Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (242)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(87, 88) “O you who believe, do not forbid the wholesome things Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not love the transgressors. Eat of the lawful and wholesome things Allah has provided for you, and fear Allah, in whom you believe.”

Allah Most High says, “O you who believe, do not forbid the wholesome things Allah has made lawful for you,” including food and drink. These are blessings Allah has bestowed upon you, so praise Him for making them lawful to you and give thanks to Him. Do not reject His blessing by showing ingratitude for it, refusing to accept it, or believing it to be forbidden. Otherwise, you would combine falsely speaking about Allah, showing ingratitude for His blessing, and regarding what is lawful and wholesome as forbidden and foul. This is a form of transgression.

Allah has forbidden transgression, saying, “And do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not love the transgressors.” Rather, He hates and abhors them and punishes them for it.

He then commanded the opposite of what the polytheists practice, for they forbid what Allah has made lawful. He said, “Eat of the lawful and wholesome things Allah has provided for you.” That is, eat from the provision He has brought to you through the means He has made available, provided that it is lawful—not stolen, unlawfully seized, or acquired through any other wrongful means—and also wholesome and free of anything foul. This excludes predatory beasts and other foul things.

“And fear Allah” by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. “In whom you believe”: your faith in Allah requires you to fear Him and observe His rights, for faith cannot be complete without this.

The noble verse also indicates that if a person declares something lawful forbidden to himself—such as food, drink, a concubine, a slave woman, or anything similar—it does not thereby become forbidden. However, if he nevertheless does what he had declared forbidden, he must offer the expiation for an oath, as Allah Most High says, “O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you?” to the end of the verse.

Declaring one’s wife forbidden, however, entails the expiation for zihār. The verse also encompasses the principle that a person should not abstain from wholesome things or declare them forbidden to himself. Rather, he should partake of them and use them to help him obey his Lord.

﴿٨٧، ٨٨﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ * وَكُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلالا طَيِّبًا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي أَنْتُمْ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ . يقول تعالى ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ﴾ من المطاعم والمشارب، فإنها نعم أنعم الله بها عليكم، فاحمدوه إذ أحلها لكم، واشكروه ولا تردوا نعمته بكفرها أو عدم قبولها، أو اعتقاد تحريمها، فتجمعون بذلك بين القول على الله الكذب، وكفر النعمة، واعتقاد الحلال الطيب حراما خبيثا، فإن هذا من الاعتداء. والله قد نهى عن الاعتداء فقال: ﴿وَلا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ﴾ بل يبغضهم ويمقتهم ويعاقبهم على ذلك. ثم أمر بضد ما عليه المشركون، الذين يحرمون ما أحل الله فقال: ﴿وَكُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلالا طَيِّبًا﴾ أي: كلوا من رزقه الذي ساقه إليكم، بما يسره من الأسباب، إذا كان حلالا لا سرقة ولا غصبا ولا غير ذلك من أنواع الأموال التي تؤخذ بغير حق، وكان أيضا طيبا، وهو الذي لا خبث فيه، فخرج بذلك الخبيث من السباع والخبائث. ﴿وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾ في امتثال أوامره، واجتناب نواهيه. ﴿الَّذِي أَنْتُمْ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ فإن إيمانكم بالله يوجب عليكم تقواه ومراعاة حقه، فإنه لا يتم إلا بذلك. ودلت الآية الكريمة على أنه إذا حرم حلالا عليه من طعام وشراب، وسرية وأمة، ونحو ذلك، فإنه لا يكون حراما بتحريمه، لكن لو فعله فعليه كفارة يمين، كما قال تعالى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ﴾ الآية. إلا أن تحريم الزوجة فيه كفارة ظهار، ويدخل في هذه الآية أنه لا ينبغي للإنسان أن يتجنب الطيبات ويحرمها على نفسه، بل يتناولها مستعينا بها على طاعة ربه.