholesome in life - "the delightful things which human beings desire and towards which their hearts incline" (Tabari): hence my rendering, "the good things of life".

O believers! Do not make unlawful those wholesome things which Allah has made lawful for you. Do not transgress; Allah does not love the transgressors.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! Forbid not the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, and transgress not. Lo! Allah loveth not transgressors.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thus, partake of the lawful, good things which God grants you as sustenance, and be conscious of God, in whom you believe.

  - Mohammad Asad

Eat of the lawful and wholesome things which Allah has provided for you. Fear Allah, in Whom you believe.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Eat of that which Allah hath bestowed on you as food lawful and good, and keep your duty to Allah in Whom ye are believers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

GOD will not take you to task for oaths which you may have uttered without thought,¹⁰¹ but He will take you to task for oaths which you have sworn in earnest. Thus, the breaking of an oath must be atoned for by¹⁰² feeding ten needy persons with more or less the same food as you are wont to give to your own families,¹⁰³ or by clothing them, or by freeing a human being from bondage; and he who has not the where-withal shall fast for three days [instead]. This shall be the atonement for your oaths whenever you have sworn [and broken them]. But be mindful of your oaths!¹⁰⁴ Thus God makes clear unto you His messages, so that you might have cause to be grateful.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "for a thoughtless word (laghw) in your oaths". This refers primarily to oaths aiming at denying to oneself something which the Law of Islam does not prohibit (i.e., "the good things of life"); and, generally, to all oaths uttered without premeditation, e.g., under the influence of anger (cf. {2:224-225}; also 38:44 and the corresponding note [41]).

Lit., "its atonement shall be" - the pronoun referring to the (implied) sin of breaking an oath. It is obvious from the context that this possibility of atonement relates only to "oaths uttered without thought", and not to deliberate undertakings affecting other persons, which - as has been explicitly stated in the opening sentence of this surah - a believer is bound to observe faithfully to the best of his ability. Regarding exceptions from this general rule, see surah {2}, note [212].

Lit., "the average of what you feed your families with".

I.e., "do not make them lightly or often" (Razi).

Allah will not call you to account for what is inadvertent in your oaths. But He will hold you accountable for that which you solemnly swear. The penalty for a broken oath is to feed ten indigent persons with such food as you normally provide to your own family, or to clothe ten needy people, or to free one slave. The one who cannot afford any of these must fast three days. This is the expiation for breaking your oaths. Therefore, be mindful of your oaths. Thus Allah makes clear to you His revelations that you may be thankful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah will not take you to task for that which is unintentional in your oaths, but He will take you to task for the oaths which ye swear in earnest. The expiation thereof is the feeding of ten of the needy with the average of that wherewith ye feed your own folk, or the clothing of them, or the liberation of a slave, and for him who findeth not (the wherewithal to do so) then a three day fast. This is the expiation of your oaths when ye have sworn; and keep your oaths. Thus Allah expoundeth unto you His revelations in order that ye may give thanks.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O YOU who have attained to faith! Intoxicants, and games of chance, and idolatrous practices, and the divining of the future are but a loathsome evil of Satan's doing:¹⁰⁵ shun them, then, so that you might attain to a happy state!

  - Mohammad Asad

According to all the lexicographers, the word khamr (derived from the verb khamara, "he concealed" or "obscured") denotes every substance the use of which obscures the intellect, i.e. intoxicates. Hence, the prohibition of intoxicants laid down in this verse comprises not merely alcoholic drinks, but also drugs which have a similar effect. The only exception from this total prohibition arises in cases of "dire necessity" (in the strictest sense of these words), as stipulated in the last sentence of verse {3} of this surah: that is to say, in cases where illness or a bodily accident makes the administration of intoxicating drugs or of alcohol imperative and unavoidable. - As regards the expression "idolatrous practices" (ansab, lit., "idolatrous altars"), see note [8] of this surah. This term has, I believe, been used here metaphorically, and is meant to circumscribe all practices of an idolatrous nature - like saint-worship, the attribution of "magic" properties to certain inanimate objects, the observance of all manner of superstitious taboos, and so forth. - For an explanation of the expression rendered by me as "divining of the future" (al-azlam, lit., "divining-arrows"), see note [9] on the second paragraph of verse {3} of this surah.

