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Meccan · Surah 16 of 114

An-Nahl 16:115

The Bee · ayah 115 of 128

إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍۢ وَلَا عَادٍۢ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

Innama harrama AAalaykumualmaytata waddama walahma alkhinzeeri wamaohilla lighayri Allahi bihi famani idturra ghayra baghinwala AAadin fa-inna Allaha ghafoorun raheem

"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful."

Saheeh International translation

Recitation by Mishary Alafasy
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Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"He has forbidden you only these things: carrion, blood, pig’s meat, and animals over which any name other than God’s has been invoked. But if anyone is forced by hunger, not desiring it nor exceeding their immediate need, God is forgiving and merciful."

Pickthall (classic)+

"He hath forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swineflesh and that which hath been immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"He has only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which the name of other than Allah has been invoked. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

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The Command to eat Lawful Provisions and to be Thankful, and an Explanation of what is Unlawful

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)

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Tafsir Saʿdi

English translation, public domain

+
Аллах запретил употреблять в пищу только то, что причиняет людям вред. Он запретил употреблять в пищу мертвечину, к которой относится все, кроме животных, заколотых в соответствии с мусульманским шариатом. Единственными исключениями из этого правила являются трупы рыб и саранчи. Аллах также запретил употреблять в пищу кровь, вытекающую из перерезанных сосудов животного. Этот запрет не распространяется на кровь, которая остается в сосудах или мясе. Также запрещается употреблять в пищу свинину, потому что свинья является грязным и мерзким животным. Под свининой подразумевается мясо свиньи, сало и другие части тела этого животного. Также запрещается употреблять в пищу животных, которые были принесены в жертву идолам или покойникам, поскольку подобное жертвоприношение является языческим. Но если человек вынужден поесть нечто запрещенное, например, если ему угрожает голодная смерть, то ему разрешается утолить голод, не преступая пределы необходимого. Однако этот запрет сохраняет силу, если человек не испытывает острого голода, или имеет возможность утолить голод дозволенными благами, или собирается поесть больше, чем это необходимо для того, чтобы выжить. Таким образом, в этом откровении упоминается о земных щедротах, которые Аллах запретил употреблять в пищу. А затем Всевышний Аллах сказал:

Maʿārif al-Qur'ān

Mufti Shafi Usmani, English

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Commentary

Nature of Prohibitions: The Correct View

The restrictive particle: اَنَّمَا (innama: only) appearing in verse 115 seems to give the impression that things Haram are no more than the four mentioned in the verse. This impression emerges more clearly in another verse: قُل لَّا أَجِدُ فِي مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ مُحَرَّ‌مًا (Say, I do not find, in what has been revealed to me, anything prohibited... - Surah a1-An` am, 6:145). It seems to be suggestive of nothing being Haram other than the things mentioned in the verse while the fact is that according to clarifications of the Qur'an and Sunnah and by the Consensus of the Muslim Ummah, there are many more things rated as Haram. The answer to this difficulty comes through deliberation into the context of these very verses which tells us that the purpose at this place is not to describe Halal and Haram as they are commonly understood. Instead, the purpose is to point out to what the mushrikin of the period of Jahiliyah had done. They had made many things Haram on their own although Allah Ta’ ala had never ordered them about their unlawfulness. It amounts to saying: Out of the things you have (arbitrarily) made out as Haram, only that which is really Haram is being mentioned here. A comprehensive explanation of this verse along with a detailed description of these four prohibitions has appeared in the Commentary of Surah al-Baqarah, Ma` ariful-Qur’ an, Volume I, pages 424-438, under Verses 173-174. Those interested may see it there.

Tafsīr sourced from quran.com's open API. These are classical commentaries; for personal rulings consult a qualified scholar.

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