Аль-Маида 5:59–120

Say, O Messenger, to those of the People of the Scripture who mock at you: ‘Do you find any fault with us besides our faith in Allah and in what He revealed to us and what He revealed before us? And our belief that most of you do not follow Allah due to not having faith and not obeying His sacred law? What you consider a fault is actually a virtue’.

Say, O Messenger: Shall I tell you about those who are more at fault and whose punishment is worse than these people? They are their predecessors whom Allah has removed from His mercy, transformed into monkeys and pigs and made some of them worshippers of false gods. The Arabic word ţāghūt refers to any being that is worshipped besides Allah with its consent. Those mentioned will be in a worse position on the Day of Judgement and their efforts are further away from the straight path.

When the hypocrites from amongst them come to you, O believers, on the outside they show that they have faith. The fact is that they were soaked in disbelief when they entered and when they left. Allah knows best about the disbelief they kept hidden, even though they gave the outer appearance of having faith. Allah will repay them for that.

You, O Messenger, see many of the Jews and hypocrites rushing towards committing sins, such as lying, oppression and consuming that which is unlawful. How evil is their behaviour!

Why do their leaders and scholars not prohibit them from the lying, false testimony and wrongful consumption of the wealth of people that they rush towards? This action of their leaders and scholars, who do not prohibit them from evil, is wrong.

When the Jews were faced with difficulty and drought, they said, ‘Allah’s Hand is restrained from giving goodness and gifts. He is holding back from us what He has’. Their hands were restrained from doing goodness and they were removed from Allah’s mercy because of this statement of theirs. But in fact Allah’s Hands are wide open in goodness and generosity. He spends as He wills. He gives and He withholds. No one can stop Him or force Him. That which has been revealed to you, O Messenger, only increases the Jews in disobedience and disbelief because of their envy. He placed enmity and hatred between the various groups of the Jews. Whenever they gather to conspire for war and made preparation for it, Allah broke their unity and took away their strength. They continuously strive to do that which causes corruption in the earth by their attempts to wipe out Islam and by their plots against it.

If the Jews and the Christians accepted what was brought by Muhammad (peace be upon him) and were mindful of Allah by leaving sins, I would have forgiven the sins they committed, even if they were many, and I would have entered them on the Day of Judgement into gardens of delight, in which they would enjoy delights that will never end.

If the Jews had practiced what was in the Torah, and the Christians practiced what was in the Gospel, and if all of them had practiced what was revealed to them in the Qur’ān, then I would have made the means of provision easy for them by sending down rain and growing vegetation. From amongst the People of the Scripture are those who are moderate and firm on the truth; but the actions of many of them are evil, because they do not have faith in what was brought by Muhammad (peace be upon him).

O Messenger, communicate what has been revealed to you from your Lord completely and do not hide anything of it. If you do hide anything, then you are not one who conveys the message of His Lord. The Prophet (peace be upon him) communicated everything he was instructed to. Anyone who claims anything to the contrary has spoken a great lie about Allah. Allah will protect you from people and they will not be able to harm you. Your duty is only to communicate the divine message. Allah will not bless with guidance those who disbelieve and who have no desire to be guided.

Say, O Messenger: You – Jews and Christians – have no religious basis, unless you practice what is in the Torah and the Gospel and practice the Qur’ān that has been revealed to you. Your faith is not valid until you have faith in it and practice it. That which has been revealed to you from your Lord will increase the disobedience and disbelief of many of the People of the Scripture because of their envy. So do not be sad over these disbelievers: In the believers who follow you there is sufficient goodness.

The believers in Muhammad, and the Jews, Sabians and Christians before Muhammad – whichever of them believes Allah and the Last Day and does good actions – they will have no fear for the future and will not be sad over that which they missed in the worldly life.

I took firm promises from the Israelites that they will listen and follow. But they broke their promises and followed their desires by ignoring what their messengers brought and by disbelieving some and murdering others.

They thought that no harm would come to them for their breaking promises and covenants and for disbelieving and killing their prophets. But the result of their actions was that they became blind and deaf to the truth and misled from guidance. Then Allah turned towards them out of His grace. They again then became blind and deaf to the truth. This happened to many of them. Allah sees what they do. Nothing is hidden from Him and He will repay them for their actions.

