سورة المَائدة
Surah Al-Mâ’idah 5:3
The Table Spread of Food · Verse 3 of 120
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَنْ تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلَامِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ ۗ الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ ۚ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ۚ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِإِثْمٍ ۙ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Abdul Mannan Omar
You are forbidden (to take for food) an animal which dies of itself (a carrion), and the blood (poured forth), also the flesh of swine, and that which is immolated in the name of anyone other than Allâh, and that which has been strangled, and that which has been beaten to death, and that which has been killed by a fall, and that which has been gored to death, and that of which a wild beast has eaten, except what you have duly slaughtered (before its expiry). And (also forbidden to you is) that which has been slaughtered at altars (set up for false deities), and (you are also not permitted) that you seek to know your lot by the divining arrows. These are all acts of disobedience. This day have those who disbelieve despaired of (harming) your Faith. So do not hold them in awe but stand in awe of Me. This day have I perfected for you your faith and completed My blessings upon you and have chosen Islam for your religion (so abide by all these limits imposed upon you with regard to taking your food); but he who is forced by extreme hunger without being wilfully inclined to sin then, surely (he will find that) Allâh is Great Protector, Ever Merciful.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
Ahmed Ali
Forbidden you is carrion and blood, and the flesh of the swine, and whatsoever has been killed in the name of some other than God, and whatever has been strangled, or killed by a blow or a fall, or by goring, or that which has been mauled by wild beasts unless slaughtered while still alive; and that which has been slaughtered at altars is forbidden, and also dividing the meat by casting lots with arrows. All this is sinful. Today the unbelievers have lost every hope of (despoiling) your creed; so do not fear them, fear Me. Today I have perfected your system of belief and bestowed My favours upon you in full, and have chosen submission (al-Islam) as the creed for you. If one of you is driven by hunger (to eat the forbidden) without the evil intent of sinning, then God is forgiving and kind.
12 more translations
Ali Unal
Unlawful to you (for food) are carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that (the animal) which is offered in the name of any other than God, and the animal strangled, and the animal beaten down, and the animal fallen to death, and the animal gored, and that devoured by wild beasts – save that which you make lawful (by slaughtering properly while it was still alive) – and that which has been sacrificed to anything serving the function of idols and at the places consecrated for offerings to other than God. And (also unlawful is) that divided and obtained through divining arrows (and the like, such as lotteries and throwing dice). (Eating of any of) that (just mentioned) is transgression. – This day those who disbelieve have lost all hope of (preventing the establishment of) your religion, so do not hold them in awe, but be in awe of Me. This day I have perfected for you your Religion (with all its rules, commandments and universality), completed My favor upon you, and have been pleased to assign for you Islam as religion. – Then, whoever is constrained by dire necessity (and driven to what is forbidden), without purposely inclining to sin – surely God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.
Daryabadi
Forbidden unto you are the deadmeat, and blood, and the flesh of the swine, and that over which is invoked the name of other than Allah, and the strangled, and the felled, and the tumbled, and the gored, and that which wild animals have devoured, unless ye have cleansed, and that which hath been slaughtered on the altars, and that ye seek a division by means of the divining arrows: all that is an abomination. To- day those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion; wherefore fear them not, and fear Me. To-day I have perfected for you your religion, and have completed My favour upon you, and am well-pleased with Islam as your religion. Then whosoever is driven to extreme hunger not inclining to sin, verily then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Faridul Haque
Forbidden for you are carrion, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that which has been slaughtered while proclaiming the name of any other than Allah, and one killed by strangling, and one killed with blunt weapons, and one which died by falling, and that which was gored by the horns of some animal, and one eaten by a wild beast, except those whom you slaughter; and (also forbidden is) that which is slaughtered at the altar (of idols) and that which is distributed by the throwing of arrows (as an omen); this is an act of sin; this day, the disbelievers are in despair concerning your religion, so do not fear them and fear Me; this day have I perfected your religion for you * and completed My favour upon you, and have chosen Islam as your religion; so whoever is forced by intense hunger and thirst and does not incline towards sin, then indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. (* Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is the Last Prophet.)
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Forbidden to you is that which dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that on which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, and the strangled (animal), and that beaten to death, and that killed by a fall, and that killed by goring with the horn, and that which wild beasts have eaten -- except what you slaughter; and that which is sacrificed on stones set up (for idols), and that you seek to divide by arrows; that is a transgression. This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favour to you and chosen for you Islam as a religion. But whoever is compelled by hunger, not including wilfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving, merciful.
Maulvi Sher Ali
Forbidden to you is the flesh of an animal which dies of itself, and blood and the flesh of swine; and that on which is invoked the name of any other than ALLAH; and that which has been strangled; and that which has been beaten to death; and that which has been killed by a fall and that which has been gored to death; and that of which a wild animal has eaten, except that which you have properly slaughtered; and that which has been slaughtered at an altar as an offering to idols. And forbidden is also this that you seek to know your lot by the divining arrows. That is an act of disobedience. This day have those who disbelieve despaired of harming your religion. So fear them not, but fear ME. This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed MY favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion. But whoso is forced by hunger, without being wilfully inclined to sin, then, surely, ALLAH is Most Forgiving, and is Merciful.
Muhammad Asad
FORBIDDEN to you is carrion, and blood, and 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, save that which you [yourselves] may have slaughtered while it was still alive; and [forbidden to you is] all that has been slaughtered on idolatrous altars.
