Surat Al Ma'idah (91-100)

{إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاء فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلاَةِ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ} [المائدة: 91]

91- Satan wants to cause rivalries, envy, and evil among you. Wine covers the mind and drinkers curse, fight, may commit adultery with their unmarriageable women, or kill without consciousness and when they come back to their senses, they regret. A gambler plays for his family and money and may not leave anything for himself then becomes a rival to the one who plays with or becomes sad and angry and he may beg the people of money. Idols and divining arrows are part of atheism and the people who practice them had left the pure monotheism and surrendered to the deniable ignorance and the blind deterioration of thought.

By insinuation and decoration, Satan wants to mislead you and keeps you away from mentioning Allah because all of them are distracted from the way of Allah and confuse the intoxicated person if he recites during Salah, so he may utters disbelief while he wants to recite the Qur'an. And when he gambles and gains ill-gotten money, he becomes so happy to the extent that he shows haughtiness and when he suffers loss, he feels sad to the extent that he wishes to kill himself or to kill others. Under intoxication, a person thinks of a trick to rerstore his money and defeat his rivals, so how could such people fear Allah or remember him? So, stop doing them because they are deniable and forbidden acts which are not permissible for Muslims.

This Ayah was the last part in the gradual style that the Qur'an followed to prohibit alcohol. The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) said after the revelation of this Surah: "O our Lord, we have stopped drinking wine," then they started breaking the wine bottles they had."

{وَأَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَاحْذَرُواْ فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّمَا عَلَى رَسُولِنَا الْبَلاَغُ الْمُبِينُ} [المائدة: 92]

92- Therefore, obey Allah and His Messenger and abide by the lawful and prohibition that He ordained to you, such as avoiding alcohol and gambling, and beware of disobedience. If you refuse and turn away, the proof will be set against you. Verily, Our Prophet has fulfilled his mission and warned you, but if you refuse to comply, nothing is left but punishment.

{لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا طَعِمُواْ إِذَا مَا اتَّقَواْ وَّآمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّقَواْ وَّآمَنُواْ ثُمَّ اتَّقَواْ وَّأَحْسَنُواْ وَاللّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ} [المائدة: 93]

93- Some Companions who used to drink alcohol had died before the prohibition of alcohol was revealed and when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about that, the Ayah was revealed .

There is no sin on those who believed and did righteously in terms of alcohol they used to drink and in the money they took from gambling if they avoided polytheism, had faith, believed, and did righteously then feared Allah, abided by piety, did not drink wine after its prohibition, and did not play cards after its prohibition. Moreover, their faith has increased because of the revealed Ayahs, avoided what Allah has prohibited, avoided sins, and perfected their work and worship. Verily, Allah loves those who are characterized by Ihsan (the perfection of Faith) and He shall reward them for that .

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لَيَبْلُوَنَّكُمُ اللّهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الصَّيْدِ تَنَالُهُ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَرِمَاحُكُمْ لِيَعْلَمَ اللّهُ مَن يَخَافُهُ بِالْغَيْبِ فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَلَهُ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ} [المائدة: 94]

94- O believers, Allah shall test you in regard of something that you catch from the sea while you are in the state of Ihram. That fish will be easy to catch with your hands or with your spears so that He would test those who obey and those who disobey in secret and in public. So, whoever catches it after this declaration, while he is in the state of Ihram, will disobey the command of Allah and deserve His Severe Punishment because of their stubbornness, or their indifference toward the command of Allah.

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَقْتُلُواْ الصَّيْدَ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ وَمَن قَتَلَهُ مِنكُم مُّتَعَمِّداً فَجَزَاء مِّثْلُ مَا قَتَلَ مِنَ النَّعَمِ يَحْكُمُ بِهِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ هَدْياً بَالِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ أَوْ كَفَّارَةٌ طَعَامُ مَسَاكِينَ أَو عَدْلُ ذَلِكَ صِيَاماً لِّيَذُوقَ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِ عَفَا اللّهُ عَمَّا سَلَف وَمَنْ عَادَ فَيَنتَقِمُ اللّهُ مِنْهُ وَاللّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ} [المائدة: 95]

95- O believers, Do not kill the game while you are in the state of Ihram whether it is eatable or not except what the Messenger (peace be upon him) explained from the vicious animals. Hence, some scholars measured by some other animals. Whoever kills an animal intentionally has to offer a sacrifice of the same size. Two experienced men should give a judgment of that and that sacrificed animal should be sent to the Ka`bah to be slaughtered and its meat should be given to the needy in charity or the mistake should be atoned for by feeding some needy with a food equals the price of that killed animal. He may estimate the amount of food he should pay to the needy and fast for the days in which he would eat these amounts.

