Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida

For, if they [truly] believed in God and their Prophet⁹⁵ and all that was bestowed upon him from on high, they would not take those [deniers of the truth] for their allies: but most of them are iniquitous.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "the Prophet". According to Zamakhshari and Razi, the prophet referred to is Moses, whom the Jews claim to follow - a claim which the Qur'an denies by implication.

Had they believed in Allah, in the Prophet, and in what was revealed to him, they would have never taken unbelievers as their protecting friends instead of believers, but most of them are rebellious transgressors.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

If they believed in Allah and the Prophet and that which is revealed unto him, they would not choose them for their friends. But many of them are of evil conduct.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thou wilt surely find that, of all people, the most hostile to those who believe [in this divine writ] are the Jews as well as those who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught beside God; and thou wilt surely find that, of all people,⁹⁶ they who say, "Behold, we are Christians," come closest to feeling affection for those who believe [in this divine writ]: this is so because there are priests and monks among them, and because these are not given to arrogance.⁹⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "of them".

I.e., they do not believe, as do the Jews, that revelation is God's exclusive gift to the children of Israel, and their "priests and monks" teach them that humility is the essence of all true faith. - It is noteworthy that the Qur'an does not in this context include the Christians among "those who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught beside God" (alladhina ashraku - the element of intent being expressed in the use of the past tense, similar to alladhina kafaru, alladhina zalamu, etc.): for although, by their deification of Jesus, they are guilty of the sin of shirk ("the ascribing of divinity to anyone or anything beside God"), the Christians do not consciously worship a plurality of deities inasmuch as, theoretically, their theology postulates belief in the One God, who is conceived as manifesting Himself in a trinity of aspects, or "persons", of whom Jesus is supposed to be one. However repugnant this doctrine may be to the teachings of the Qur'an their shirk is not based on conscious intent, but rather flows from their "overstepping the bounds of truth" in their veneration of Jesus (see 4:171 , 5:77 ). Cf. in this context Razi's remarks mentioned in note [16] on 6:23 .

You will find the most violent in enmity to the believers are the Jews and the mushrikin (pagan Arabs); and nearest in affection to the believers are those who say: "We are Christians." That is because among them there are men that are priests and monks, who do not behave arrogantly.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to be) the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

For, when they come to understand what has been bestowed from on high upon this Apostle, thou canst see their eyes overflow with tears, because they recognize something of its truth;⁹⁸ [and] they say: "O our Sustainer! We do believe; make us one, then, with all who bear witness to the truth.

  - Mohammad Asad

Regarding this rendering of the phrase mimma 'arafu min al-haqq, see Zamakhshari and Razi; also Manar VII, 12. As for my translation of the expression idha sami'u as "when they come to understand", it is to be noted that beyond its primary significance of "he heard", the verb sami'a has often the meaning of "he understood" or "came to understand" (cf. Lane IV, 1427).

When they (monks and priests) listen to that which is revealed to the Rasool, you can see their eyes filled with tears, because they recognize the truth. They say: "Our Rabb! We believe, therefore, write us down among the witnesses of truth.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

When they listen to that which hath been revealed unto the messenger, thou seest their eyes overflow with tears because of their recognition of the Truth. They say: Our Lord, we believe. Inscribe us as among the witnesses.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And how could we fail to believe in God and in whatever truth has come unto us, when we so fervently desire that our Sustainer count us among the righteous?"

  - Mohammad Asad

Why should not we believe in Allah and the truth which has come to us? Why should we not hope that our Rabb will admit us to the company of the righteous?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

How should we not believe in Allah and that which hath come unto us of the Truth. And (how should we not) hope that our Lord will bring us in along with righteous folk?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And for this their belief ⁹⁹ God will reward them with gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide: for such is the requital of the doers of good;

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "for what they have said" - i.e., expressed as their belief (Zamakhshari).

And for their prayer Allah has rewarded them with gardens beneath which the rivers flow to live therein forever. Such is the recompense of the righteous (who do good to others).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah hath rewarded them for that their saying--Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever. That is the reward of the good.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

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