Overview - Surah 5: al-Ma'idah (The Table)

Prologue

The Qur’ān was bestowed from on high to Muĥammad, God’s Messenger, so that he might, by means of it, establish a state, bring a community into being, organise a society, cultivate minds and consciences and set moral values. The Qur’ān was also to set the bonds that would operate within the Muslim community, as also define the international relations the Muslim state might have. All these were to be firmly joined together, so that all their parts would form one coherent whole, stemming from a single source and referring to a single authority. This is, in fact, the nature of religion, as defined by God and practised by Muslims in the days when they were indeed truly Muslims.

Hence, we find in this sūrah, as we found in the three long ones preceding it, a whole host of topics interlinked by the main goal the Qur’ān was revealed to achieve, namely, social organisation on the basis of a well-defined concept formulated by faith. Such a concept looks up to God for all its laws, values, standards and code of living and maintains that all Godhead, Lordship and authority belong to God alone.

We also find in this sūrah a clear effort to formulate concepts of belief, pure, purged of all traces of idolatrous superstition, and distortion perpetrated by followers of earlier Divine religions. Moreover, the Muslim community is made fully aware of its true nature, its role, the course it must follow and the difficulties that it involves. It is also alerted to the wicked designs of its enemies who are certainly hostile to its faith. The sūrah also includes rulings concerning some of its worship rituals, specifically those which aim to give the Muslim individual and the Muslim community spiritual purification, consolidating their relations with their Lord. Other legislation included in the sūrah aims to regulate relations within the Muslim community, as well as inter-community relations. Furthermore, the sūrah includes legislation permitting or prohibiting certain types of food, drink, marriages and other practices. All these form a complete unit, in a single sūrah, confirming the true meaning of religion, as God intended it and as understood by Muslims who are true to their faith.

In this sūrah, as well as in the two preceding sūrahs, this idea is not given implicitly but is rather stated explicitly and emphatically. Furthermore, the sūrah makes clear that all these together form the religion of Islam, that accepting it all means faith, and that putting it all into practice is the meaning of submission to God or Islam. It further states that those who do not judge according to God’s revelations are unbelievers, wrongdoers and transgressors. Indeed, by refusing to judge in accordance with God’s revelations, they prefer the judgement of ignorance, and this is something that a Muslim believer simply cannot do.

This fundamental principle is given prominence in the sūrah together with the pure concept of faith on which it is based. It is pertinent to show here how the two are intertwined.

As it emphasises that making God’s revelation the basis of all judgements is the true meaning of Islam, and that what God has pronounced as lawful or unlawful is the true meaning of religion, the Qur’ān relies on the fact that God is the only deity in the universe and has no partner to share in His Divinity; God the only Creator has no partner in His creation; the only Owner has no partner in His dominion. Hence, it is both logical and inevitable that nothing should be decided except on the basis of His law and by His permission. The One who creates all and owns all has all authority to determine the constitution to be followed by His creatures in His dominion. He is the One to legislate and to be obeyed whatever He may rule. Whoever disputes this is guilty of disobedience, rebellion and disbelief. It is He who defines the true concept of faith as well as the proper code of living. Those who believe in Him embrace the faith He has revealed and implement the system He has outlined. The two go hand in hand. They worship Him through offering the worship rituals and through implementing the code He has legislated, drawing no distinction between a ritual and a legal provision. Both come from God, who alone holds all sovereignty and all authority. This is the essence of the belief in Him as the only God, who has all dominion and who knows all that takes place anywhere in the heavens and the earth. Hence, implementing God’s law is at the core of every prophet’s religion. Indeed, it is Divine religion which cannot take any other form.

Thus, statements come thick and fast in the sūrah emphasising God’s oneness and repudiating all forms of polytheism, trinity and association of partners with God or equals to Him. Such statements also establish the characteristics of Godhead and servitude to God in absolute clarity. (See verses 15-17 and 72-3)

Because God is the only Lord, Creator and Sovereign, then He is the only one who legislates and defines what is lawful and what is forbidden. He is the one to be obeyed in what He legislates in the same way as He is the one to whom people should address their worship. He has concluded a covenant with His servants to this effect. Hence, He requires believers in Islam to fulfil their covenant, and warns them against the consequences of breaching it as did the Israelites before them. (Verses 1-2, 7-8, 12-14)

The sūrah includes a host of legislative rulings on a wide variety of subjects, such as which animals are lawful to eat when slaughtered or hunted; what is permissible or restricted during the period of consecration, or iĥrām, in pilgrimage and in the Sacred Mosque at the Ka`bah; what is permissible or forbidden in marriage; purification for worship and prayer; judgement and the administration of justice; mandatory punishment for theft and rebellion against a lawful Islamic government; wines and intoxicants, gambling, idols and divining arrows; atonement for breached oaths and hunting when in the state of consecration; making a will; cattle marked out by superstition and set aside from man’s use; and penal provisions in the Torah that have been incorporated in Islamic law. Thus, we see how legal provisions throughout the sūrah are presented hand in hand with teachings concerning worship, this without any separating format between them.

