Al-Ma'idah

Al-Ma'idah (Arabic: ٱلْمَائِدَة‎ Al-Māʾidah, "The Table" or "The Table Spread with Food" is the fifth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 120 verses (āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the supposed revelation (Asbāb al-nuzūl), it is a "Medinan surah", which means it is believed to have been revealed in Medina, instead of Mecca.

Sura 5 of the Quran

المائدة Al-Māʼidah The Table Spread with Food
Arabic text English translation
Classification	Medinan
Other names	The Feast
Position	Juzʼ 6 to 7
Hizb no.	11 to 13
No. of Rukus	16
No. of verses	120
No. of Sajdahs	none

The chapter's topics include animals which are forbidden, Jesus' and Moses' missions. Verse 90 prohibits "The intoxicant" (alcohol). Verse 8 Contains the passage: "Do not let the injustice of others lead you into injustice".^[Quran 5:8] Verse 67 is relevant to the Farewell Pilgrimage and Ghadir Khumm.^{[Quran 5:67]}

Verses (Q5:32-33) have been quoted to denounce killing, by using an abbreviated form such as, "If anyone slays a person, it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people". This verse is similar to that of one from the Talmud.^{[Quran 5:32][Quran 5:33]} The use of this abbreviated rephrasing has been criticised as misleading by Andrew Bostom inter alia.[1][2][3]

Exegesis

Q5:3

This verse has a Parenthetical Sentence: "This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.."^[Quran 5:3] This verse was revealed at Arafat as reported in the authentic hadith:

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: Once a Jew said to me, "O the chief of believers! There is a verse in your Holy Book which is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed) as a day of celebration." 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asked, "Which is that verse?" The Jew replied, "This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (5:3) 'Umar replied,"No doubt, we know when and where this verse was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet was standing at 'Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj).

— Bukhari

5:51 do not take Jews and Christians as allies

The Quran, chapter 5 (Al-Ma'ida), verse 51:[4]

O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.
— translated by Sahih International

Some Muslim hard liners have used verses such as this one to denounce close relationships with non-Muslims and forbidding non-Muslims from becoming leaders in Muslim countries.[5] However, other Muslim scholars such as Shafi Usmani see this as forbidding only "indiscriminating intimacy" which might confuse the "distinctive hallmarks of Islam", while all other equitable relations as being allowed.[6] Ghamidi in the context of his Itmam al-Hujjah interpretation of Islam, restricts the subjects of this verse to only the Jews and Christians of the Muslim Prophet's time.[7] Others argue that only belligerent non-Muslims are being referenced here.[8] Verse 51 is preserved in the Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text.[9]

Verse 54

O true believers, whoever of you apostatizeth from his religion, GOD will certainly bring other people to supply his place, whom he will love, and who will love him; who shall be humble towards the believers; but severe to the unbelievers: they shall fight for the religion of GOD, and shall not fear the obloquy of the detractor. This is the bounty of GOD, he bestoweth it on whom he pleaseth: GOD is extensive and wise.[10]

Verse 54 is also interesting in relation to who the "beloved" are; some hadith view it as being Abu Musa al-Ashari.[11]^{[Quran 5:54]} Verse 54 is preserved in the Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text.[12]

Shia' view

On the Shia interpretation of this verse, God used the singular form "waliyyukum" implying the "wilayah" (Guardianship of the believers) is a single project. In other words, the "wilayah" of the messenger and that of the Ali springs from the root of God's wilayah. The word "wali" in the context of this verse cannot mean "friend" because there is not a single verse in the Quran where God says that any one of his messengers is a friend or helper of their followers. Further if the verse implied "wilayah" in the sense of friend or helper, then the singular form "waliyyukum" would not have been used but the plural form "awliya'ukum" would be appropriate because the "friendship" of God is unique.

Tahir ul Qadri writes regarding this verse:[13] A hadith attributed to Ammar bin Yasir reports:

A beggar came up to 'Ali and stood beside him. He was kneeling in prayer. He ('Ali) pulled out his ring and he gave the ring to the beggar. Then 'Ali called on the Prophet and told him the news. At this occasion, this verse was revealed to him: (Surely your (helping) friend is Allah and His Messenger and (along with them) are the believers who establish prayers, pay zakah and bow down (in humility before Allah). Allah's Messenger read out the verse and said: One who has me as his master has 'Ali as his master. O Allah! Be his friend who befriends him ('Ali) and be his enemy who is his enemy.

Sunnis tend to view this with differing views.
Shi'as tend to view this as Sahih.

Verses 72 and 73

The Quran: An Encyclopedia says, "The Quran’s objection to Christian practice is Christianity’s shirk, its worship of Jesus, Mary and the saints ‘in derogation of Allah’. There is no justification in believing in the Trinity, for Jesus never would have condoned such a concept".[14] In Sahih International: "(72) They have certainly disbelieved who say, " Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. (73) They have certainly disbelieved who say, Allah is the third of three. And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment."[15]^{[Quran 5:72–73]}

Verse 90

In Verse 90 it says, "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful." This is a clear ruling in The Quran for Muslims to avoid alcohol and gambling.[16]

See also

• Islamic view of the Trinity
• Shirk (Islam)

References

1. Andrijasevic, Mladen (4 July 2009). "Obama quotes verse 5:32, omits 5:33". American Thinker. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
2. Amuhd (7 July 2015). "Whoever kills a person (unjustly) …it is as though he has killed all mankind.….Quran 5:32". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
3. Zaimov, Stoyan (24 August 2016). "Muslim-Americans Condemn ISIS in Phoenix Billboard, Say Islam Is Religion of Peace, Not Terror". Christian Post. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
4. The Qur'an. Center for Muslim–Jewish Engagement, University of Southern California. 2008. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017.
5. McBeth, John (8 November 2016). "Blasphemy probe rocks Indonesia's secular foundations". The National. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
6. Shafi, Muhammad. Ma'ariful Qur'an. p. 187. Muslims can deal with non-Muslims in the spirit of tolerance, sympathy, goodwill, equity, justice, favour and kindness, almost every-thing within that line of conduct. In fact, they should do that for they have been taught to do that. But, what is not permitted is the kind of fast friendship and indiscriminating intimacy which may garble the distinctive hallmarks of Islam. This is the issue known as the 'Tark al-Muwālāt' to refrain from deep (friendship) in Islamic terminology.
7. Ghamidi, Javed Ahmed. Al-Bayan.
8. "Surah 5:51, 3:28, 4:144 Explained". Discover The Truth. 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
9. Behnam Sadeghi & Mohsen Goudarzi, "Sana'a and the Origins of the Qu'ran", Der Islam, 87 (2012), 37.
10. George Sale translation
11. Ahadith In Praise Of The Ash`Aris
12. Behnam Sadeghi & Mohsen Goudarzi, "Sana'a and the Origins of the Qu'ran", Der Islam, 87 (2012), 37.
13. The Ghadir Declaration, By Dr. Tahir al-Qadiri, Page 48 & 49 Archived 2006-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
14. Leaman, Oliver, ed. (2006). "The Qur'an: an Encyclopedia" (PDF). Routledge. pp. 144–145. ISBN 0-415-32639-7. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
15. Sahih International
16. "Surah Maidah Transliteration". My Islam. April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

External links