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Ayah
Word by Word
وَمَا
And what
لَكُمۡ
for you
أَلَّا
that not
تَأۡكُلُواْ
you eat
مِمَّا
of what
ذُكِرَ
has been mentioned
ٱسۡمُ
(the) name
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
عَلَيۡهِ
on it
وَقَدۡ
when indeed
فَصَّلَ
He (has) explained in detail
لَكُم
to you
مَّا
what
حَرَّمَ
He (has) forbidden
عَلَيۡكُمۡ
to you
إِلَّا
except
مَا
what
ٱضۡطُرِرۡتُمۡ
you are compelled
إِلَيۡهِۗ
to it
وَإِنَّ
And indeed
كَثِيرٗا
many
لَّيُضِلُّونَ
surely lead astray
بِأَهۡوَآئِهِم
by their (vain) desires
بِغَيۡرِ
without
عِلۡمٍۚ
knowledge
إِنَّ
Indeed
رَبَّكَ
your Lord
هُوَ
He
أَعۡلَمُ
(is) most knowing
بِٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ
of the transgressors
وَمَا
And what
لَكُمۡ
for you
أَلَّا
that not
تَأۡكُلُواْ
you eat
مِمَّا
of what
ذُكِرَ
has been mentioned
ٱسۡمُ
(the) name
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
عَلَيۡهِ
on it
وَقَدۡ
when indeed
فَصَّلَ
He (has) explained in detail
لَكُم
to you
مَّا
what
حَرَّمَ
He (has) forbidden
عَلَيۡكُمۡ
to you
إِلَّا
except
مَا
what
ٱضۡطُرِرۡتُمۡ
you are compelled
إِلَيۡهِۗ
to it
وَإِنَّ
And indeed
كَثِيرٗا
many
لَّيُضِلُّونَ
surely lead astray
بِأَهۡوَآئِهِم
by their (vain) desires
بِغَيۡرِ
without
عِلۡمٍۚ
knowledge
إِنَّ
Indeed
رَبَّكَ
your Lord
هُوَ
He
أَعۡلَمُ
(is) most knowing
بِٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ
of the transgressors
Translation
Why should ye not eat of (meats) on which Allah's name hath been pronounced, when He hath explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you - except under compulsion of necessity? But many do mislead (men) by their appetites unchecked by knowledge. Thy Lord knoweth best those who transgress.
Tafsir
What is wrong with you, that you do not eat from that over which God's Name has been invoked, of sacrifices, when He has detailed (for both verbs, read the passive [fussila, 'it has been detailed', and hurrima, '[that which] has been forbidden'] or the active [fassala, 'He has detailed', and harrama, '[what] He has forbidden']) for you what He has forbidden, in the verse: Forbidden to you is carrion . [Q. 5:3], except that to which you are compelled?, thereof, which is also lawful for you. The meaning is: there is nothing to prevent you from eating what has been mentioned, for He has explained to you what is forbidden for consumption, and that [over which God's Name has been invoked] is not among these [forbidden things]. But truly many are led astray (read la-yadilloona, '[many] are led astray', or la-yudilloona, '[many] lead [others] astray'), by their whims, by what their own selves fancy, in the way of permitting [the consumption of] carrion and otherwise, without any knowledge, with which to support their claims. Truly your Lord knows the transgressors, those who overstep [the bounds] of what is lawful into what is unlawful.
Allowing What was Slaughtered in the Name of Allah
Allah says;
فَكُلُواۡ مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسۡمُ اللّهِ عَلَيۡهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ بِأيَاتِهِ مُوۡمِنِينَ
So eat of that on which Allah's Name has been mentioned, if you are believers in His Ayat.
This is a statement of permission from Allah, for His servants, allowing them to eat the slaughtered animals wherein His Name was mentioned when slaughtering them. It is understood from it that He has not allowed that over which Allah's Name was not mentioned when slaughtering. This was the practice of the pagans of Quraysh who used to eat dead animals and eat what was slaughtered for the idols.
Allah next encourages eating from the meat of sacrificed animals on which His Name was mentioned upon slaughtering
وَمَا لَكُمۡ أَلاَّ تَأۡكُلُواۡ مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسۡمُ اللّهِ عَلَيۡهِ وَقَدۡ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ
And why should you not eat of that on which Allah's Name has been mentioned, while He has explained to you what is forbidden to you...
meaning, He has explained and made clear to you what He has prohibited for you in detail,
إِلاَّ مَا اضۡطُرِرۡتُمۡ إِلَيۡهِ
except under compulsion of necessity.