Side by side with such rulings and legal provisions, varied as they are, we are commanded to obey God and observe what He has legislated and ordered. We are also commanded not to make any verdict of permissibility or prohibition which is not sanctioned by God. We also have a statement that Islam is the faith God has laid down for the community that submit to Him in all its affairs. It is the faith He has perfected in order to make His grace bestowed on the Muslim community complete. (Verses 2, 87, 92 and 3)

The sūrah does not express in general terms the commandment of absolute obedience with respect to prohibition and permissibility. Rather, it makes an absolutely clear statement requiring people to make all judgements based on what God Himself has revealed. To place such judgement on any other basis is tantamount to disbelief, wrongdoing and transgression. The sūrah includes many decisive statements in this respect. (Verses 41-50)

Thus the whole issue is made abundantly clear: there is one God who is the Creator and the Owner of all. Hence, there is one judge, legislator and master commanding all authority. This, by necessity, means that there is only one legal code and one approach. The result of all this is that there can be either obedience and judgement in accordance with God’s law, which is the prerequisite of faith, or there can be disobedience, rebellion and judgement on some other basis, which is the mark of disbelief, wrongdoing and transgression. This is the essence of the Divine religion, the following of which is the subject matter of God’s covenant with mankind. It is the same religion preached by all God’s messengers to all believing communities and the community of Muĥammad’s followers.

It is, then, imperative that Divine religion means that all judgement should be in accordance with what God has revealed from on high, paying no regard to any other consideration. It is only on the basis of such reality that God’s authority and sovereignty are seen to operate fully and the declaration of “there is no deity other than God” takes practical effect.

The mutual association between Divine religion and making God’s revelation the basis of all judgement is not merely due to the fact that God’s revelation is infinitely better than all the laws and regulations human beings may devise and enact. This is only one, though not the main, reason for it. The main reason is found in the fact that judgement in accordance with God’s revelation is the practical meaning of attributing all Godhead to God alone and denying all others any attribute of Godhead. This is the meaning of Islam, both linguistically, i.e. submission, and religiously, i.e. self-surrender to God alone.

It is not sufficient, therefore, that human beings should adopt legislation similar to Divine law, or indeed that they should adopt Divine law itself but label it as their own, without attributing it to Him and implementing it in acknowledgement of His sovereignty. What is important here is that people must not claim for themselves any authority or sovereignty except in the form of implementing God’s law and establishing His authority on earth.

It is on this principle that the judgement made in the sūrah is based: “Those who do not judge in accordance with what God has revealed are indeed unbelievers ... wrongdoers ... transgressors”. (Verses 44, 45 and 47) This is because those people who have taken for their judgement a basis other than what God has revealed are in effect rejecting God’s position as the only God in the universe. They express their rejection through their actions and practices, even though they may not declare it verbally. Actions truly speak louder than words. Hence, the Qur’ān describes them as unbelievers, wrongdoers and as iniquitous. These are apt descriptions for their rejection of Godhead as they refuse to acknowledge God’s absolute sovereignty, and claim for themselves the most essential quality of Godhead, namely enacting legislation for people which is at variance with God’s law. This concept is repeatedly emphasised in several clear statements made in this sūrah.

Another main theme running throughout the sūrah is the outline which is given of the nature of the Muslim community, its true role in human life on earth, its attitude towards its enemies, and at the same time an expose of those enemies, their deviant beliefs as also what they scheme against Islam. As it did in the previous three sūrahs, here again we see the Qur’ān leading the Muslim community in battle against hostile forces.

