Maeda 87-89

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Maeda 87-89

87- YOU WHO BELIEVE, DO NOT FORBID THE GOOD THINGS ALLAH HAS PERMITTED YOU, AND DO NOT TRANSGRESS, FOR ALLAH DOES NOT LIKE THE TRANSGRESSORS.

88- AND EAT OUT OF WHAT ALLAH PROVIDED FOR YOU, HALAL AND PURE, AND BE PIOUS AND FEAR ALLAH, WHOM YOU BELIEVE IN.

89- ALLAH DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE OATHS YOU DID NOT MEAN IN YOUR SPEECH, BUT HE TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE OATHS YOU MEANT.  IT’S RANSOM IS TO FEED TEN NEEDY PEOPLE, OF THE AVERAGE STANDARD OF WHAT YOU FEED YOUR FAMILY, OR CLOTHING THEM, OR FREEING A SLAVE; THIS IS THE RANSOM OF YOUR OATH IF YOU MAKE AN OATH, AND KEEP TO YOUR OATH, THIS IS HOW ALLAH IS SHOWING HIS AYAHS TO YOU SO THAT YOU MAY GIVE THANKS.

Only Allah the Highest has authority to forbid things.  The rule is that every thing is permitted and Halal, except what Allah the Highest has forbidden.  Therefore prohibition is the authority of Allah the Highest only and no one else has such authority.  Prohibitions of food and drink items, among other things, have to be clearly stated in the Quran and/or Hadith.

Some of Allah’s messenger’s companions were vowing not to eat meat, or not to marry, or not sleep on a bed.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him sent to them and asked them about what they said, and they confirmed that.  He said to them: “But I fast some days and not fast other, pray by night some night, and do not others, and I marry women.  He who does not follow my example he does not belong with me”.  (Bukhari & Muslim)

There are other Hadith narrating other men of Allah’s messenger companions wanting to forbid themselves what Allah the Highest has permitted them, and Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him telling them that they should not forbid what Allah has permitted them.

Allah the Highest did not delegate the authority to make any thing He made for us forbidden to any one.  When Allah the Highest forbids something, this is done in very clear statement, like  “YOU WHO BELIEVE, EAT OUT OF THE GOOD AND PURE THINGS ALLAH PROVIDED FOR YOU, AND THANK ALLAH IF YOU TRULY WORSHIP HIM *  HE HAS FORBIDDEN YOU THE DEAD, BLOOD, THE FLESH OF THE PIG, AND WHAT OTHER THAN THE NAME OF ALLAH HAS BEEN INVOKED ON.  BUT WHOEVER IS COMPELLED WITHOUT BEING WILLFULLY DISOBEDIENT OR TRANSGRESSOR, HE INCURS NO GUILT, FOR ALLAH IS MOST FORGIVING, MOST MERCIFUL” (S:2 A:172-173)

The prohibitions are of eating certain foods, and it concerns the eating.  For example Allah the Highest forbids eating dead animals which died of causes other than being slaughtered.  We should not however wast it’s skin as Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him passed by dead sheep, and said that people should use it’s skin.  The prohibition is in eating the animal, not in using it any other way.  As is the prohibition is in drinking Alcoholic drinks, but we use alcohol in industry and in medicine, for drinking alcohol is what is forbidden.  The drinking of Alcohol is what is forbidden, and any thing to do with preparing and selling Alcoholic drinks.

Allah the Highest created us with the sexual desire, and allowed sexual intercourse within the boundaries of a marital relationship, but has forbidden it outside marital relationship.

If a person makes the mistake of vowing to forbid himself something Allah has permitted, then he should not fulfill his vow.

There are two schools of thought; one considers that he need not ransom his oath for this was not valid in the first place.  Others consider that he or she should ransom their oath, which Allah the Highest is telling us about in Ayah 89.

The oaths which need to be ransomed are those which are meant to be oaths, not the ones that are not meant when said.  The ransom for them is as follows:

1. Feeding ten needy people.  The quality of the food should be of the average one feeds his family.  So if the average meal for his family contains certain amount of meat, rice and vegetables, this is what he should feed every one of the needy people.

Some say that feeding should be one good meal, others opinion is that they should have two meals.

2. Or clothing them. This can be of any items of cloths, according to some scholars, while others see that it should be enough cloth to cover the person to pray.

3. Freeing a slave.  This is freeing a Muslim slave.  This does not apply now.

4. If the person can not afford any of the above, then the person can ransom his/her oath by fasting three day, like we fast in Ramadan.

Some think that they should be three consecutive days, and others consider it means any three days, that do not have to be in succession.  I favour the second opinion as it is not stated otherwise, and it makes things easier for the Muslims.