or in his ﷺ own mosque—according to the differing views of the exegetes on the issue. He then commended the people of that mosque for cleansing themselves of both polytheism and physical impurities, and Allah loves those who are characterized by such purity.

Relevance of the verse to the chapter: The verse draws an analogy between places designated for offering sacrifices to anyone other than Allah and the mosque that was built for disobedience to Him, both being sites where the worship of Allah is prohibited. Just as prayer may not be performed for Allah in that mosque, so too it is impermissible to offer slaughter to Him in a location originally set aside for slaughtering to anyone besides Him, exalted is He.

Lessons derived from the verses:

1. It is forbidden to slaughter for Allah in places prepared for slaughtering to others, by analogy with the prohibition of praying in a mosque founded upon disobedience to Allah.
2. It is recommended to pray with righteous congregations who keep themselves free from impurities.
3. The attribute of love is affirmed for Allah in a manner befitting His majesty, just like His other attributes.
4. The verses encourage perfecting one’s ablution and avoiding all impurities.
5. A person’s intention affects the ruling of a given place.
6. It is legislated to block the means that lead to polytheism.