The book that has been revealed to this community is the final message God sends to mankind. It confirms previous messages in the essence of faith and the main concepts they outline. However, since it is God’s final message, it is the final and governing text. It provides the ultimate version of the Divine law God wants mankind to implement for the whole duration of human life on earth. Whatever it endorses of past law remains part of God’s law, and whatever it abrogates loses this status, even though it is stated in one or the other of God’s revealed books. “This day I have perfected your religion for you and bestowed on you the full measure of My blessings and have chosen Islam as a religion for you.” (Verse 3) “And to you We have revealed the Book, setting forth the truth, confirming the Scriptures which had already been revealed before it and superseding them.” (Verse 48)

The role assigned to the Muslim community, then, is that of a trusteeship over mankind: it must ensure justice for all, unaffected by feelings of friendship or hostility, or by what difficulties others place in its way. To endure difficulties and hardships is part and parcel of the discharge of its trust, as is the dismissal of other people’s deviation, caprice and desire. The Muslim community must always endeavour not to allow even the slightest deviation from its course or its legal code to curry favour with, or win the support of anyone. It must always seek to win God’s pleasure and implement His law. (Verses 2, 8, and 48-9)

A consequence of the fact that the Muslim community is the heir to all Divine messages, the recipient of God’s final message to mankind and the trustee over mankind on the basis of the last religion is that it must never have a patronage relationship with those who reject this religion or those who mock its duties and acts of worship. Its patrons are only God, His Messenger, and true believers. The bond that makes this community is not its race, geographical location or national heritage; its only bond is that of faith, the Divine code and final message. (Verses 3, 51, 55, 57-8 and 105)

The enemies of the Muslim community are those who reject Divine guidance and take a hostile attitude towards the system revealed by God. They remain unwilling to see the truth or to moderate their long-standing attitude of hardened hostility to it. The Muslim community must always be able to identify them on the basis of their past attitude towards God’s messengers and their recent one towards Islam, its Messenger and followers. (Verses 12-14, 20-6, 32, 41-3, 59-64, 68, 70-1, and 78-82)

This sustained attack that exposes the enemies of the Muslim community, with particular emphasis on the hostility of the Jews and idolaters and some references to the hypocrites and Christians, lead us to another theme the sūrah highlights. This theme portrays an attitude that was very much alive in the Muslim community of Madinah at the time when the Qur’ān was revealed. It also deals with the attitude of the Muslim community throughout its history towards hostile forces, which remain the same at all times.

It is, then, pertinent to ask: at what stage in the history of the Muslim community in Madinah was this sūrah revealed? A number of reports suggest that this sūrah was revealed after Sūrah 48, Al-Fatĥ, or The Conquest. It is well known that Sūrah 48 was revealed shortly after the Prophet concluded the Peace Treaty of al-Ĥudaibiyah in Year 6 after his migration to Madinah. Some of these reports also suggest that the whole sūrah, with the exception of verse 3, was revealed on one occasion. Verse 3, according to these reports, was revealed later, during the Prophet’s pilgrimage in Year 10.

However, a careful review of this sūrah’s themes and the events that took place during the Prophet’s lifetime tends to refute this report. Indeed, one of the events that took place shortly before the Battle of Badr conclusively proves that the verses that speak about the attitude of the Israelites towards entering the Holy Land with Moses were known to the Muslims before that Battle which took place in Year 2 AH. Indeed, one report suggests that Sa`d ibn Mu`ādh, and another report says that al- Miqdād ibn `Amr, quoted one of these verses, as one or the other said to the Prophet: “We will not say to you what the Israelites said to Moses, ‘Go forth, you and your Lord, and fight. We will stay here’. Rather we say: ‘Go forth, you and your Lord, and fight; we will indeed fight with you.’”

Furthermore, in reviewing the themes of the sūrah it is clear that when the verses speaking about the Jews were revealed, they still commanded a position of strength and influence in Madinah, and this could have had a bearing on the Muslim community. Hence, the need for this campaign to expose their reality and to render their scheming ineffective. It is well known that the position and influence of the Jews in Madinah was at a very low ebb after the siege and punishment of the Jewish tribe of Qurayżah that followed the Battle of the Moat. By the end of that siege, the three main Jewish tribes of Qaynuqā`, al-Nađīr and Qurayżah had been evacuated from Madinah. All this took place before the signing of the Treaty at al-Ĥudaibiyah with the Arab idolaters. Hence, once that Treaty came into effect, there was no need to give the Jews such importance whereby a whole sūrah was devoted to them. Moreover, the time of peaceful coexistence with the Jews was over, and could not be reinstated after they had violated their pledges time after time. Hence, some verses in the sūrah must have been revealed before their evacuation. Examples of these are verses 13 and 42.