The Christians who say that ‘Allah is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary’ have committed disbelief, as they have attributed Lordship to someone other than Allah. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, himself said to them, ‘O Israelites, worship Allah alone. He is my Lord and your Lord. We are all His servants’. Whoever ascribes anything as a partner to Allah, then Allah will not allow them to ever enter Paradise and their place will be the fire of Hell. They will have no one to help or assist them before Allah and no one to save them from the punishment that awaits them.

The Christians who say that ‘Allah is part of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit’ have committed disbelief. Allah is far above such a statement. Allah is not many, but He is only One God Who has no partner. If they do not stop saying such things, a painful punishment will afflict them.

Will these people not retract this statement, repent to Allah and ask His forgiveness for the idolatry they committed? Allah is Forgiving towards the one who repents, whatever may have been the sin, even if it was disbelief. Allah is Compassionate to the believers.

The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a messenger like other messengers. Just as death occurs to other messengers, it will occur to him as well. His mother, Mary, was a truthful and sincere woman. Both of them were in need of and used to consume food. How can they be gods when they were in need of food? Look, O Messenger, and think about how I make clear to them the signs indicating My Oneness and the falsehood of their extremism in attributing Lordship to others besides Me. Despite this, they do not recognise these signs. Then look and think about how they are misled from the truth, despite these clear signs indicating My Oneness.

Say, O Messenger, as an argument against their worship of others besides Allah: Do you worship that which can bring you no benefit and which cannot protect you from any harm? Such a god is in reality very weak! Whilst Allah is High above any state of weakness. Allah alone is the One Who hears your statements and knows your actions. Nothing remains hidden from Him and He will repay you accordingly.

Say, O Messenger, to the Christians: Do not overstep the boundaries of the instruction you were given to follow the truth. Do not be excessive in reverence of those whom you were instructed to revere, such as prophets, regarding them to be divine as you have done with respect to Jesus, son of Mary. You did this because of following your predecessors who were astray, who led many other people astray and who were far from the path of truth.

Allah, may He be glorified, tells us that He distanced the disbelievers of the Israelites from His mercy in the scripture He revealed to David, namely the Psalms, and in the scripture He revealed to Jesus, son of Mary, namely the Gospel. He did this because of the sins they committed and due to their violation of the things Allah made sacred.

They did not forbid the sinner from amongst them from committing sin. Instead, the sinners used to commit sins and evil openly because no one would disapprove of it. How evil was the action of not forbidding the evil that they used to do!

You will see, O Messenger, many of the disbelieving Jews forming alliances with the idolators and opposing you and those who believe in Allah’s oneness. How evil is their action of taking disbelievers as allies! This will cause Allah’s anger and lead them into the Fire, where they will live eternally, never to leave.

If these Jews had true faith in Allah and His Prophet, they would not have taken the idolaters as their allies instead of the believers, because they were prohibited from taking disbelievers as friends. But most of these Jews do not obey Allah nor do they side with Him and the believers.

You will find, O Messenger, that the people with the most hostility towards those who have faith in you and that which you brought are the Jews, due to their malice, jealousy and pride, as well as the idol worshippers and others who associate partners with Allah. You will also find that the people who are closest in affection to those who have faith in you and that which you brought are those who call themselves Christians. The verse explains that the reason for these people being close to the believers is that there are scholars, ascetics and worshippers among them who are humble and not proud. Good does not enter the heart of a proud person.

The hearts of these Christians are soft. When they listen to any part of the Qur’ān that has been revealed, they cry in submission, because they recognise that it is the truth because of their knowing that which Jesus (peace be with him) brought. They say: Our Lord, we accept what You have revealed to Your Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him). So record us, Our Lord, among those of the nation who will be witnesses against people on the Day of Rising.

What prevents us from having faith in Allah and the truth that He has revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him)? We hope that we will enter Paradise together with the prophets and their followers who obeyed Allah and feared His punishment.

Allah rewarded them for their faith and their acceptance of the truth with gardens that have palaces and trees overlooking flowing streams, where they will live eternally. That is the reward of those who do good by following the truth and submitting to it, without any restriction or condition.

Those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger, and reject the verses Allah revealed to His Messenger, they are the companions of the Fire, which they will enter and never leave.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, do not regard as unlawful the good food, drink and women that Allah has made lawful for you. Do not treat these things as unlawful in an attempt to practise asceticism and devotion. Do not overstep the limits of that which Allah has forbidden to you, because Allah does not love those who overstep His limits; rather, He hates them.