Muhammad Musin Khan
Forbidden to you (for food) are: Al-Maytatah (the dead animals - cattle-beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and the meat of that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering, and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns - and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death) - and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An-Nusub (stone altars). (Forbidden) also is to use arrows seeking luck or decision, (all) that is Fisqun (disobedience of Allah and sin). This day, those who disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion, so fear them not, but fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But as for him who is forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin (such can eat these above-mentioned meats), then surely, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Muhammad Pickthall
Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion and blood and swineflesh, and that which hath been dedicated unto any other than Allah, and the strangled, and the dead through beating, and the dead through falling from a height, and that which hath been killed by (the goring of) horns, and the devoured of wild beasts, saving that which ye make lawful (by the death-stroke), and that which hath been immolated unto idols. And (forbidden is it) that ye swear by the divining arrows. This is an abomination. This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam. Whoso is forced by hunger, not by will, to sin: (for him) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Muhammad Sarwar
It is unlawful for you to consume the following as food: an animal that has not been properly slaughtered, blood, pork, an animal slaughtered and consecrated in the name of someone other than God, an animal killed by strangulation or a violent blow, an animal killed by falling down, an animal which has been gored to death, an animal partly eaten by a wild beast before being properly slaughtered, an animal which has been sacrificed on the stone blocks (which pagans worshipped), and any flesh divided by casting superstitious and gambling arrows (a pagan tradition), which is a sin. Today, the unbelievers have lost hope about your religion. Do not be afraid of them but have fear of Me. On this day I have perfected your religion, completed My favors to you, and have chosen Islam as your religion. If anyone not (normally) inclined to sin is forced by hunger to eat unlawful substances instead of proper food, he may do so to spare his life. God is All-forgiving and All-merciful.
Muhammed ali Shakir
Forbidden to you is that which dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that on which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, and the strangled (animal) and that beaten to death, and that killed by a fall and that killed by being smitten with the horn, and that which wild beasts have eaten, except what you slaughter, and what is sacrificed on stones set up (for idols) and that you divide by the arrows; that is a transgression. This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion; but whoever is compelled by hunger, not inclining willfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Rashad Khalifa
Prohibited for you are animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than GOD. (Animals that die of themselves include those) strangled, struck with an object, fallen from a height, gored, attacked by a wild animal - unless you save your animal before it dies - and animals sacrificed on altars. Also prohibited is dividing the meat through a game of chance; this is an abomination. Today, the disbelievers have given up concerning (the eradication of) your religion; do not fear them and fear Me instead. Today, I have completed your religion, perfected My blessing upon you, and I have decreed Submission as the religion for you. If one is forced by famine (to eat prohibited food), without being deliberately sinful, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful.
Shabbir Ahmed
Forbidden to you (for food) are: Carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, anything (not just meat) that has been dedicated to any other than God (such as an idol, grave or saint), any animal that has been strangled to death, or beaten to death, or killed by fall, or gored to death, or eaten by a wild animal unless you are able to slaughter it while it is still alive, and (also forbidden is) what is slaughtered on idolatrous altars (devotional stones or blocks in shrines considered sacred). And (you are forbidden) from dividing one another’s portions through raffling, for these are deviations. This Day, the rejecters have lost all hope of (making bargains in) your System of Life. Do not fear them, but fear Me. This Day, I have perfected your Deen (Law) for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen for you Al-Islam as the System of Life. If anyone is forced by dire necessity (to consume the forbidden), with no intention of transgression, (should remember that) God is Forgiving, Merciful.
Commentary 5:3 Dhakkai-tum ذَكَّيْتُمْ means “you have duly slaughtered”; the infinitive noun tadhkiah تزكية means causing the natural heat of the body (harârat-i-gharîzî…
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلَامِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ
5:3 Dhakkai-tum ذَكَّيْتُمْ means “you have duly slaughtered”; the infinitive noun tadhkiah تزكية means causing the natural heat of the body (harârat-i-gharîzî حرارت غريزي) to pass forth. Technically, it is the slaughtering of an animal by cutting jugular vein and causing its blood to flow out of its body (Râghib, Tâj). Makhmasahمُخمَصة is extreme hunger, emptiness caused by hunger, a situation in which overwhelming extraneous forces beyond a person’s control may compel him against his will to act in a way that is prohibited (Lisân).
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
"This day have I perfected for you your faith and completed My blessings upon you and have chosen Islam for your faith" were among the last Revelations to the Holy Prophet (pbuh), revealed a few months before his death. This verse marks the culmination of his teachings and his mission. The Qur’ânic Revelations and their teachings in the form of Sunnah – (practice by the Holy Prophet, pbuh) were brought to completion. The final fulfilment of his mission was to be later when “the earth shall radiate with the Light of his Lord” (39:69) and his message of peace and faith in one God would spread around the world.
What follows from this Divine Declaration is that we now have the perfect Divine Law and should live according to it. The absence of a command or an aspect of a command also has a sigmificance. A human being has no authority to fill the gaps in the law where Allâh is silent. Reasoning by analogy (- qiyâs) or by consensus (- ijmâ‘) should not lead to additions or deletions in Divine Law (- sharî‘a). The Qur’ânic words should retain the meanings they had in the language of the classical Arabs of the time. “Consensus” of the Muslims is often used to justify a certain interpretation of law, however consensus (-ijmâ‘) in its correct use was the consensus among the Companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and not among the “learned” of the later generations” (Ibn Hazm). Agreement (-ijmâ‘) was only seen among the Companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) on a very limited number of subjects. Consensus agreement of the community through the votes of its specialists and representatives is the preferred approach in a Muslim society. However, it has not the authority of sharî‘a. Such agreement can only offer ways or opinions for special situations. Decisions based on qiyâs and ijmâ‘ is allowed if it does not add to the Injunction of Divine Law (- sharî‘a). They are clearly defined in the Holy Book. Labels such as forbidden (harâm), recommended (halâl), obligatory or discouraged are accidental and not part of sharî‘a. These expressions should be taken out when discussing religious injunctions. Such expressions are not be found in Qur’ân.