Al-Ma'idah

Surah5 of theQuran
اَلْمَائدَةْ‎; Al-Ma'idah; The Table [Spread with Food]
Arabic text; Qira'ahⓘ; English text;
Classification	Medinan
Other names	The Feast
Position	Juzʼ6 to 7
Hizbno.	11 to 13
No.ofverses	120
No.ofRukus	16
No.ofSajdahs	None
No.of words	2837
No.of letters	12206
	←4: An-Nisa 6: Al-An'am→

Al-Ma'idah(Arabic:ٱلْمَائدَة,romanized:al-Māʾidah;lit.'The Table [Spread with Food]') is the fifthchapterof theQuran,containing 120verses.

Regarding thetiming and contextual backgroundof the revelation, it is aMedinan chapter,which means it is believed to have been revealed inMedinarather thanMecca.

The chapter's topics include animals which areforbidden,andJesus's andMoses's missions. Verse 90 prohibits "the intoxicant" (alcohol). Verse 8 contains the passage: "Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice".^[1]Al-Tabligh Verse67 is relevant to theFarewell PilgrimageandGhadir Khumm.^[Quran5:67]

Verses5:32–33have been quoted to denounce killing, by using an abbreviated form such as, "If anyone kills a person, it would be as if he killed the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people". The same formulation appears in theMishnahinSanhedrin.^[2]However, a columnist forMosaicpresents evidence suggesting that this coincidence is part of the Quran's critique of Judaism, and early Muslims were aware of this context.^[3]

Summary

A trial in the Ottoman Empire, 1879, when religious law applied under theMecelle

1Covenantsare to be fulfilled
2Lawful meats
3Islam completed
4Food caught by hunting animals is permissible
5Muslims permitted to eat the food ofJews and Christians,and to marry their women.
6The law ofpurifications
7–8Believers reminded of thecovenant of Aqabah,Muslims should bear true testimony and not let hatred nor prejudice prevent them from being just.
9–11Muslims told to remember God's forgiveness and favouror forget old quarrels
12God’s covenant with Children of Israel
13–16The disobedience of Jews and Christians exposed.
17–18Jews and Christians mutation of God's teachings.
19Jews and Christians are not the children of God.Muhammadsent as a prophet to remind and warn those who have not read or believed The Books of The People of The Book.
20–26Israel’s rebellion atKadesh Barnea
27–31The story ofCain and Abel
32Thesinofhomicide
33–40The penalty oftheftand reminder to repent. God's judgment supersedes all.
41–44Warning against distortion of Scripture and judging only by God's revelations.
45–55Reiteration of Quran as confirmation of earlier Scriptures. Muhammad to judge by laws of Allah.
56–58Not to seek guardianship of those who mock faith. Allying oneself only with God.
59–63Hypocrites warned. Believers warned and instructed.
64–65The Jews exhort and warned
66The hypocrisy and unbelief of the jews and Christians rebuked
67–69Muhammad required to preach. He attestes to Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Believing Jews, Sabians, and Christians to be saved
70–71The Jews rejected and killed the prophets of God
72–75The doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s Sonship rejection.
76–77Reiteration of one God, upholding principles and warning against extremism.
78–81Disobedient Jews condemned by Christ.
82–87Jewish and Christian beliefs compared. Righteous rewarded. Disobedient to be punished. Warnings against transgressions.
88Muslims to uselawful foodand be mindful of God
89Expiationforperjury
90–94Shunning of intoxicants and gambling.
95–96Law concerning hunting and gaming during pilgrimage
97–101Pilgrimageand itsrites enjoined.Forgiveness of deeds done before laws established.
102–104Arab customs denounced
105–108Accountable for only one's action. Wills to be attested by witnesses.
109The prophets ignorant of the characters of their followers, only God knower of all.
110Jesus—his miracles—God’s favour to him
111The apostles of Jesus were Muslims
112–115A table provided by God for Jesus and the apostles.
116–118Jesus did not teach his followers to worship him and his mother.
119The reward of the true believer.
120God is sovereign^[4]

Placement and coherence with other surahs

The idea of textual relation between the verses of a chapter has been discussed under various titles such asnazmandmunasabahin non-English literature andcoherence,text relations,intertextuality,andunityin English literature.Hamiduddin Farahi,anIslamicscholar of theIndian subcontinent,is known for his work on the concept of nazm, or coherence, in the Quran.Fakhruddin al-Razi(died 1209CE), Zarkashi (died 1392) and several other classical as well as contemporary Quranic scholars have contributed to the studies.^[5]The entire Qur'an thus emerges as a well-connected and systematic book.^[6]Each division has a distinct theme. Topics within a division are more or less in the order of revelation. Within each division, each member of the pair complements the other in various ways. The seven divisions are as follows:

Group	From	To	Central theme
1	Al-Fatiha 1:1	Al-Ma'idah5:1	Islamic law
2	Al-An'am 6:1	At-Tawbah 9:1	The consequences of denyingMuhammadfor thepolytheistsofMecca
3	Yunus 10:1	An-Nur 24:1	Glad tidings of Muhammad's domination
4	Al-Furqan 25:1	Al-Aḥzāb 33:1	Arguments on the prophethood of Muhammad and the requirements of faith in him
5	Saba 34:1	Al-Hujurat 49:1	Arguments onmonotheismand the requirements offaithin Allah
6	Qaf 50:1	At-Tahrim 66:1	The requirement to have faith in Allah (God)God in Islamand theafterlifeand that to Allah (God) is the final return
7	Al-Mulk 67:1	An-Nas 114:1	Admonition to theQurayshabout their fate in the Herein and the Hereafter if they deny Muhammad

Exegesis

3 Verse of Ikmal al-Din

"Today the disbelievers have given up all hope of ˹undermining˺ your faith. So do not fear them; fear Me! Today I have perfected your faith for you, completed My favour upon you, and chosen Islam as your way..."
— 5:3

This verse was revealed at Arafat according to the hadith:

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:Once a Jew said to me, "O the chief of believers! There is a verse in your Holy Book Which is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed as a day of celebration." 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asked, "Which is that verse?" The Jew replied, "This day I have perfected your religion For you, completed My favor upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as your religion." 'Umar replied, "No doubt, we know when and where this verse was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet (ﷺ) was standing at 'Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj)"
— Sahih al-Bukhari45

27–31 Cain and Abel

The story appears in the Quran 5:27–31:^[7]

Cain burying Abel (c. 1570–1580CE)

5:27 Relate to them in truth ˹O Prophet˺ the story ofAdam’s two sons—how each offered a sacrifice: Abel’s offering was accepted while Cain’s was not. So Cain threatened, “I will kill you!” His brother replied, “Allah only accepts ˹the offering˺ of the sincerely devout.
5:28 If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you, because I fear Allah—the Lord of all worlds.
5:29 I want to let you bear your sin against me along with your other sins, then you will be one of those destined to the Fire. And that is the reward of the wrongdoers.”
5:30 Yet Cain convinced himself to kill his brother, so he killed him—becoming a loser.
5:31 Then Allah sent a crow digging ˹a grave˺ in the ground ˹for a dead crow˺, in order to show him how to bury the corpse of his brother. He cried, “Alas! Have I ˹even˺ failed to be like this crow and bury the corpse of my brother?” So he became regretful.

— Quran5:27–31

33 Hirabah verse

This verse fromQur'anic chapteral-ma'idah(5:33) is known as theHirabahverse (ayat al-hiraba),^[8]It specifies punishment for "those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive to spread disorder in the land":^[9]The verbal noun form (i.e.ḥirabah) is frequently used in classical and modern books of Islamic jurisprudence, but neither the word ḥirabah nor the root verb ḥaraba occurs in the Quran.^[10](Yuḥāribūnais the form used in Quran5:33–34.)

According to early Islamic sources, the verse was revealed after some members of the Urayna tribe feigned conversion to Islam in order to steal Muslims' possessions and killed a young shepherd sent to teach them about the faith. In view of the broad and strong language of the verse, however, various state representatives beginning with the Umayyads have asserted that it applied to rebels in general.^[11]

The original meanings of thetriliteral rootḥrbare to despoil someones wealth or property, and also fighting or committing sinful act. TheQuran"refers to both meanings" in2:279and5:33–34.^[12]

51 Do not take Jews and Christians as allies

O believers! Take neither Jews nor Christians as guardians—they are guardians of each other. Whoever does so will be counted as one of them. Surely Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.^[13]

Some Muslim hard liners have used verses such as this one to denounce close relationships with non-Muslims^{[citation needed]}and forbidding non-Muslims from becoming leaders in Muslim countries.^[14]However, other Muslim scholars such asShafi Usmanisee this as forbidding only "indiscriminating intimacy" which might confuse the "distinctive hallmarks of Islam", while all other equitable relations as being allowed.^[15]Ghamidiin the context of hisItmam al-Hujjahinterpretation of Islam, restricts the subjects of this verse to only the Jews and Christians of the Muslim Prophet's time.^[16]Others argue that only belligerent non-Muslims are being referenced here.^[17] Verse 51 is preserved in theṢan‘ā’1 lower text.^[18]

