Surah Al-Baqarah — Verse 172

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, consume the good things that Allah has provided and allowed for you; and be thankful to Allah, outwardly and inwardly, for the overwhelming blessings He has given you. Part of being thankful to Him is acting with complete devotion to Him and not going against Him, if you truly worship Him alone, and do not worship anything besides Him.

O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allah ـ Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allah, if it is indeed He Whom you worship (172)He has forbidden you only the Maitah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for other than Allah. But if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (173)

Allah commands His believing servants to eat from the pure things that He has created for them and to thank Him for it, if they are truly His servants. Eating from pure sources is a cause for the acceptance of supplications and acts of worship, just as eating from impure sources prevents the acceptance of supplications and acts of worship, as mentioned in a Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad, that Abu Hurayrah said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ اللهَ طَيِّبٌ، لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّـبًا، وَإنَّ اللهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، فَقَالَ:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ

وَقَالَ:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ 

ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ: يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ، وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَملْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَغُذِّيَ بالْحَرَامِ فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذٰلِكَ؟

(O people! Allah is Tayyib (Pure and Good) and only accepts that which is Tayyib. Allah has indeed commanded the believers with what He has commanded the Messengers, for He said: (O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibat and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am well-acquainted with what you do)(23:51), and: (O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with)(2:172) He then mentioned a man, (who is engaged in a long journey, whose hair is untidy and who is covered in dust, he raises his hands to the sky, and says, 'O Lord! O Lord!' Yet, his food is from the unlawful, his drink is from the unlawful, his clothes are from the unlawful, and he was nourished by the unlawful, so how can it (his supplication) be accepted?") It was also recorded by Muslim and At-Tirmidhi

After Allah mentioned how He has blessed His creatures by providing them with provisions, and after commanding them to eat from the pure things that He has provided them, He then stated that He has not prohibited anything for them, except dead animals. Dead animals are those that die before being slaughtered; whether they die by strangling, a violent blow, a headlong fall, the goring of horns or by being partly eaten by a wild animal. Dead animals of the sea are excluded from this ruling, as is explained later, Allah willing, as Allah said:

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُ

(Lawful to you is (the pursuit of) watergame and its use for food)(5:96), and because of the Hadith about the whale recorded in the Sahih. The Musnad, Al-Muwatta' and the Sunan recorded the Prophet ﷺ saying about the sea:

هُوَ الطَّهُورُ مَاؤُهُ والْحِلُّ مَيْتَتُهُ

(Its water is pure and its dead are permissible.)

Ash-Shafi'i, Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Ad-Daraqutni reported that Ibn 'Umar said that the Prophet ﷺ said:

أُحِلَّ لَنَا مَيْتتَانِ وَدَمَانِ، السَّمَكُ وَالْجَرَادُ وَالْكَبِدُ وَالطِّحَالُ

(We have been allowed two dead things and two bloody things: fish and locusts; and liver and spleen).

We will mention this subject again in Surat Al-Ma'idah (chapter 5 in the Qur'an), In sha' Allah (if Allah wills).

Issue: According to Ash-Shafi'i and other scholars, milk and eggs that are inside dead unslaughtered animals are not pure, because they are part of the dead animal. In one narration from him, Malik said that they are pure themselves, but become impure because of their location. Similarly, there is a difference of opinion over the cheeses (made with the milk) of dead animals. The popular view of the scholars is that it is impure, although they mentioned the fact that the Companions ate from the cheeses made by the Magians (fire worshippers). Hence, Al-Qurtubi commented: "Since only a small part of the dead animal is mixed with it, then it is permissible, because a minute amount of impurity does not matter if it is mixed with a large amount of liquid." Ibn Majah reported that Salman said that Allah's Messenger ﷺ was asked about butter, cheese and fur. He said:

الْحَلَالُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ، وَالْحَرَامُ مَا حَرَّمَ اللهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ، وَمَا سَكَتَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ مِمَّا عَفَا عَنْهُ

(The allowed is what Allah has allowed in His Book and the prohibited is what Allah has prohibited in His Book. What He has not mentioned is a part of what He has pardoned.)

Allah has prohibited eating the meat of swine, whether slaughtered or not, and this includes its fat, either because it is implied, or because the term Lahm includes that, or by analogy. Similarly prohibited are offerings to other than Allah, that is what was slaughtered in a name other than His, be it for monuments, idols, divination, or the other practices of the time of Jahiliyyah. Al-Qurtubi mentioned that 'A'ishah was asked about what non-Muslims slaughter for their feasts and then offer some of it as gifts for Muslims. She said, "Do not eat from what has been slaughtered for that day, (or feast) but eat from their vegetables."

