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This Surah appears to have been revealed after the treaty of Hudeybiyah at the end of 6 A. H. or the beginning of 7 A. H. It deals with problems that arose from this treaty. The continuity of the subject indicates that most probably the whole Surah was revealed as a single discourse at one and the same time.
Al-Ma'idah was revealed at the time when the last effort of the Qureysh to suppress Islam had been defeated in the Battle of the Ditch, and it had become quite obvious to the Arabs that no power could suppress the Islamic movement. Now Islam was not merely a creed which ruled over the minds and hearts of the people, but had also become a State which was regulating the lives of people. Therefore, there was a need to formulate Islamic civil and criminal laws in detail and enforce them through Islamic courts. New and reformed ways of trade and commerce were needed to replace the old. Likewise, Islamic laws of marriage and divorce, segregation of the sexes, and punishment for adultery, were needed to mold the social life of Muslims. This Surah provided the guidelines to the believers in some of these aspects of their lives so that their social behavior, conversation, dress, way of life and culture could take a definite shape of its own.
The treaty of Hudeybiyah was also signed in the same year which gave the Muslims not only peace in their own territory but, also respite to spread the Message of Islam in the surrounding territories. The Holy Prophet wrote letters to the rulers of Iran, Egypt, and Rome and to the Chiefs of Arabia, inviting them to Islam. At the same time the missionaries of Islam spread among the clans and tribes and invited them to accept the Divine Message of Al-Islam.
Now that the Muslims had become a ruling body, it was feared that power might corrupt them. At this period of great trial, Allah had admonished them over and over again to stick to justice and to guard against the wrong behavior of their predecessors, the People of the Book. Believers are enjoined to remain steadfast to the Covenant of Obedience to Allah and His Rasool. They should follow Allah's commands and prohibitions in order to save themselves from the evil consequences which were faced by the Jews and the Christians who had violated them. They have been instructed to avoid hypocrisy. In continuation of the instructions given in Surah An-Nisa' about the consolidation of the Islamic Community, the Muslims have been directed to observe and fulfill all their obligations. The Jews and the Christians are also admonished to give up their wrong attitudes towards the Right Way and accept the guidance which is being taught by the Prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him).
This Surah takes its name from verse 112 in which the word Mai'dah occurs. Like the names of many other surahs, this name has no special relation to the subject of the Surah but has been used merely as a symbol to distinguish it from other surahs:
The theme of this Surah indicates, and traditions support it, that it was revealed after the treaty of Hudaibiyah at the end of 6 A.H. or in the beginning of 7 A.H. That is why it deals with those problems that arose from this treaty.
The Holy Prophet with 1400 Muslims went to Makkah in Zil-Qaadah 6 A.H. to perform Umrah, but the Quraish, spurred by their enmity, prevented him from its performance, though it was utterly against all the ancient religious traditions of Arabia. After a good deal of hard and harsh negotiations, a treaty was concluded at Hudaibiyah according to which it was agreed that he could perform Umrah the following year. That was a very appropriate occasion for teaching the Muslims the right way of performing a pilgrimage to Makkah with the true Islamic dignity, and enjoining that they should not prevent the disbelievers from performing pilgrimage to Makkah as a retaliation for their misbehavior. This was not difficult at all as many disbelievers had to pass through Muslim territory on their way to Makkah. This is why the introductory verses deal with the things connected with pilgrimage to Makkah and the same theme has been resumed in vv. 101-104. The other topics of this Surah also appear to belong to the same period.
The continuity of the subject shows that most probably the whole of the surah was revealed as a single discourse at one and the same time. It is also possible that some of its verses were revealed at a later period and inserted in this Surah at different places where they fitted in. But there appears to be not the least gap anywhere in the surah to show that it might have comprised two or more discourses.
This Surah was revealed to suit the requirements of the changed conditions which were now different from those prevailing at the time of the revelation of Al-i-'Imran and An-Nisa. Then the shock of the set-back at Uhud had made the very surroundings of Al-Madinah dangerous for the Muslims, but now Islam had become an invulnerable power and the Islamic State had extended to Najd on the east, to the Red Sea on the west, to Syria on the north and to Makkah on the south. This set-back which the Muslims had suffered at Uhud had not broken their determination. It had rather spurred them to action. As a result of their continuous struggle and unparalleled sacrifices, the power of. the surrounding clans, within a radius of 200 miles or so, had been broken. The Jewish menace which was always threatening Al-Madinah had been totally removed and the Jews in the other parts of Hijaz had become tributaries of the State of Al-Madinah. The last effort of the Quraish to suppress Islam had been thwarted in the Battle of the Ditch. After this, it had become quite obvious to the Arabs that no power could suppress the Islamic movement. Now Islam was not merely a creed which ruled over the minds and hearts of the people but had also become a State which dominated over every aspect of the life of the people who lived within its boundaries. This had enabled the Muslims to live their lives without let or hindrance, in accordance with their beliefs.