Verse 54

O believers! Whoever among you abandons their faith, Allah will replace them with others who love Him and are loved by Him. They will be humble with the believers but firm towards the disbelievers, struggling in the Way of Allah; fearing no blame from anyone. This is the favour of Allah. He grants it to whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.^[19]

Some hadith view the 'beloved' in verse 54 asAbu Musa al-Ash'ari.^[20]Verse 54 is preserved in theṢan‘ā’1 lower text.^[18]

Shia' view

On theShiainterpretation of this verse, God used the singular form "waliyyukum" implying the "wilayah" (Guardianship of the believers) is a single project. In other words, the "wilayah" of the messenger and that of theAlisprings from the ofGod'swilayah. The word "wali" in the context of this verse cannot mean "friend" because there is not a single verse in the Quran whereGodsays that any one of his messengers is a friend or helper of their followers. Further if the verse implied "wilayah" in the sense of friend or helper, then the singular form "waliyyukum" would not have been used but the plural form "awliya'ukum" would be appropriate because the "friendship" ofGodis unique.^{[citation needed]}

Verses 72 and 73

The Quran: An Encyclopediasays, "The Quran’s objection to Christian practice is Christianity’sshirk,its worship of Jesus, Mary and the saints ‘in derogation of Allah’. There is no justification in believing in the Trinity, for Jesus never would have condoned such a concept ".^[21]

Those who say, “Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary,” have certainly fallen into disbelief. The Messiah ˹himself˺ said, “O Children of Israel! Worship Allah—my Lord and your Lord.” Whoever associates others with Allah ˹in worship˺ will surely be forbidden Paradise by Allah. Their home will be the Fire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers.
Those who say, “Allah is one in a Trinity,” have certainly fallen into disbelief. There is only One God. If they do not stop saying this, those who disbelieve among them will be afflicted with a painful punishment.
— Quran5:72–73^{-The Clear Quran}

Verse 82

in Verse 82 it says, "Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers the Jews and those who commit Shirk, and you will find the nearest in love to the believers those who say:" We are Christians. "

Verse 90

In Verse 90 it says, "O believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan’s handiwork. So shun them so you may be successful." This is a clear ruling in the Quran for Muslims to avoid alcohol and gambling.^[22]

References

^Quran5,Dr.Mustafa Khattab,theClear Quran
^Abramowitz, Rabbi Jack."Sanhedrin 4:4–5".
^"The Origins of the Precept 'Whoever Saves a Life Saves the World'".Mosaic.
^Wherry, Elwood Morris(1896).A Complete Index to Sale's Text, Preliminary Discourse, and Notes.London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
^Hamiduddin Farahi, translated by Tariq Mahmood Hashmi(2008).Exordium to coherence in the Quran: an English translation of Fātiḥah Niẓām al-Qurʼān(1st ed.). Lahore: al-Mawrid.ISBN 978-9698799571.
^Esposito, John,ed. (2003),"Islahi, Amin Ahsan",The Oxford Dictionary of Islam,Oxford University Press,ISBN 0-19-512558-4
^Abel."Abel – Ontology of Quranic Concepts from the Quranic Arabic Corpus".Corpus.quran.Retrieved2015-12-17.
^El Fadl, Khaled Abou (2006). "Rebellion". In Jane Dammen McAuliffe (ed.).Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān.Vol. 4. Brill. p. 364.Q 5:33 [...] The verse (known as āyat al-hirāba)
^Javed Ahmad Ghamidi,Mizan,The Penal Law of Islam,Al-Mawrid Archived2007-01-27 at theWayback Machine
^Amin, ElSayed (2014).Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur'anic Critique of Terrorism.Kube Publishing. p. 133.ISBN 9780860375982.Retrieved9 November2015.Neither the word hirabah nor thetriliteral rootverb haraba occurs in the Quran, although the verbal noun form (i.e. hirabah) is frequently used in classical and modern books of Islamic jurisprudence.
^El Fadl, Khaled Abou (2006). "Rebellion". In Jane Dammen McAuliffe (ed.).Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān.Vol. 4. Brill. p. 364.
^Amin, ElSayed (2014).Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur'anic Critique of Terrorism.Kube Publishing. pp. 132–3.ISBN 9780860375982.Retrieved9 November2015.
^Quran5:51
^McBeth, John (8 November 2016)."Blasphemy probe rocks Indonesia's secular foundations".The National.Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2017.Retrieved18 November2016.
^Shafi, Muhammad.Ma'ariful Qur'an.p. 187.Muslims can deal with non-Muslims in the spirit of tolerance, sympathy, goodwill, equity, justice, favour and kindness, almost every-thing within that line of conduct. In fact, they should do that for they have been taught to do that. But, what is not permitted is the kind of fast friendship and indiscriminating intimacy which may garble the distinctive hallmarks of Islam. This is the issue known as the'Tark al-Muwālāt'to refrain from deep (friendship) in Islamic terminology.
^Ghamidi, Javed Ahmed.Al-Bayan.
^"Surah 5:51, 3:28, 4:144 Explained".Discover The Truth.2017-01-23.Retrieved2020-06-05.
^^a ^bBehnam Sadeghi & Mohsen Goudarzi, "Sana'a and the Origins of the Qu'ran",Der Islam,87(2012), 37.
^Quran5:54
^"Ahadith In Praise Of The Ash'Aris".Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2013.RetrievedMay 27,2023.
^Leaman, Oliver, ed. (2006).The Qur'an: an Encyclopedia(PDF).Taylor & Francis. pp. 144–145.ISBN 0-415-32639-7.Retrieved22 November2014.
^Tafsir Ibn Kathir5:90

