Allah orders His believing servants to eat the good and lawful things that He
has provided, and to give thanks to Him for that, for He is the Giver and
Originator of all favors, Who alone deserves to be worshipped, having no
partners or associate. Then Allah mentions what He has forbidden things which
harm them in both religious and worldly affairs, i.,e., dead meat, blood and the
flesh of pigs.
[وَمَآ أُهِلَّ
لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ]
(and any animal which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for other than Allah.)
meaning, it was slaughtered with the mention of a name other than that of Allah.
Nevertheless,
[فَمَنِ
اضْطُرَّ]
(But if one is forced by necessity.) meaning, if one needs to do it, without
deliberately disobeying or transgressing, then,
[فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ
غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ]
(Allah is Pardoning, Most Merciful.) We have already discussed a similar Ayah
in Surat Al-Baqarah, and there is no need to repeat it here. And to Allah be
praise. Then Allah forbids us to follow the ways of the idolators who declare
things to be permitted or forbidden based upon their own whims and whatever
names they agree on, such as the Bahirah (a she-camel whose milk was spared for
the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it), the Sa'ibah (a she-camel let loose
for free pasture for their false gods, idols, etc., and nothing was allowed to
be carried on it), the Wasilah (a she-camel set free for idols because it has
given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a
she-camel at its second delivery) and the Ham (a stallion camel freed from work
for the sake of their idols, after it had finished a number of acts of
copulation assigned for it), and so on. All of these were laws and customs that
were invented during jahiliyyah. Then Allah says:
[وَلاَ تَقُولُواْ
لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ هَـذَا حَلَـلٌ وَهَـذَا حَرَامٌ
لِّتَفْتَرُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ]
(And do not describe what your tongues have lied about, saying: "This is
lawful and this is forbidden,'' to invent lies against Allah.) This includes
everyone who comes up with an innovation (Bid`ah) for which he has no evidence
from the Shari`ah, or whoever declares something lawful that Allah has
forbidden, or whoever declares something unlawful that Allah has permitted, only
because it suits his opinions or whim to do so.
[لِمَا
تَصِفُ]
(describe what...) meaning, do not speak lies because of what your tongues
put forth. Then Allah warns against that by saying:
[إِنَّ الَّذِينَ
يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لاَ يُفْلِحُونَ]
(Verily, those who invent lies against Allah, will never succeed.) meaning,
either in this world or the Hereafter. As for this world, it is transient
pleasure, and in the Hereafter, theirs will be a severe punishment, as Allah
says:
[نُمَتِّعُهُمْ
قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ ]
(We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We will drive them
into an unrelenting punishment.) (31:24) and
[قُلْ إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لاَ يُفْلِحُونَ - مَتَـعٌ فِى
الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ الْعَذَابَ الشَّدِيدَ
بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ ]
(Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah, will never be successful. (A
brief) enjoyment in this world! and then to Us will be their return, then We
shall make them taste the severest torment because they disbelieved.) (10:69-70)
[وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ
هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا مَا قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ
وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ - ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ
عَمِلُواْ السُّوءَ بِجَهَـلَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُواْ
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ]
(118. And for those who are Jews, We have forbidden such things as We have
mentioned to you before. And We did not wrong them, but they wronged
themselves.) (119. Then, your Lord for those who did evil out of ignorance and
afterward repent and do righteous deeds - verily, after that, your Lord is
Pardoning, Most Merciful.)