All this tends to indicate that the opening of the sūrah and one or two passages of it were most probably revealed after Sūrah 48, while several of its passages were revealed much earlier. Moreover, verse 3 which includes the statement, “This day I have perfected your religion for you and have bestowed on you the full measure of My blessings and have chosen Islam as a religion for you”, was revealed much later. In fact, this statement was the last of all Qur’ānic revelations, according to the most accurate reports. This means that the sūrah could not have been revealed all at once, as one report suggests.

We need to re-emphasise here what we said in the Prologues to Sūrahs 2, 3 and 4. As it was being revealed, the Qur’ān was providing leadership for the Muslim community in its battle against its enemies who rejected and opposed its faith, including the Jews, the idolaters and hypocrites. At the same time and using the same approach, it was formulating a proper concept of faith for the believers and giving the Muslim community directives and legislation for its internal organisation. This was all done by means of the same integrated approach.

The most basic and important aspect of building this structure was to purge the monotheistic faith of all confusion, while making it clear that religion means a system for life. It was also intended to illustrate that making God’s revelations the basis of all judgement and to be guided in all matters of life by God’s message is the true meaning of faith, and that this is Islam in practice. In fact, without all this, the concept of God’s oneness will not materialise. As we have already said, the real meaning of God’s oneness is to attribute all Godhead, with its essential qualities to God alone. Sovereignty and legislation are among these qualities, just like offering worship rituals. Hence, they must all be attributed and addressed to God alone. This sūrah emphasises this point most strongly.

As is clear from this quick preview, the themes discussed in this sūrah are closely related to those discussed in the previous three sūrahs. However, each sūrah has its own distinctive character, approach and style. Each is distinguished by the focus it maintains, the aspects it highlights and the effects it seeks to achieve. This gives each sūrah its own quintessential and distinctive style.

The style that distinguishes this sūrah is its decisiveness whether in provisions it outlines, which must naturally be free of the legal ambiguity, or in the principles and directives it lays down. These may be given in different styles in other sūrahs. However, in the present sūrah they are given in full detail and in a distinctively decisive phraseology.

A word should be added about God’s statement in the third verse of the sūrah: “This day I have perfected your religion for you and have bestowed on you the full measure of My blessings and have chosen Islam as a religion for you.” This statement implies the oneness of the source from which the Muslim community receives its code of living, social system and the law that governs its relations and ties with others for all time. It also implies the completeness of this religion with all its details of belief, worship and legal code. None of these may be changed or amended. This religion is now completed and finalised. To amend any part of it is tantamount to rejecting it altogether, because it implies a contradiction of what God has stated about its perfection. To deny or contradict that is to deny the faith altogether. To turn away from it and to adopt a different system or legal code need not be described by us; it has been fully described by God in this sūrah. Hence, it needs no further elaboration from us.

This verse states most decisively that Islam is a religion and a legal code for all time; that this version which God has approved as a religion for Muslims is the final one. It is the faith and the religion for that time and all time. There need not be a new religion for every period of time. What we have is a final message, completed and perfected by God who has approved it as a faith for all mankind. Whoever wants to change, amend, alter, replace, or develop any part of it is better advised to seek for himself a faith other than Islam: “He who seeks a religion other than self-surrender to God, it will not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he will be among the lost.” (3: 85)

This Divine constitution that includes a concept of belief, worship rituals and a legal code is meant to govern all human life. It allows life to develop and progress without any need to breach any part of the constitution or its detailed provisions. It is meant to be like this, because it is God’s final message to mankind.

This constitution has all the necessary elements that facilitate life’s development without breaching any of its fundamental or detailed principles. It also means that the constitution has made the necessary provisions for such life development. We must remember that as God devised this constitution, with all its details, He was fully aware of future developments in life and of the emerging needs and requirements of mankind. Hence, when God declares that He has perfected this faith and approved it as a religion for mankind, He has made it able to meet all such requirements. Whoever thinks otherwise does not give God His due respect and status.

Now we will begin looking at the text of the sūrah in detail.

Overview (Verses 1 - 2)
 
There must be controls and constraints in life. These may apply to man’s inner life, to what he does in his own affairs, and to his life with other human beings, whether related to him or not, members of his extended family, clan or tribe, community or nation, friends or enemies. These controls and constraints may also govern man’s relations with other creatures, whether God has made these subservient to man or not, and to inanimate objects which man finds in the world at large. Furthermore, there must be controls and constraints to govern man’s life and his relationship with his Lord, which is the essence of all life.
 