O believers! Intoxicants and gambling (games of chance), dedication to stones (paying tribute to idols) and division by arrows (lottery) are the filthy works of Shaitan. Get away from them, so that you may prosper.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

By means of intoxicants and games of chance Satan seeks only to sow enmity and hatred among you, and to turn you away from the remembrance of God and from prayer. Will you not, then, desist?¹⁰⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "Will you, then, desist?" - a rhetorical question implying the necessity of desisting, which can be expressed in English only by the use of the negative form.

Shaitan desires to stir up enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling and to prevent you from the remembrance of Allah and from Salah (prayers). Will you not abstain?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will ye then have done?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hence, pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle, and be ever on your guard [against evil]; and if you turn away, then know that Our Apostle's only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted to him].¹⁰⁷ -

  - Mohammad Asad

This implies that he cannot force people to believe, and cannot, therefore, be held responsible for their failure to do so.

Obey Allah and obey the Rasool and abstain from these things. If you do not, then you should know that Our Rasool's duty is only to pass on My message clearly.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Obey Allah and obey the messenger, and beware! But if ye turn away, then know that the duty of Our messenger is only plain conveyance (of the message).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds incur no sin by partaking of whatever they may,¹⁰⁸ so long as they are conscious of God and [truly] believe and do righteous deeds, and continue to be conscious of God and to believe, and grow ever more¹⁰⁹ conscious of God, and persevere in doing good: for God loves the doers of good.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "in whatever they eat" or "taste" (fi-ma ta'imu). The verb ta'ima, which primarily signifies "he ate", applies to eating and drinking as well as - metaphorically - to "partaking of" anything that may be desirable. Most of the commentators assume that this verse relates to the believers who had died before the promulgation of the prohibitions mentioned in verse {90} above. It seems to me, however, that it has a much wider meaning, and relates to the partaking of "the good things of life" - i.e., to those which have not been prohibited by God and which, therefore, the believers need not deny themselves (cf. verse {87} above).

Lit., "and then (thumma) are...": a sequence expressing growth and intensification (Razi). Hence, the particle thumma - occurring twice in this sentence - has been rendered by me, in the first instance, as "[they] continue to be" and, in the second instance, as "[they] grow ever more [conscious of God]".

There is no blame on those who believe and do good deeds for what they ate in the past, provided they abstain from those things which have been made unlawful, then remain steadfast in their belief and do righteous deeds, then abstain themselves from whatever they are forbidden and believe in Divine Law, and then fear Allah and do good deeds. For Allah loves those who do good deeds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

There shall be no sin (imputed) unto those who believe and do good works for what they may have eaten (in the past). So be mindful of your duty (to Allah), and do good works; and again: be mindful of your duty, and believe; and once again: be mindful of your duty, and do right. Allah loveth the good.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

0 YOU who have attained to faith! Most certainly God will try you by means of the game which may come within the reach of your hands and your weapons¹¹⁰ [while you are on pilgrimage], so that God might mark out those who fear Him although He is beyond the reach of human perception.¹¹¹ And as for him who, after all this, transgresses the bounds of what is right - grievous suffering awaits him!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "with something of the game which your hands and your lances [may] reach".

With this verse, the Qur'an returns to the prohibition of hunting during pilgrimage enunciated in verse {1} of this surah. The "trial" arises from the fact that hunting, although lawful in itself (and therefore included among the things which the believer, according to the preceding verse, may normally partake of), is prohibited in the state of pilgrimage - As regards the expression bi'l-ghayb, rendered by me as "although He is beyond the reach of human perception", see surah {2}, note [3].