Consume the lawful and pure things that Allah gives to you from His provision. But do not consume the unlawful, such as something that is taken wrongfully or is impure. Be mindful of Allah by obeying His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions, because He is the one you have faith in and it requires you to be mindful of Him.

Allah will not take you to account, O believers, for the oaths that you speak unintentionally. He will take you to account for those oaths that you break after making them with a firm intention in your hearts. The atonement for such oaths is one of three options: feeding ten poor people with the average food of your city, by giving each poor person half a ṣā‘ of food; or clothing them with what society considers to be a suit of clothing; or freeing a believing slave. If the person required to make atonement does not find any of these three things, then the required atonement is fasting for three days. That is the atonement of your oaths, O believers, when you break them. Guard your oaths from being taken falsely in Allah’s name and from breaking them, unless it is better to do so. If it is better to break your oath, then do so and give the atonement. Just as Allah has explained to you the atonement for oaths, He also explains to you His laws, which make clear what is lawful and what is unlawful, so that you might thank Allah for having taught you what you did not know.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, intoxicants that affect the mind, gambling with a consideration from both sides, stone alters on which the idolaters offer sacrifices or which they erect for worship, and arrows by which they used to draw lots – these are all acts of sin that Satan has made attractive. Avoid such acts, so that you successfully achieve the Paradise that you desire and are saved from the Fire that you fear.

By making alcohol and gambling seem attractive, Satan’s only intention is to create hatred between hearts and to turn them away from Allah’s remembrance and from the prayer. Will you, O believers, leave these evil acts? Without doubt, leaving these acts is the right thing to do, so avoid them.

Follow God and follow the Messenger by fulfilling the instructions of the Sacred Law and avoiding its prohibitions. Be careful of breaking the law. If you turn away from this, know that the duty of Messenger is only to convey to you what God has instructed him to, and He has already done so. If you come on to the right path it is for your own good. If you do wrong it will be to your detriment.

There is no sin on those who have faith in Allah, and do good actions to gain closeness to Him, for drinking alcohol before it was made unlawful, as long as they now stay away from it, being mindful of Allah’s anger, having faith in Him and doing good actions, and then increase in their awareness of Allah until they worship Him as if they see Him. Allah loves those who worship Him as if they see Him, because they are aware that Allah is always watching them. This leads believers to improve their actions.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, Allah will certainly test you by giving you land game when you are in the state of Ihram. You will be able to hold the smaller game with your hands and the bigger ones with your spears. Allah will do this to show who fears his Creator, without having seen Him. Reward and punishment in the Afterlife will be based on people’s actions. Nothing is hidden from Allah. Whoever oversteps the limits, and hunts in the state of Ihram for Hajj or Umrah, he shall receive a painful punishment on the Day of Rising because of violating Allah’s prohibition.

O you who accept God and practise on His laws, do not kill land game when you are in the state of pilgrim sanctity for Hajj or Umra. Whoever of you does so deliberately shall be liable for a punishment equivalent to the game they killed from camels, cattle or sheep. This will be judged by two men who are known to be upright amongst the Muslims. The animal that they decide shall be treated as an offering is treated, and shall be sent to Makkah to be slaughtered in the Sanctuary. Another option for the atonement is that the equivalent value should be distributed to the poor within the Sanctuary, every poor person should receive half a sa` of grain, or the fast of one day should be kept for every half sa` of grain. God has overlooked the game of the Sanctuary which were killed in the past, and the person who hunted land game in the state of pilgrim sanctity prior to the prohibition. If anyone repeats this, after the prohibition, then God will take retribution from them by punishing them for the same. God is Mighty and Powerful. He has the ability to take retribution on the one who goes against Him if He wishes. Nothing can stop Him from doing so.

Allah has permitted you to catch aquatic animals and what the sea throws out, dead or alive, as a benefit for a resident or to nourish a traveller. He has prohibited hunting land game as long as you are in the state of Ihram for Hajj or Umrah. Be mindful of Allah by carrying out His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions. You will return to Him on the Day of Rising; and He will repay your actions.