Islam sets up these controls in human life, defines them with clarity and accuracy, and imparts to them an authority derived from God, ensuring that they remain well respected, observed and obeyed. They are not subject to changing tendencies or temporary interests which may be given prominence by an individual, a group, a nation or a generation. Indeed, these controls and restraints, set up and defined by God, themselves represent the overall “interest”, since they have God’s authority. Man’s interest lies clearly in observing them even though an individual, a community, a nation or a whole generation may feel otherwise, for it is God who knows best, while human beings have, at best, a defective knowledge. What God decides is better than what they may decide for themselves. Indeed, if people were to maintain the lowest degree of politeness in their relationship with God, they would question their own definition of their interest if it were seen to be in conflict with God’s definition. True politeness requires that man should have no definition of his interest other than that given by God, which he should accept and obey willingly, always assured and content that it will work for his benefit.
 
These controls and constraints are what is termed by God here as “contracts”. He commands those who believe in Him to remain true to these contracts.
 
This sūrah opens with a clear order to fulfil these contracts before it proceeds to explain what is lawful and what is unlawful of slaughtered animals, types of food and drink, and also of family relations. It also explains a large number of legal provisions and rules of worship, as well as the true nature of faith, submission to God and the nature of Godhead. The sūrah also clarifies the type of relations which exist between the nation of Islam and other nations and beliefs. It explains the obligations of the community of believers in remaining true to their faith, bearing witness in all fairness, maintaining a position of leadership among mankind by virtue of their revealed Book. Theirs is the Book that supersedes all earlier revelations, establishing the rule of God as He has revealed it. They must always be on their guard lest they overlook some of what God may have revealed. They must also ensure that their personal feelings of love or hostility are not allowed to influence the way they administer full justice.
 
That the sūrah follows this pattern after giving a clear opening gives the term “contracts” a much wider sense than what immediately springs to mind. It is evident that “contracts” in this particular context means all the controls God has set up for human life, the most important of which is the contract of believing in God, acknowledging His overall Lordship and submitting to His will. This is the basic contract from which all the other contracts and controls in life are derived.
 
This contract of believing in God, with all that it entails of total submission and absolute obedience to Him, is the contract God made with Adam (peace be upon him) when He placed him in charge of the earth according to an agreement stating, as we are told in the Qur’ān: “We said: You shall all descend from it [Paradise]. Guidance shall reach you from Me. Those who follow My guidance shall have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve. But those who deny and gainsay Our revelations shall have the fire, wherein they shall abide.” (2: 38-9) It is, then, an authority given to man on the condition that he follows God’s guidance as revealed in His Books which He has vouchsafed to His messengers. Otherwise, the very contract which places man in charge of the earth is violated.
 
Such a violation essentially makes every action that contravenes God’s orders invalid and irremediable. Everyone who believes in God and wants to fulfil his contract with Him is obliged to repel this evil and refuse to deal with it in principle. Otherwise, he is not true to his contract.
 
The same contract or covenant was made again with all mankind when they were still within the loins of their parents. This is again stated in the Qur’ān: “Your Lord has brought forth their offspring from the loins of the children of Adam and called on them to bear witness about themselves, Am I not your Lord?’— to which they answered: ‘Yes, we do bear witness to this.’ (Of this We remind you) lest you say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were indeed unaware of this’; or lest you say, Indeed, it was but our forefathers who, in times gone by, began to associate partners with God; and we were but their late offspring: will You, then, destroy us for the doings of falsehood inventors?” (7: 172-3)
 
This is another contract made with every individual. God states that He has made this contract with every one of the children of Adam when they were within the loins of their parents. It is not for us to ask how this happened. God knows His creation best and He knows how to address them in every stage of their lives in a way that makes His address understood and their pledge binding. When He says that He has made a contract with them that they will always acknowledge His Lordship, then it must be so. If they do not fulfil this contract, they stand accused of being untrue to their obligations.
 
God also made a covenant with the Children of Israel, as is mentioned later in this sūrah, when He raised the mountain high above their heads as if to give them cover. They thought that it would fall on their heads. We will also learn from this sūrah how they were in breach of their covenant and how they were made to suffer the consequences, just as all those who break their covenants with God eventually suffer.
 