External links

Media related toAl-Ma'idaat Wikimedia Commons
Quran 5atClear Quran translation
Q5:90,Read Surah Al Maidah Islampak

[1] Quran5,Dr.Mustafa Khattab,theClear Quran

[2] Abramowitz, Rabbi Jack."Sanhedrin 4:4–5".

[3] "The Origins of the Precept 'Whoever Saves a Life Saves the World'".Mosaic.

[4] Wherry, Elwood Morris(1896).A Complete Index to Sale's Text, Preliminary Discourse, and Notes.London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.

[farrahi-5] Hamiduddin Farahi, translated by Tariq Mahmood Hashmi(2008).Exordium to coherence in the Quran: an English translation of Fātiḥah Niẓām al-Qurʼān(1st ed.). Lahore: al-Mawrid.ISBN 978-9698799571.

[6] Esposito, John,ed. (2003),"Islahi, Amin Ahsan",The Oxford Dictionary of Islam,Oxford University Press,ISBN 0-19-512558-4

[7] Abel."Abel – Ontology of Quranic Concepts from the Quranic Arabic Corpus".Corpus.quran.Retrieved2015-12-17.

[8] El Fadl, Khaled Abou (2006). "Rebellion". In Jane Dammen McAuliffe (ed.).Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān.Vol. 4. Brill. p. 364.Q 5:33 [...] The verse (known as āyat al-hirāba)

[jav-9] Javed Ahmad Ghamidi,Mizan,The Penal Law of Islam,Al-Mawrid Archived2007-01-27 at theWayback Machine

[Amin-133-10] Amin, ElSayed (2014).Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur'anic Critique of Terrorism.Kube Publishing. p. 133.ISBN 9780860375982.Retrieved9 November2015.Neither the word hirabah nor thetriliteral rootverb haraba occurs in the Quran, although the verbal noun form (i.e. hirabah) is frequently used in classical and modern books of Islamic jurisprudence.

[11] El Fadl, Khaled Abou (2006). "Rebellion". In Jane Dammen McAuliffe (ed.).Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān.Vol. 4. Brill. p. 364.

[Amin-132-12] Amin, ElSayed (2014).Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur'anic Critique of Terrorism.Kube Publishing. pp. 132–3.ISBN 9780860375982.Retrieved9 November2015.

[13] Quran5:51

[14] McBeth, John (8 November 2016)."Blasphemy probe rocks Indonesia's secular foundations".The National.Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2017.Retrieved18 November2016.

[15] Shafi, Muhammad.Ma'ariful Qur'an.p. 187.Muslims can deal with non-Muslims in the spirit of tolerance, sympathy, goodwill, equity, justice, favour and kindness, almost every-thing within that line of conduct. In fact, they should do that for they have been taught to do that. But, what is not permitted is the kind of fast friendship and indiscriminating intimacy which may garble the distinctive hallmarks of Islam. This is the issue known as the'Tark al-Muwālāt'to refrain from deep (friendship) in Islamic terminology.

[16] Ghamidi, Javed Ahmed.Al-Bayan.

[17] "Surah 5:51, 3:28, 4:144 Explained".Discover The Truth.2017-01-23.Retrieved2020-06-05.

[auto-18] Behnam Sadeghi & Mohsen Goudarzi, "Sana'a and the Origins of the Qu'ran",Der Islam,87(2012), 37.

[19] Quran5:54

[20] "Ahadith In Praise Of The Ash'Aris".Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2013.RetrievedMay 27,2023.

[IslamEncyclopedia-21] Leaman, Oliver, ed. (2006).The Qur'an: an Encyclopedia(PDF).Taylor & Francis. pp. 144–145.ISBN 0-415-32639-7.Retrieved22 November2014.

[22] Tafsir Ibn Kathir5:90

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