Surah al-Mā’idah (سورة المائدة) is the 5th Surah / chapter of the Qur’an. It’s a Medinan surah which indicates that it was revealed after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ migrated to Madinah from Makkah when the plythetists of Makkah made it unbearable for the Muslims to stay there. It was revealed mostly in the later period life of of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Some parts were revealed shortly before the Prophet’s final Hajj and even near the end of his life, making it one of the last surahs revealed.
The Surah primarily addresses legal, ethical, and interfaith matters relevant to a growing Muslim community.
The Arabic word Al-Mā'idah (Arabic: ٱلْمَائدَة, romanized: al-Māʾidah) means 'The Table [Spread with Food]' or simply the "Meal" or "Banquet" . This name is taken from verses 112 to 115, which tell the request of the followers of Prophet 'Isa (Jesus) that Allah send down a meal from the sky as a sign of the truth of his message.
Timings and importance of its revelation
The Surah was revealed when the Muslim community was well established and governing Madinah. It was time then to lay down detailed instructions for the Muslim rulers and ordinary Muslims on how to live a life under the ambit of Islam. Thus the surah focuses on:
- Laws related to halal and haram (permitted/forbidden)
- Justice and leadership
- Interfaith relations, especially with Jews and Christians
- Fulfillment of covenants and moral accountability
We have already published a series of posts on Tafseer / detailed explanation of the Surah. The Surah being one of the longest verses of Qur'an, has thus been divided into four part for better understanding. The tafseer is based on intellectual work of some of the renowned Muslim scholars of their time. Those interested to read the tafseer, may refer to our reference page the link to which is given herein under:
Owing to the importance of subjects discussed in the Surah, we have already published a number of posts in some of the important issues mentioned in the Surah, the links to which are as given herein under:
- Divine Forgiveness - For Whom? (verse 9)
- Slaying an innocent soul is like slaying all mankind (Verse 32)
- Disbelievers are the most unfortunate for their wealth cannot save them from Chastisement of Hell (Verse 36)
- Why Allah did not make all people One Single Community Right from the Beginning (Verse 48)
- Most of the People are indeed Iniquitous (Verse 59)
- Who are those whose eyes overflow with tears (Verse 83)
- Expiation (kaffāra "کفارہ") for Breaking the Oaths (Verse 89)
- Beware Believers! of the handiwork of Satan (Verse 90)
- Believers! Turn wholly away from all abominations, the handiwork of Satan (Verses 90-91)
- Abundance of evil cannot override the good even if scarce (Verse 100)
- Men of understanding! Know that good and bad cannot be equal, though bad often pleases you (Verse 100)
- Believers! Do not be Over-inquisitive and unnecessarily curious (verse 101)
- Believers! Take heed of yourself, if you are rightly guided - the error of he who strays will not harm you (Verse 105)
- Prophetic Supplication by Prophet Eesa (Jesus, son of Mary) as mentioned in Qur'an (Verse 114)
In time, we will keep on adding other issues / commandments and guidelines as Divinely revelaed in the Surah.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our exclusive Reference Page: Selected Verses from Selected Surahs from Qur'an for more slected verses from other Surahs of Qur'an
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
You may also refer to our Reference Pages and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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