Allah has made the Kaaba, the Sanctified House, an establishment for people, which secures their religious interests (such as prayer, Hajj and Umrah) and their worldly interests (such as security in the Sanctuary and the import of different fruits). He has also made the sacred months (Dhū Al-Qa‘dah, Dhū Al-Ḥijjah, Muḥarram and Rajab) an establishment for people in that they are secure in these months from anyone fighting against them. Then He has made the sacrificial animals, and the garlands that indicate that they are being driven to the Sanctuary, an establishment for people in that their owners are secure from anyone harming them. All of this is Allah’s favour to you, so that you are aware that Allah knows everything in the heavens and the earth. His creation of such laws – that secure your interests and protect you from harm – is proof that He knows what is best for His servants.

Know, O people, that Allah’s punishment for those who go against Him is severe; and that He is Forgiving and Compassionate towards those who repent to Him.

The duty of the Messenger is only to convey what Allah has instructed him to. It is not his duty to make people accept the guidance: that is only in Allah’s Hands. Allah knows what you reveal and what you keep hidden, whether guidance or misguidance, and He will repay your actions.

Say, O Messenger: Bad is not the same as good, even if the bad is a large amount that impresses you. A large amount of something does not mean that it is best. Be mindful of Allah, O people of intellect, by leaving the bad and doing the good, so that you successfully achieve Paradise and are saved from the fire of Hell.

O you who have faith in Allah, follow His Messenger and practise His laws, do not ask your Messenger about things which you do not in need, and which will not be of any help to you in your religion. If you were told of such things, they would upset you because of the difficulty in them. If, despite the prohibition, you ask about these things, then know that revelation is coming down to the Prophet and they will be made clear to you. That is easy for Allah. Allah has not said certain things in the Qur’ān, so do not ask about them. If you ask about them, you will have to follow the law that is then revealed.

A nation before you had asked about things not initially revealed to them. When they were then commanded to do them, they did not carry out the order; and became disbelievers as a result.

Allah has made livestock lawful for you to consume. He has not made unlawful what the idolaters declared unlawful for themselves when dedicating them to their idols, such as: baḥīrah, a she-camel whose ear is cut after it gives birth to a certain number; or sā’ibah, a she-camel that is left for the idols after it reaches a certain age; or waṣīlah, a she-camel that gives birth to one female after another; or ḥāmī, a male camel stud that mates with other camels and produces a given number of offspring. Allah did not make any of these; but the disbelievers falsely claimed that Allah had forbidden these things. Most of the disbelievers do not differentiate between truth and falsehood and between the lawful and the unlawful.

When it is said to these people who make up lies about Allah, with respect to forbidding certain livestock: Come towards the Qur’ān that Allah revealed and to the path of the Messenger (peace be upon him), so that you can learn the lawful and the unlawful – they say: The beliefs, statements and actions we have taken and inherited from our predecessors is enough for us. How could this be enough for them when their predecessors did not know anything and were not guided to the truth? Only the person who is more ignorant and misguided than them follows them.

O you who faith in Allah, follow His Messenger and practise His laws, you are only responsible for your own souls, so only do that which benefits them. Those people who are misguided, and who do not respond to you, will not harm you if you are on the right path. Being on the right path includes encouraging good and forbidding evil. On the Day of Rising, all of you will return to Allah only and He will tell you about what you used to do in the world and repay your actions.

O you who faith in Allah, follow His Messenger and practise His laws, when death approaches any of you, with the appearance its signs, then call to witness the bequest two upright Muslim men, or two men from the disbelievers (if the need arises due to there being no Muslims; for example, if you are travelling at that time). If there is any doubt regarding their testimony, keep them back after one of the prayers and let them both take an oath in Allah’s name saying, ‘We will not sell our share from Allah for any amount, such as by preferring a relative. Also, we will not conceal any testimony for Allah that is with us’. Tell them that if they are not truthful, they will be sinners who go against Allah.

If, after the oath is taken, it is established that the witnesses lied in their testimony or in the oath, then let two others who are closest to the deceased take an oath on the truth in their place. These new witnesses should take an oath by Allah saying, ‘Our testimony about their lying and deceit is closer to the truth than their testimony about their honesty and trustworthiness. We have not taken a false oath. If we do so, we will be from the wrongdoers who overstep Allah’s limits’.

These various oaths to be taken by the witnesses after the prayer (when you doubt their testimony) and the rejection of their testimony increases the likelihood that they will testify in the way required by the sacred law, without them distorting the facts deceitfully. Witnesses are more likely to give true testimony for fear that they will be disgraced if the heirs give conflicting testimony. Be mindful of Allah by not lying or being deceitful in your testimony and oath. Listen to what you are instructed to do and obey. Allah does not guide those who go against Him.