Those who believed in the Prophet Muĥammad (peace be upon him) also made a covenant with God, pledging themselves to: “obey the Prophet fully in times of ease and times of hardship, and in preference to our own comfort and interest. We also pledge not to dispute with rulers their authority”. Some of them later made certain special contracts supplementing this general one. The second agreement of `Aqabah which facilitated the way for the Prophet to migrate to Madinah was a contract made between the Prophet and the spokesmen’ of the Anşār. In al-Ĥudaibiyah, the pact made under the tree came into force, and was later known as the “pact that pleased God”.
 
It is on the basis of the contract to believe in God and to submit to Him that all contracts and covenants are made, whether they relate to all commandments and orders included in the Divine law, or to transactions with other people, or to relations with other creatures and inanimate objects in the universe. These are all contracts believers are required to fulfil. Their essential condition of believing in God makes these contracts binding on them and makes their fulfilment a basic duty. Hence the opening address: “Believers, be true to your contracts.” (Verse 1)
 
Implementing Divine Decrees
 
Once the address is made to all believers to honour their contracts, some of these are stated in detail: “Lawful to you is the [flesh of the] beasts of cattle, other than that which is announced to you herein. But you are not allowed to hunt while you are in the state of consecration. God decrees what He will. Believers, do not offend against the symbols set up by
 
God, or against the sacred month, or the offerings or the garlands, or against those who repair to the Sacred House, seeking God’s grace and pleasure. Only when you are clear of the Sacred Precincts and released from the state of consecration may you hunt. Do not let your hatred of people who would debar you from the Sacred Mosque lead you into aggression; but rather help one another in furthering righteousness and piety, and do not help one another in furthering evil and aggression. Have fear of God, for God is severe in retribution. Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, the flesh of swine; and that over which any name other than God’s has been invoked; and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to death, or killed by a fall, or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey, except that which you may have slaughtered when it is still alive; and [forbidden to you are] animals that have been slaughtered on idolatrous altars. And [forbidden also] is the division [of meat] by raffling with arrows; for all this is sinful. Today, the unbelievers have lost all hope of your religion. Have no fear of them, then, but fear Me alone. This day I have perfected your religion for you and have bestowed on you the full measure of My blessings and have chosen Islam as a religion for you. He who is forced by hunger [to eat of what is forbidden], with no inclination to commit sin, [will find] God Much-Forgiving, Merciful.” (Verses 1-3)
 
Whatever is stated here, either prohibiting or making lawful certain slaughtered animals, or certain species, or restricting places and times, is part of the “contract” believers must fulfil. It is part of the contract of faith that those who are party to it, i.e. the believers, must receive their instructions regarding what is lawful and what is unlawful only from God. In this respect, they recognise no authority other than His. Hence, they are addressed as believers at the outset of this detailed explanation of what they may and may not have.
 
“Lawful to you is the [flesh of the] beasts of cattle, other than that which is announced to you herein.” Only because of this permission by God, not through any other authority, is it lawful and permissible for you to eat the flesh of whatever is included under the term “beasts of cattle”, whether slaughtered or hunted, with the exception of the prohibitions that follow. Such prohibitions can either be temporary, restricted to certain places, or are total and applicable at all times and places. The beasts of cattle include camels, cows and sheep. Added to these are undomesticated animals like zebra, deer, bull and buffalo.
 
Thereafter, all other exceptions are detailed. The first pertains to hunting when believers are in the state of consecration: “But you are not allowed to hunt while you are in the state of consecration. God decrees what He will.” (Verse 1) The prohibition here applies to the whole process of hunting. When one enters into the state of consecration as one starts pilgrimage or `umrah, one turns to God with one’s whole being, turning one’s back to familiar life practices which are a source of entertainment and pleasure. One turns one’s face, and one’s whole being, to the Sacred House which God has endowed with a feeling of security that applies to all those in it. Hence, it is necessary that when we are there, we do not stretch our hands to kill any living thing. Thus, one experiences during this time a necessary feeling of the bonds between all living things created by God, the giver of life. All creatures are, thus, safe from human aggression. The necessities of life, for which game and hunting have been allowed for food purposes, are thus reduced in order to impart to man a sense of elevation above what is familiar and lawful to him in ordinary days.
 
Before proceeding to add more details of what is excepted from the initial ruling of general permission, this contract is linked to the overall contract of faith. The believers are also reminded of the source of that covenant: “God decrees what He will.” (Verse 1) His will is absolute and He gives His commandments as He wishes. No one may have a say in what He decrees and no one can abrogate or overrule His judgement. What He outlines in this sūrah is His verdict on what is lawful and what is forbidden to us.
 