O believers! Allah will put you to trial by making game (that which is to be hunted) well within the reach of your hands and your spears, in order to see who fears Him, though unseen. There shall, therefore, be a painful punishment for those who transgress after this warning.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! Allah will surely try you somewhat (in the matter) of the game which ye take with your hands and your spears, that Allah may know him who feareth Him in secret. Whoso transgresseth after this, for him there is a painful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

0 you who have attained to faith! Kill no game while you are in the state of pilgrimage. And whoever of you kills it intentionally,¹¹² [shall make] amends in cattle equivalent to what he has killed - with two persons of probity giving their judgment thereon - to be brought as an offering to the Ka'bah;¹¹³ or else he may atone for his sin by feeding the needy, or by the equivalent thereof in fasting:¹¹⁴ [this,] in order that he taste the full gravity of his deed, [while] God shall have effaced the past. But whoever does it again, God will inflict His retribution on him: for God is almighty, an avenger of evil.

  - Mohammad Asad

From the last sentence of this verse it appears that by the "intentional" killing referred to here only an isolated incident (or a first offence) can be meant, and not a wilful, persistent "transgressing of the bounds of what is right", which the preceding verse condemns so severely. It is to be borne in mind that the term "game" (sayd) relates in this context only to edible animals: for, according to several authentic Traditions, the killing of a dangerous or highly obnoxious animal - for instance, a snake, a scorpion, a rabid dog, etc. - is permitted even in the state of pilgrimage.

I.e., for distribution among the poor. In this context, the Ka'bah signifies, metonymically the sacred precincts of Mecca, and not only the sanctuary itself (Razi). The "two persons of probity" are supposed to determine the approximate flesh-value of the wild animal which has been killed, and to decide on this basis as to what domestic animal should be offered in compensation.

Lit., "or [there shall be] an atonement by way of feeding the needy, or an equivalent by way of fasting". These two alternatives are open to a pilgrim who is too poor to provide a head or heads of cattle corresponding in value to the game which he has killed, or - in the last-named alternative - too poor even to feed other poor people. Since neither the Qur'an nor any authentic Tradition specifies the number of poor to be fed or the number of days of fasting, these details are obviously left to the conscience of the person concerned.

O believers! Do not kill game while you are in Ihram (pilgrim garb). If anyone kills game intentionally, he will have to pay a penalty through an offering brought to the Ka'bah of a domestic animal equivalent to the one which was killed as determined by two just men among you; or as an expiation, either feed a few indigent or fast their equivalent days, so that he may taste the evil consequences of what he did. Allah has forgiven what happened in the past; but if anyone repeats it now, Allah will inflict retribution on him. Allah is Mighty, Capable of Retribution.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! Kill no wild game while ye are on the pilgrimage. Whoso of you killeth it of set purpose he shall pay its forfeit in the equivalent of that which he hath killed, of domestic animals, the judge to be two men among you known for justice; (the forfeit) to be brought as an offering to the Ka'bah; or, for expiation, he shall feed poor persons, or the equivalent thereof in fasting, that he may taste the evil consequences of his deed. Allah forgiveth whatever (of this kind) may have happened in the past, but whoso relapseth, Allah will take retribution from him. Allah is Mighty, Able to Requite (the wrong).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Lawful to you is all water-game, and what the sea brings forth,¹¹⁵ as a provision for you [who are settled] as well as for travellers, although you are forbidden to hunt on land while you are in the state of pilgrimage.¹¹⁶ And be conscious of God, unto whom you shall be gathered.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "the game of the sea and its food". Since the term bahr denotes any large accumulation of water, the classical commentators and jurists agree in that the above ordinance comprises all water-game, whether derived from seas, rivers, lakes or ponds (Tabari). The pronoun in ta'amuhu (lit., "its food") relates to the word bahr, and thus indicates the fish and other marine animals which may have been cast forth by the waves onto the shore (Tabari, Razi). Zamakhshari, however, regards the pronoun as relating to the object of the game (sayd) as such, and, consequently, understands the phrase as meaning "the eating thereof". Either of these two readings is agreeable with the text inasmuch as the above verse lays down that all kinds of water-game are lawful to a believer - even if he is in the state of pilgrimage - whereas hunting on land (sayd al-barr) is forbidden to the pilgrim.

