Maeda 3

Maeda 3

3- YOU HAVE BEEN FORBIDDEN (TO EAT), THE DEAD, BLOOD, PIG’S FLESH, AND WHAT HAD OTHER THAN THE NAME OF ALLAH INVOKED ON, AND THE STRANGLED, AND THE ANIMAL BEATEN TO DEATH, AND THE ANIMAL FALLING FROM A HEIGHT TO ITS DEATH, AND THE HEAD BUTTED TO DEATH, AND WHAT WILD BEASTS OF PRAY HAVE EATEN FROM, EXCEPT THOSE YOU PURIFIED, AND WHAT HAS BEEN SLAUGHTERED ON THE ALTER, AND TO USE DRAWS TO SHARE THINGS OUT, THIS IS WICKEDNESS.  TODAY THE DISBELIEVERS HAVE LOST HOPE IN CHANGING YOU FAITH, SO DO NOT FEAR THEM AND FEAR ME.  TODAY I COMPLETED YOUR RELIGION FOR YOU AND PERFECTED MY BOUNTY UPON YOU AND AM SATISFIED WITH ISLAM AS YOUR RELIGION, BUT WHOEVER IS COMPELLED IN TIMES OF HARDSHIP, NOT INTENDING TO COMMIT SIN, THERE IS NO SIN UPON HIM, FOR ALLAH IS MOST FORGIVING AND COMPASSIONATE.

Allah the Highest mentions the prohibitions regarding animals and they are as follows:

1. “THE DEAD” The dead animals are those who just died by themselves without being killed or slaughtered or being hunted.

2. “BLOOD” This means the running blood, not blood which remains in the flesh or organs which contain more blood like the liver and spleen.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “We are permitted two dead things and two bloods, the two dead are fish and locust, and two bloods are the liver and spleen”.  (A:2;97 & Ma:Syd;9 & D:Atama;34 & Mal: Sefat Al-Nabi;30)

3. “PIG’S FLESH”.  This includes it’s fat and bones etc.

4. “WHAT HAD OTHER THAN THE NAME OF ALLAH INVOKED ON”.  It is clear that if an animal is slaughtered and had other than Allah’s name invoked on it while it is being slaughtered, it should not be eaten.  As for animals slaughtered without having Allah’s name invoked on it, either forgotten or intentional, Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him was asked: “People bring us meat and we do not know if Allah’s name was invoked on it or not?”  He said: “You mention (invoke) Allah’s name on it and eat”.  (Bukhari)

5. “THE STRANGLED” The animal which suffocated either intentionally or accidentally should not be eaten.

6. “THE ANIMAL BEATEN TO DEATH”.  Animals beaten to death by human beings or other animals should not be eaten.  A man called Adi Ibn Hatem said to Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him: “I throw an animal with my Maared (like an arrow without a sharp end) and kill it”.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “If you throw the Maared and it penetrates (the skin of the animal) you may eat it, and if it does not, do not for this is beaten to death”.  (Bukhari)

7. “THE ANIMAL FALLING FROM A HEIGHT TO ITS DEATH”.  Does not matter whether it has fallen from a great or little height. 

8. “AND THE HEAD BUTTED TO DEATH”.  When an animal kills another head  by butting, the dead animal should not be eaten.

9. “WHAT WILD BEASTS OF PRAY HAVE EATEN FROM, EXCEPT THOSE YOU PURIFIED”.          

Animals or birds hunted by wild beasts, we should not eat.

If hunted by our domesticated animals such as trained dogs of hunting.  If the trained do kills it without wounding, it should not be eaten (some scholars say it can be eaten) we should invoke Allah’s name on the hunting animal when we send it to hunt.  If the trained hunting animal wounds the pray and draws blood, and once we have the hunted animal we should invoke Allah’s name on it and slaughter it.

If the hunting animal eats part of the pray before bringing it back, it should not be eaten.

10. 10.“WHAT HAS BEEN SLAUGHTERED ON THE ALTER”.  It is forbidden to eat the animals slaughtered on the alter such as offerings, for they are offerings to other than Allah the Highest.