The address is again made to the believers to emphasise that they are not allowed to violate what God has restricted: “Believers, do not offend against the symbols set up by God, or against the sacred month, or the offerings or the garlands, or against those who repair to the Sacred House, seeking God’s grace and pleasure. Only when you are clear of the Sacred Precincts and released from the state of consecration may you hunt.” (Verse 2) The first thing that springs to mind regarding the meaning of “the symbols set up by God” is that it is a reference to the rites of pilgrimage and `umrah and the restrictions that apply to everyone who enters into the state of consecration when he starts his pilgrimage or `umrah and which remain in force until the main part of the pilgrimage is over and when animals intended for sacrifice are slaughtered. During the state of consecration, a pilgrim does not offend against these restrictions, because such an offence represents a desecration of the sanctity imparted to them by God. The sūrah describes these rites as being set up by God in order to emphasise their sanctity and to warn against their desecration.
 
Other Restrictions
 
The term “the sacred month” as it occurs in this Qur’ānic verse refers to the four months of sanctity in the lunar calendar which are: Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa`dah, Dhu’l- Hijjah and al-Muharram. God has forbidden fighting in these four months, which used to be given special sanctity by Arabian tribes prior to Islam. However, they manipulated them as they wished, delaying certain months according to a ruling given by certain monks or a decree issued by the chiefs of powerful tribes. When Islam was revealed, their sanctity was endorsed by God’s legislation. This sanctity is based on a Divine order made when God created the heavens and the earth, as mentioned in Sūrah 9, Repentance: “The number of months, in God’s sight, is twelve months [laid down] in God’s decree on the day when He created the heavens and the earth. Of these four are sacred.” (9: 36) The Qur’ān also states that delaying the sacred months and manipulating them is an indication of compounded disbelief. Thus, the correct order has been re-established according to God’s decree. These months remain sacred unless aggression is waged during them against the Muslims, when they are permitted to repel such aggression, without giving the aggressor a chance to escape, making use of the sanctity of these months which they do not recognise. The Islamic view of fighting in these months is mentioned in Sūrah 2, The Cow. (In the Shade of the Qur’ān, Vol. I, pp. 216-19)
 
The offerings mentioned in the sūrah refer to sacrificial animals which pilgrims slaughter during pilgrimage as part of its rites. This may be a camel, a cow or a sheep. To offend against these is to slaughter them for any reason other than the one for which they have been consecrated. Nor may they be slaughtered until the day of sacrifice during pilgrimage or after the end of `umrah. The major part of any sacrificial animal is distributed to the poor of the Ĥaram area. Those who offer such a sacrifice are encouraged to partake of it.
 
The term “the garlands” mentioned in the sūrah refers to cattle which are adorned with garlands to denote that they have been pledged for sacrifice. They are then left alone to graze as they wish until the day when the pledge falls due for their sacrifice. Included among these are cattle intended for sacrifice during pilgrimage and which are given a special sign to indicate the purpose for which they have been pledged. Once such cattle are adorned with garlands, they are no longer available for ordinary slaughter. They are slaughtered only for the purpose for which they have been pledged. It is also said that the garlands refer to a special type of band or necklace worn by those who want to be safe from an enemy or a person who wants to kill them for revenge or for any other purpose. They take some leaves or branches from the trees of the Ĥaram area to make bands and wear them. They then move freely, fearing no aggression from anyone. Scholars who advance this view say that the immunity given to such people was later abrogated when the verse was revealed which states: “The idolaters are impure; let them not come near the Sacred Mosque after this year” (9: 28) And by the verse which states: “Take them and kill them wherever you find them.” (4: 91) The first view which says that the garlands denote the cattle intended for sacrifice is the weightier one, especially since they are mentioned after the offerings normally sacrificed during pilgrimage.
 
Similarly, God has given special sanctity to those who flock to the Sacred House, seeking a share of God’s bounty and grace and aiming to please Him. They come to the House to do some legitimate business and to seek God’s pleasure, whether at the time of pilgrimage or at other times. When they come to God’s Sacred House, they are given security.
 
Having explained all these restrictions, this verse makes it clear that once the period of consecration is over, hunting becomes lawful again, provided that it takes place outside the Ĥaram area:. “Only when you are clear of the Sacred Precincts and released from the state of consecration may you hunt.” (Verse 2) This is an area of security which God establishes in His Sacred Mosque, as He has indeed established a time of security during the Sacred Months. People, animals, birds and trees in this area are immune from human aggression. This makes it an area of absolute peace, in response to the prayer of Abraham, the noble father of this nation. This period of peace is extended to the whole planet for four complete months every year, under the guardianship of Islam. People who enjoy the sweetness of this real sense of security will be keen to maintain it according to its provisions and to fulfil their covenants with God. They will try to extend it so that it encompasses human life throughout the year and the whole world over.
 