These penalties are retribution for the sins committed by those who hunt these animals during the state of Ihram and did not abide by the commands of Allah. Allah pardons those who had hunted these animals during the state of Ihram before this Ayah was revealed. Whoever returns to breach and violate the commands of Allah, Allah will retaliate him in the Hereafter, no matter the expiation he paid.

And Allah is predominant and He is not defeated or forced to do anything, so He revenges those who exceed the limits and insist on disobeying His Commands. Verily, no one is able to stop His Revenge nor stop His Punishment.

{أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُ مَتَاعاً لَّكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُماً وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِيَ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ} [المائدة: 96]

96- He permitted to you, O people who are in the state of Ihram, fishing and the fish that the sea ejects lifelessly. Those who are not traveling of you may eat it, the travelers by seaside may use it, and eat it pickled.

In the same time, He prohibited hunting for you during Ihram except the five kinds of vicious animals that were mentioned in the Sunnah and scholars added some more vicious animals to them.

Fear Allah in terms of things that He prohibited for you as well as the previous prohibitions and know that you shall be gathered before Him and there will be no way out for you of His Reckoning and retribution on that Day.

{جَعَلَ اللّهُ الْكَعْبَةَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ قِيَاماً لِّلنَّاسِ وَالشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَالْهَدْيَ وَالْقَلاَئِدَ ذَلِكَ لِتَعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَأَنَّ اللّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ} [المائدة: 97]

97- Allah made Al Ka`bah (The Sacred House) as a benefit for the people in this world as well as in the Hereafter. It is the cause of reforming all matters. It is also the shelter, the refuge for them, and the gathering points of their trade, and the dearest to their hearts to which they direct for Hajj (pilgrimage) from each distant place because it is one of the pillars of religion.

Thus, the Sacred Month was made a sign for the religion of Allah and the meaning is the whole month in which the intention of Hajj is made; these months are: Rajab, Dhul-Qa`dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Al Muharram.

They used to drive their sacrificial animals and used to wear from the trees that surrounded the Ka`bah in the Pre-Islamic Era. They are parts of the rites of Hajj and they are the sacrificial animals that are driven to the Sacred Sites. They are slaughtered there and their meats are distributed there to the needy. Al Qala`id are the animals that were decorated so that the people know they are driven to the Sacred Site, so no one is to harm them. He also mentioned that the reward is abundant and Hajj is apparent.

Allah gives you this explanation so that you may know that the legislation of these rulings which contain worldly benefits and pushing away harms before they fell are from the proofs that denote the wisdom of Allah and He encompasses everything, whether they are small or big. He has the full-knowledge and nothing is hidden from Him.

{اعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ وَأَنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ} [المائدة: 98]

98- O people, know that Allah encompasses everything with His Knowledge and knows the secrets of your actions as well as their public then counts them to reward you for them. Verily, He is Severe in punishment for those who violate His boundaries or insisted to disobey Him. He is the One who forgives the sins of those who repent and obey Him. He is Compassionate with them, therefore, He will not punish them.

{مَّا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلاَّ الْبَلاَغُ وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا تَكْتُمُونَ} [المائدة: 99]

99- The mission of the Messenger is to deliver the message and not to guide nor to reward. He fulfilled what he should do without doing more, so there is no excuse for you not to obey and whoever disobeys will expose himself to the punishment of Allah.

Those who obey and who disobey are not hidden form Allah and nothing of hearts secrets is hidden from Him. In His Hands are the reward and the punishment and He treats each one with what they deserve.

{قُل لاَّ يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ فَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ يَا أُوْلِي الأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ} [المائدة: 100]

100- O Prophet, say: lawful and prohibited are not equal; good and bad are not equal, and pious and evil are not equal even if you are delighted by the abundance of evil because the little lawful thing is better than the abundant evil. It was reported in the authentic Hadith: "What is little but sufficient is better than what is abundant and distracts the people." So, fear Allah and prefer the good to the evil even if it is little because the praised little amount is better than the disgraced abundant things. And whenever the evil was abundant, the evil will be more evil, so proceed to what Allah lawfulized for you, O people of preponderant opinions and enlightened views. Believe in them so that you can achieve happiness in the worldly life and in the Hereafter.