Remember, O people, the Day of Rising when Allah will gather all the messengers and ask them how their communities had responded to them? They will assign the answer to that question to Allah and say, ‘I have no knowledge. You have all knowledge, our Lord. You are the only one Who knows all things that are present or absent’.

Remember when Allah addressed Jesus (peace be upon him) and told him to remember Allah’s favour to him when He created him without a father; to his mother, Mary (peace be upon her), when He chose her over all the women of her time; and upon him when He strengthened him with Gabriel (peace be upon him.). Allah told him that he used to speak to people as a baby, calling them to Allah; and that he used to speak to them in his adulthood, telling them what Allah had sent him with. Allah reminded him of the favour of being taught how to write; and that He taught him the Torah that He had revealed to Moses (peace be upon him) and the Gospel that He revealed to him. He was reminded of the favour of being taught the secrets of the sacred law and its benefits and wisdom. Allah reminded him of how he would make the shape of a bird from clay, blow into it and it used to become a living bird. He used to cure the person who was born blind, and he would treat the leper and heal his skin. He also used to bring the dead to life by praying to Allah to give them life. All of this happened with Allah’s permission. Another favour that Allah reminded him about was that Allah protected him from the Israelites when they intended to kill him after he brought to them clear miracles. The only thing they could do was to deny them; and they said, ‘Jesus has brought nothing but plain sorcery’.

Another favour that Allah reminded him about was that Allah created assistants for him when He inspired the disciples to have faith in Him and in Jesus. They submitted to that and responded saying, ‘I believe. Be a witness, O our Lord, that we submit to You in devotion’.

Remember when the disciples said, ‘Can you call on your Lord to send down a table from the sky?’ Jesus (peace be upon him) responded to them by telling them to be mindful of Allah and not to ask for such a thing, as it may prove to be a trial for them. He said to them, ‘Place your trust in your Lord in seeking provision, if you are truly believers’.

The disciples said to Jesus, ‘We want to eat from this table, so that our hearts are satisfied about Allah’s perfect power and that you are His Messenger: to know for certain that you have told us the truth about what you have brought from Allah and to be witnesses to it for those people who are not present’.

Jesus gave in to their request and prayed to Allah saying, ‘Our Lord, send down to us a table of food, so that we can hold a festival on the day it comes down in order to honour You out of gratitude. It will also be a sign and proof of Your Oneness and of the truth of what I have been sent with. Give us such provision that will help us worship You. You, O our Lord, are the best provider’.

Allah answered the prayer of Jesus (peace be upon him) and said that He would send down the table that they had requested. He also told him that if anyone disbelieves after the table is sent down then they should blame only themselves, and that Allah will punish them with a severe punishment, unlike any other: due to them seeing an overwhelming proof and any denial being the result of stubbornness. Allah fulfilled His promise and sent down the table to them.

Remember that Allah will address Jesus son of Mary (peace be with him) on the Day of Rising and ask him whether he told people to worship him and his mother besides Allah. Jesus will reply, declaring Allah’s purity, ‘It was not right for me to tell them anything but the truth. If I had said that You would know it, because nothing is hidden from You. You know what I keep hidden within myself, but I do not know what is with You. You are the only one who knows everything that is hidden and everything that is apparent’.

Jesus will say to His Lord, ‘I only told people what you instructed me to tell them: to worship You alone. For as long as I remained amongst them I watched over what they were saying. When my term ended and I was raised to the sky alive, You, O Lord, were watching their actions. You are a witness to everything and nothing is hidden from You; so You know what I said to them and what they said after me’.

If you punish them, O Lord, they are your servants and You can do with them as You wish. If You graciously forgive those of them who had faith, nothing can stop You from doing so because You are the Mighty, Who cannot be overpowered, and the Wise in Your handling of matters.

Allah will say to Jesus (peace be with him) that the Day of Rising is a day on which the truthfulness of those who were true in their intentions, statements and actions will be of benefit to them. They will receive gardens with palaces and trees overlooking flowing streams, in which they will live eternally, with death never coming to them. Allah will be pleased with them and will never become angry with them. They will pleased with Allah because of the everlasting delight they have received. Such reward and pleasure is the supreme success, which cannot be equalled by any other.

Allah alone controls the heavens and the earth, and everything within them. He is their Creator and the One Who handles their affairs. He has power over everything and nothing can overpower Him.