Another development had also taken place during this period. The Muslim civilization had developed in accordance with the principles of Islam and the Islamic viewpoint. This civilization was quite distinct from all other civilizations in all its details, and distinguished the Muslims clearly from the non Muslims in their moral, social and cultural behavior. Mosques had been built in all territories, prayer had been established and Imam (leader) for every habitation and clan had been appointed. The Islamic civil and criminal laws had been formulated in detail and were being enforced through the Islamic courts. New and reformed ways of trade and commerce had taken the place of the old ones. The Islamic laws of marriage and divorce, of the segregation of the sexes, of the punishment for adultery and calumny and the like had cast the social life of the Muslims in a special mould. Their social behavior, their conversation, their dress, their very mode of living, their culture etc., had taken a definite shape of its own. As a result of all these changes, the non-Muslims could not expect that the Muslims would ever return to their former fold. Before the treaty of Hudaibiyah, the Muslims were so engaged in their struggle with the non-Muslim Quraish that they got no time to propagate their message. This hindrance was removed by what was apparently a defeat but in reality a victory at Hudaibiyah. This gave the Muslims not only peace in their own territory but also respite to spread their message in the surrounding territories. Accordingly the Holy Prophet addressed letters to the rulers of Iran, Egypt and the Roman Empire and the chiefs of Arabia, inviting them to Islam. At the same time the missionaries of Islam spread among the clans and tribes and invited them to accept the Divine Way of Allah. These were the circumstances at the time when Al-Ma'idah was revealed.
It deals with the following three main topics:
In continuation of the instructions about the consolidation of the Islamic Community given in Surah AN-NISA, the Muslims have been directed to observe and fulfill all their obligations: further regulations have been prescribed to train the Muslims for that purpose. They have also been particularly warned as rulers to guard against the corruption, of power and directed to observe the Covenant of the Quran. They have also been exhorted to learn lessons from the failings of their predecessors, the Jews and the Christians, who in their turn have been admonished to give up their wrong attitudes towards the Right Way and accept the guidance taught by Prophet Muhammad (God's peace be upon him).
1 to 2 - Fulfil your obligations, promises and agreements and Cooperate in piety and not in transgression
3 to 3 - Haram - (Forbidden) meat and Al-Islam is declared to be the complete and perfect Deen (way of life)
4 to 5 - All good and clean things are made lawful and Food of the People of the Book is made lawful and marriage with their women is permitted
6 to 6 - Order for making wudhu (ablution) and Permission of Tayammum
7 to 11 - Stand for true witness and establish justice and Plot of Jews to kill the Prophet and his eminent companions
12 to 13 - Salah and Zakah were obligatory for Jews and Jews habit of being deceitful
14 to 16 - Christians too have neglected most of their Book and Jews and Christians are asked to become Muslims
17 to 17 - Jesus son of Mary is not God or son of God
18 to 19 - False claim of Jews and Christians to be the children of God and Invitation to Jews and Christians to become Muslims
20 to 26 - Behavior of Jews with their own Prophet Musa (Moses) and Curse of Allah on the Jews for 40 years
27 to 31 - Story of Adam's two sons (Abel and Cain)
32 to 32 - Decree of Allah regarding the killing of a human being
33 to 34 - Punishment of waging war against Allah and His Rasool
35 to 37 - Jihad is the way to success and No ransom will save the unbelievers from the punishment
38 to 40 - Punishment for theft
41 to 43 - Do not provide lip-service; be true believers and If Allah intends to punish, the Rasool cannot save
44 to 45 - Laws of Taurat (Torah) and Those who do not judge by the laws of Allah, They are unbelievers, They are wrongdoers
46 to 47 - c) They are transgressors
48 to 50 - Diversity of human race and Establish justice based on Allah's revelations
51 to 53 - Do not take Jews or Christians as your protectors
54 to 56 - Your protecting friends are Allah, His Rasool, and your fellow believers
57 to 60 - Do not befriend those people who make a mockery of your religion
61 to 66 - Jews deceiving behavior and Jews slander against Allah and If only the people of the Book had believed, They could have had the best of the both worlds
67 to 69 - Rasool's mission is to deliver Allah's Message
70 to 71 - Attitude of Jews towards Rasools
72 to 74 - Those who say Jesus is God are disbelievers
75 to 77 - Who was Jesus son of Mary?
78 to 82 - Disbelievers among the Children of Israel were cursed by the tongues of David and Jesus and Christians are closer to Muslims than the Jews and Pagans
83 to 86 - Good Christians recognize the truth and become Muslims
87 to 89 - Do not make Halal things Haram on your own and Kaffarah (penalty) for breaking the oath
90 to 93 - Prohibition of intoxicants (liquor and drugs) and gambling and Rasool's duty is only to pass on the Message of Allah
94 to 96 - Prohibition of hunting during Hajj Ihram (wearing pilgrim garb) and Kaffarah (penalty) for hunting during Hajj Ihram
97 to 100 - Sacred elements of Hajj
101 to 104 - Do not ask questions like the nation of Musa (Moses) and Superstitions are prohibited in Islam
105 to 108 - Last will and testament, and testimony of witnesses
109 to 115 - Favors of Allah upon Jesus and the miracles he was given and Disciples of Jesus asked for a Table Spread of food as a miracle
116 to 120 - Testimony of Jesus on the Day of Judgement about the Christians