According to Al-Hasan al-Basri (as quoted by Tabari), the "travellers" are, in this context, synonymous with "pilgrims": in other words, water-game of all descriptions is lawful to the believers irrespective of whether they are on pilgrimage or not.

Game of the sea and its use as food is lawful for you and the seafarers, but the game of the land is forbidden as long as you are in Ihram (pilgrim garb). Have fear of Allah to whom you shall all be assembled.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

To hunt and to eat the fish of the sea is made lawful for you, a provision for you and for seafarers; but to hunt on land is forbidden you so long as ye are on the pilgrimage. Be mindful of your duty to Allah, unto Whom ye will be gathered.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

God has laid down that the Ka'bah, the Inviolable Temple, shall be a symbol for all mankind;¹¹⁷ and [so, too,] the sacred month [of pilgrimage] and the garlanded offerings [are symbols] meant to make you aware¹¹⁸ that God is aware of all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and that God has full knowledge of everything.

  - Mohammad Asad

All hunting, whether by pilgrims or non-pilgrims, is prohibited in the vicinity of the Ka'bah - i.e., within the precincts of Mecca and its environs - because it is a sanctuary (amn, see 2:125 ) for all living beings. For its association with Abraham, see 2:125 ff., and the corresponding notes. The noun ka'bah, by which, owing to its shape, the sanctuary has always been known, denotes any "cubical building". It would seem that he who first built the Ka'bah (for, since the time of Abraham, it has been rebuilt several times, always in the same shape) consciously chose the simplest three-dimensional form imaginable - a cube - as a parable of man's humility and awe before the idea of God, whose glory is beyond anything that man could conceive by way of architectural beauty. This symbolism is clearly expressed in the term qiyam (lit., "support" or "mainstay"), which - in its abstract sense - signifies "a standard by which [men's] affairs are made sound or improved" (Razi): hence my rendering of qiyam li'n-nas as "a symbol for all mankind".

Lit., "this, so that you may know". The "garlanded offerings" (lit., "offerings and garlands") are a reference to the sacrificial animals (see note [4] of this surah). Thus, the pilgrimage and the rites connected with it are stated to be symbols of man's self-surrender to God.

Allah has made the Ka'bah of the Sacred House an eternal value for mankind, and so are the Sacred Months, the animal offerings, and the animals which are collared as a mark of dedication; so you must know that Allah has knowledge of what is in the heavens and in the earth and that Allah is well aware of everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah hath appointed the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, a standard for mankind, and the Sacred Month and the offerings and the garlands. That is so that ye may know that Allah knoweth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and that Allah is Knower of all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Know that God is severe in retribution - and that God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

  - Mohammad Asad

You should also know that Allah is stern in Retribution, and that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Know that Allah is severe in punishment, but that Allah (also) is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

No more is the Apostle bound to do than deliver the message [entrusted to him]: and God knows all that you do openly, and all that you would conceal.

  - Mohammad Asad

The only duty of the Rasool is to pass on My Message. Allah knows all what you reveal and what you conceal.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The duty of the messenger is only to convey (the message). Allah knoweth what ye proclaim and what ye hide.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "There is no comparison between the bad things and the good things,¹¹⁹ even though very many of the bad things may please thee greatly. Be, then, conscious of God, O you who are endowed with insight, so that you might attain to a happy state!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "the bad things and the good things are not equal".

Tell them, "Bad and good are not equal, even though the abundance of the bad may dazzle you; so fear Allah, O people of understanding, that you may prosper!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say: The evil, and the good are not alike even though the plenty of the evil attract thee. So be mindful of your duty to Allah, O men of understanding, that ye may succeed.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall