Surah al-Mā’idah (The Table Spread)

Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah sanctify his soul—said:

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Surah al-Mā’idah is the most comprehensive surah in the Quran concerning the detailed prescriptions of divine law: what is lawful and unlawful, commands and prohibitions. Thus, it is reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“It is the last of the Quran to be revealed, so regard as lawful what it declares lawful and as unlawful what it declares unlawful.”

This is also why it opens with His words:

“Fulfil your contracts.”

Contracts here are covenants. This surah contains declarations of what is lawful, unlawful, and obligatory that are not found elsewhere. Its verses are interconnected, as in His words:

“O you who believe, do not forbid the good things Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not love transgressors.”

It is widely reported in works of Quranic exegesis that this verse was revealed concerning those who wished to