In which case, you are allowed to eat whatever you can find.
Allah next mentions the ignorance of the idolators in their misguided ideas, such as eating dead animals and what was sacrificed while other than Allah's Name was mentioned when slaughtering them.
Allah said,
وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَّيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهۡوَايِهِم بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمٍ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِالۡمُعۡتَدِينَ
And surely, many do lead astray by their own desires through lack of knowledge. Certainly your Lord knows best the transgressors.
He has complete knowledge of their transgression, lies and inventions
Allah says;
وَذَرُواۡ ظَاهِرَ الاِثۡمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ
Leave evil, open and secret...
Mujahid said that,
it refers to all kinds of sins committed in public and secret.
Qatadah said that,
وَذَرُواۡ ظَاهِرَ الاِثۡمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ
(Leave sin, open and secret...),
encompasses sins committed in public and secret, whether few or many.
In another statement, Allah said,
قُلۡ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الۡفَوَحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ
Say:(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (evil sins) whether committed openly or secretly. (7:33)
This is why Allah said,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكۡسِبُونَ الاِثۡمَ سَيُجۡزَوۡنَ بِمَا كَانُواۡ يَقۡتَرِفُونَ
Verily, those who commit sin will get due recompense for that which they used to commit.
Whether the sins they committed were public or secret, Allah will compensate them for these sins.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that An-Nawwas bin Sam`an said,
I asked Allah's Messenger about Al-Ithm.
He said,
الاِۡثمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدۡرِكَ وَكَرِهۡتَ أَنۡ يَطَّلِعَ النَّاسُ عَلَيۡه
The sin is that which you find in your heart and you dislike that people become aware of it.
The Prohibition of what was Slaughtered in other than Allah's Name
Allah says;
وَلَا تَأۡكُلُواۡ مِمَّا لَمۡ يُذۡكَرِ اسۡمُ اللّهِ عَلَيۡهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسۡقٌ
Eat not of that on which Allah's Name has not been pronounced, for surely it is disobedience.
This Ayah is used to prove that slaughtered animals are not lawful when Allah's Name is not mentioned over them -- even if slaughtered by a Muslim.
The Ayah about hunting game,
فَكُلُواۡ مِمَّا أَمۡسَكۡنَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَاذۡكُرُواۡ اسۡمَ اللّهِ عَلَيۡهِ
(So eat of what they (trained hunting dogs or birds of prey) catch for you, but pronounce the Name of Allah over it), (5:4) supports this.
The Ayah here emphasized this ruling, when Allah said,
وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسۡقٌ
(for surely it is disobedience). They say that
it refers to eating it, and others say that it refers to the sacrifice for other than Allah.
There are various Hadiths that order mentioning Allah's Name when slaughtering and hunting.
The Hadith narrated by Adi bin Hatim and Abu Thalabah (that the Prophet said);
إِذَا أَرۡسَلۡتَ كَلۡبَكَ الۡمُعَلَّمَ وَذَكۡرتَ اسۡمَ اللهِ عَلَيۡهِ فَكُلۡ مَا أَمۡسَكَ عَلَيۡك
When you send your trained hunting dog and mention Allah's Name on releasing it, then eat from whatever it catches for you.
This Hadith was collected in the Two Sahihs.
The Rafi bin Khadij narrated that the Prophet said;
مَا أَنۡهَرَ الدَّمَ وَذُكِرَ اسۡمُ اللهِ عَلَيۡهِ فَكُلُوه
You can use what would make blood flow (i.e., slaughter) and you can eat what is slaughtered and the Name of Allah is mentioned at the time of slaughtering.
This Hadith was also collected in the Two Sahihs.
Ibn Mas`ud narrated that Allah's Messenger said to the Jinns.
لَكُمۡ كُلُّ عَظۡمٍ ذُكِرَ اسۡمُ اللهِ عَلَيۡه
(For food) you have every bone on which Allah's Name was mentioned on slaughtering.
Muslim collected this Hadith.