11. “TO USE DRAWS TO SHARE THINGS OUT, THIS IS WICKEDNESS”.  The Arabs used to draw one out of three to see Allah’s will.  If they are about to do something they want to see if Allah the Highest will be pleased with or not, they will draw on of the three.  One will have “Do” and the other “Do not do” and the third nothing written on it.  They used to call them “Azlam”. They had a drawing in the Kabba of Ibrahim and Ismail peace upon them using the Azlam.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “May Allah fight them, they know that they never shared anything out by the Azlam”. (Bukhari, Ahmed)

Therefore, any kind of lottery is forbidden.  Allah the Highest reaffirmed this prohibition later in this Sorah saying: “YOU WHO BELIEVE, INTOXICANTS, GAMBLING, ALTERS, AND AZLAM ARE BUT WICKEDNESS OF THE WORK OF THE DEVIL, AVOID THEM SO THAT YOU MAY SUCCEED” (S:5 A:90)

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him taught us how to ask Allah the Highest to guide us to the right choice if we can not make up our minds or just seek Allah’s guidance.  This is through a Salah called Istekharah.  Jaber Ibn Abd Allah, Allah’s messenger’s companion said:  “Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him used to teach us the Istekharah as he teaches us a Sorah of the Quran, he said: “If one of you is about to do something, let him pray two Rakaa other than the Fard; then say: “Allah I seek Your choice through your knowledge, and seek the help of Your Ability, and seek Your Great bounty, for you can and I can not, and Your know and I do not know, and You know all that is hidden.  Allah if you know that this (name the matter in question) is good for my faith, life and hereafter, then make it mine and facilitates it and bless it for me; but Allah if you know it to be evil for my faith, life and hereafter, turn me away from it, and turn it away from me, and let what is good come to me from wherever it is, then make me satisfied with it”.  (Ahmed & Termezi)

12. 12.“TODAY THE DISBELIEVERS HAVE LOST HOPE IN CHANGING YOU FAITH, SO DO NOT FEAR THEM AND FEAR ME”.  

Allah the Highest is telling us that the disbelievers, whether of man or Jinn lost hope in turning us away from our faith, which we should hold tight to.  We should not fear them, but fear Allah the Highest.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “The Devil lost hope that the worshippers will worship him in the Arabian Peninsula, but can cause animosity between them”.  (Muslim & Ahmed & Termezi)

We should not fear those who oppose us, but Fear only Allah the Highest who supports us.  

13. 13.“TODAY I COMPLETED YOUR RELIGION FOR YOU AND PERFECTED MY BOUNTY UPON YOU AND AM SATISFIED WITH ISLAM AS YOUR RELIGION”

14. 14.This is Allah’s greatest bounty upon this nation of Islam, is that this religion is complete and perfected by Allah the Highest.  No prohibitions or laws came down after this Ayah.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him die 81 days after this Ayah.  This Ayah was sent down on Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him of the evening of Arafat during Hajj, and it was a Friday.  It was reported that a Jewish man went to Omar Ibn El-Khatab and said: “You read this Ayah in your book, if it was for us the Jew, we would have the day it came down an Eid (Feast)”  Omar said: “Which Ayah?” he said: “TODAY I COMPLETED YOUR RELIGION FOR YOU AND PERFECTED MY BOUNTY UPON YOU AND AM SATISFIED WITH ISLAM AS YOUR RELIGION”.  (Ahmed & Bukhari)

15. 15.BUT WHOEVER IS COMPELLED IN TIMES OF HARDSHIP, NOT INTENDING TO COMMIT SIN, THERE IS NO SIN UPON HIM, FOR ALLAH IS MOST FORGIVING AND  MOST COMPASSIONATE.

Allah the Highest gives us a license that in times of compulsion, when we do not have a choice, we may eat and drink what is forbidden.  Allah the Highest knows the need of the person compelled, and therefore gives him the license and pardons him.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Allah loves for his licenses to be used and He hates for his prohibition to be done”.  (Ibn Haban & Ahmed)

And Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him also said: “Whoever does not accept Allah’s licenses, he will carry as much sin as the mountain or Arafat”.  (Ahmed)

One does not have to be starving or dying before using Allah’s license, but one should not let his health and his family’s health and being deteriorate before using Allah’s License.  The main thing is that one should not be disobeying Allah the Highest in his heart.