Justice for Friend and Foe
 
With the emphasis placed here on sanctity and security, God calls on those who believe in Him to fulfil their contracts with Him and to rise to the level which enables them to assume the leadership of mankind that has been assigned to them. To fulfil this role they must not allow themselves to be influenced by personal feelings, emotions or temporary circumstances. God calls on them not to transgress even against those who debarred them from entering the Sacred Mosque when they sought to visit it in the year known as “the year of aI-Ĥudaibiyyah” and earlier. The actions of those people left deep scars in the Muslims’ hearts, which were bound to arouse emotions of hatred. But all this notwithstanding, the actions of the Muslim community must not be guided by such feelings. Its duty fits its great role: “Do not let your hatred of people who would debar you from the Sacred Mosque lead you into aggression; but rather help one another in furthering righteousness and piety, and do not help one another in furthering evil and aggression. Have fear of God, for God is severe in retribution.” (Verse 2)
 
This is the ultimate standard of self-control and compassion. But it is this very ultimate standard that must be attained by the community entrusted by its Lord with the task of being the guide and guardian of humanity. Here it is called upon to attain a sublime horizon. This is part of the responsibility of leadership. It means that believers must overlook what happens to them personally and what they may have to endure of harm caused by others, in order to give to mankind a great model of righteous behaviour that can be achieved only by following Islam. In this way, they give a positive testimony for Islam which is certain to make it appealing to the rest of mankind.
 
The task outlined here is a great one, but as it is put in this sūrah it does not represent a great burden that will weigh heavily on man. There is a recognition that a human being may be angry and may harbour feelings of hatred. But human beings are not entitled, as a result of fury or hatred, to transgress and be unjust to others. Moreover, cooperation within the ranks of the community of believers must further righteousness and piety, not evil or aggression. The believers are commanded to have fear of God and are reminded that His punishment may be very severe. Such a reminder, together with the commandment to fear God, helps the Muslim community to control its hatred and to rise above the desire to exact revenge, because it is a community always seeking God’s pleasure. How Islam works on people is best illustrated by the spectacular results it achieved in moulding the Arabs such that this noble behaviour became characteristic of them and, hence, they abided by its requirements. Prior to Islam they were far removed from such lofty standards. Their unchallenged motto was: “Support your brother, whether he is the victim or the perpetrator of injustice.” Tribal loyalty was of paramount importance. To cooperate in furthering evil and aggression was more natural to them than cooperation in furthering piety and righteousness. They forged alliances, but their purpose was more to support evil than to support right. Rare were the pacts made in pre- Islamic days which supported what was and is right. This was only natural in an environment where traditions, customs and morals were not derived from God’s constitution. Perhaps the best expression of this principle was the motto we have just quoted. A pre-Islamic poet has also put it in a nutshell when he says: “I am only a man of the tribe of Ghuzayyah: I go with my tribe, whether it follows the right way or the wrong one.”
 
Then the Islamic constitution was revealed to establish new values and to remould people’s way of thinking. Islam tells the believers: “Do not let your hatred of people who would debar you from the Sacred Mosque lead you into aggression; but rather help one another in furthering righteousness and piety, and do not help one another in furthering evil and aggression. Have fear of God, for God is severe in retribution.” (Verse 2) Thus, a new bond linking hearts to God was established. Values and morals were given a new Divine standard. The Arabs, and mankind as a whole, were led out of blind fanaticism and the control of personal and tribal feelings in determining who is a friend and who is a foe. Man was reborn in the Arabian Peninsula. The new man derives his moral standards from God. This heralded the rebirth of man throughout the world. Prior to this, there was nothing in Arabia but blind loyalties which say: “Support your brother, whether he is the victim or the perpetrator of injustice.” The same blind loyalties were known throughout the world.
 
It is a great divide that separates a community governed by such blind loyalty and fanaticism and a community governed by a constitution stating: “Do not let your hatred of people who would debar you from the Sacred Mosque lead you into aggression; but rather help one another in furthering righteousness and piety, and do not help one another in furthering evil and aggression. Have fear of God, for God is severe in retribution.” (Verse 2) That great divide was removed by the only force that could remove it, namely, Islam.