Jundub bin Sufyan Al-Bajali said that the Messenger of Allah said,
مَنۡ ذَبَحَ قَبۡلَ أَنۡ يُصَلِّيَ فَلۡيَذۡبَحۡ مَكَانَهَا أُخۡرَى وَمَنۡ لَمۡ يَكُنۡ ذَبَحَ حَتَّى صَلَّيۡنَا فَلۡيَذۡبَحۡ بِاسۡمِ الله
Whoever slaughtered before he prayed (the `Id prayer), let him slaughter another sacrifice in its place. Whoever did not offer the sacrifice before we finished the prayer, let him slaughter and mention Allah's Name.
The Two Sahihs recorded this Hadith.
The Devil's Inspiration
Allah said,
وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَى أَوۡلِيَأيِهِمۡ لِيُجَادِلُوكُمۡ
And certainly, the Shayatin do inspire their friends to dispute with you,
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Ishaq said that;
a man said to Ibn Umar that Al-Mukhtar claimed that he received revelation.
So Ibn Umar said, He has said the truth, and recited this Ayah,
وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَى أَوۡلِيَأيِهِمۡ
(And certainly, the Shayatin do inspire their friends...).
Abu Zamil said,
I was sitting next to Ibn Abbas at a time when Al-Mukhtar bin Abi Ubayd was performing Hajj. So a man came to Ibn Abbas and said, `O Ibn `Abbas! Abu Ishaq (Al-Mukhtar) claimed that he received revelation this night.'
Ibn Abbas said, He has said the truth.'
I was upset and said, `Ibn Abbas says that Al-Mukhtar has said the truth.'
Ibn Abbas replied, `There are two types of revelation, one from Allah and one from the devil. Allah's revelation came to Muhammad, while the Shaytan's revelation comes to his friends.'
He then recited,
وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَى أَوۡلِيَأيِهِمۡ
(And certainly, the Shayatin do inspire their friends...).
We also mentioned Ikrimah's commentary on the Ayah,
يُوحِي بَعۡضُهُمۡ إِلَى بَعۡضٍ زُخۡرُفَ الۡقَوۡلِ غُرُورًا
(Inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion). (6:112)
Allah said next,
لِيُجَادِلُوكُمۡ
(to dispute with you),
Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Abbas commented;
وَلَا تَأۡكُلُواۡ مِمَّا لَمۡ يُذۡكَرِ اسۡمُ اللّهِ عَلَيۡهِ
(Eat not of that on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned...) until,
لِيُجَادِلُوكُمۡ
(...to dispute with you),
The devils inspire their loyal supporters, `Do you eat from what you kill but not from what Allah causes to die'
As-Suddi said;
Some idolators said to the Muslims, `You claim that you seek Allah's pleasure. Yet, you do not eat what Allah causes to die, but you eat what you slaughter.'
Allah said,
وَإِنۡ أَطَعۡتُمُوهُمۡ
(and if you obey them...), and eat dead animals,
إِنَّكُمۡ لَمُشۡرِكُونَ
then you would indeed be polytheists.
Similar was said by Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and several others among scholars of the Salaf.
Giving Preference to Anyone's Saying Over the Legislation of Allah is Shirk
Allah's statement,
وَإِنۡ أَطَعۡتُمُوهُمۡ إِنَّكُمۡ لَمُشۡرِكُونَ
and if you obey them, then you would indeed be polytheists.
means, when you turn away from Allah's command and Legislation to the saying of anyone else, preferring other than what Allah has said, then this constitutes Shirk.
Allah said in another Ayah,
اتَّخَذُواۡ أَحۡبَـرَهُمۡ وَرُهۡبَـنَهُمۡ أَرۡبَاباً مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ
They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah. (9:31)
In explanation of this Ayah, At-Tirmidhi recorded that;
Adi bin Hatim said, O Allah's Messenger! They did not worship them.
The Prophet said,
بَلَى إِنَّهُمۡ أَحَلُّوا لَهُمُ الۡحَرَامَ وَحَرَّمُوا عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡحَلَلَ فَاتَّبعُوهُمۡ فَذَلِكَ عِبَادَتُهُمۡ إِيَّاهُم
Yes they did. They (monks and rabbis) allowed the impermissible for them and they prohibited the lawful for them, and they followed them in that. That was their worship of them.
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