Then Allah permitted eating these things when needed for survival or when there are no permissible types of food available. Allah said:

فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ

(But if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits), meaning, without transgression or overstepping the limits,

فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ

(...then there is no sin on him.) meaning, if one eats such items, for,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)

Mujahid said, "If one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing the set limits. For example, if he didn't, then he would have to resort to highway robbery, rising against the rulers, or some other kinds of disobedience to Allah, then the permission applies to him. If one does so transgressing the limits, or continually, or out of disobedience to Allah, then the permission does not apply to him even if he is in dire need." The same was reported from Sa'id bin Jubayr. Sa'id and Muqatil bin Hayyan are reported to have said that without willful disobedience means, "Without believing that it is permissible." It was reported that Ibn 'Abbas commented on the Ayah:

غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ

(...without willful disobedience nor transgressing) saying, "Without willful disobedience means eating the dead animal and not continuing to do so. Qatadah said:

غَيْرَ بَاغٍ

(without willful disobedience) "Without transgressing by eating from the dead animals, that is when the lawful is available."

Issue: When one in dire straits finds both ـ dead animals, and foods belong to other people which he could get without risking the loss of his hands or causing harm, then it is not allowed for him to eat the dead animals. Ibn Majah reported that 'Abbad bin Shurahbil Al-Ghubari said, "One year we suffered from famine. I came to Al-Madinah and entered a garden. I took some grain that I cleaned, and ate, then I left some of it in my garment. The owner of the garden came, roughed me up and took possession of my garment. I then went to Allah's Messenger ﷺ and told him what had happened. He said to the man:

مَا أَطْعَمْتَهُ إِذْ كَانَ جَائِعًا - أَوْ سَاغِبًا - وَلَا عَلَّمْتَهُ إِذْ كَانَ جَاهِلًا

فَأَمَرَهُ فَرَدَّ إِلَيْهِ ثَوْبَهُ، فَأمَرَ لَهُ بِوَسْقٍ مِنْ طَعَامٍ أَوْ نِصْفِ وَسْقٍ.

(You have not fed him when he was hungry - or he said starving - nor have you taught him if he was ignorant.)

The Prophet ﷺ commanded him to return 'Abbad's garment to him, and to offer him a Wasq (around 180 kilograms) - or a half Wasq - of food

This has a sufficiently strong chain of narrators and there are many other witnessing narrations to support it, such as the Hadith that 'Amr bin Shu'ayb narrated from his father that his grandfather said: Allah's Messenger ﷺ was asked about the hanging clusters of dates. He said:

مَنْ أَصَابَ مِنْهُ مِنْ ذِي حَاجَةٍ بِفِيهِ غَيْرَ مُتَّخِذٍ خُبْنَةً، فَلَا شَيْءَ عَلَيْهِ

(There is no harm for whoever takes some of it in his mouth for a necessity without putting it in his garment.)

Muqatil bin Hayyan commented on:

فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(...then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) "For what is eaten out of necessity." Sa'id bin Jubayr said, "Allah is pardoning for what has been eaten of the unlawful, and Merciful' in that He allowed the prohibited during times of necessity." Masruq said, "Whoever is in dire need, but does not eat or drink until he dies, he will enter the Fire." This indicates that eating dead animals for those who are in need of it for survival is not only permissible but required.

Earlier, the aim was to correct the error made by the mushrikin مشرکین when they made unlawful what was good and permissible. Now, in the present Verse (172), the believers are being warned against falling into the same error. As a corollary, they are reminded of Allah's blessings and are taught to be grateful to Him.

Later, in Verse 173 it is said that the prohibited must remain prohibited and should never be treated as lawful, something the mushrikin used to do when they ate carrion or animals slaughtered in a name other than that of Allah. Also implied is the warning that it is an error to declare any animal, other than those specified, as unlawful.

Comments on juristic details follow.

The effects of eating Halal حلال and Haram حرام

Verse 172 forbids eating that which is Karam and along with it, allows eating that which is halal in all gratefulness to Allah. The reason is that the act of eating haram promotes evil instincts, kills the taste of ` ibadah and makes the prayers ineffective. In contrast, eating halal generates inner light, creates a distaste for evil deeds, leads towards high morals, and creates a state in which the heart welcomes ` ibadah and finds the very thought of sin sickening and of course, prayers are answered. Therefore, Allah Almighty has told all his prophets to eat from what is good and do what is righteous:

یأَيُّهَا الرُّ‌سُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًاً

0 Messengers, eat of the good things and do the righteous. (23:51)

This shows that eating and using what is halal حلال plays a vital role in doing what is good and virtuous. Similarly, living by the halal حلال helps the chances of a prayer being answered while living by the haram حرام kills those chances. The Holy Prophet has said that there are many people, tired and distressed, who stretch their hands in prayer before Allah fervently calling '0 Lord, 0 Lord, yet haram حرام is what they eat, haram حرام is what they drink and haram حرام is what they wear, how then, under these conditions, could they hope to have their prayers answered?' (The Sahih, Muslim, and Tirmidhi as quoted by Ibn Kathir)

Human beings should feel thankful and obedient to God while eating food and drinking water. They should express themselves thus, ‘In accordance with God’s commandment, we are eating and drinking what God has provided us with.’ These emotions evoke in a man the feeling of true devotion to his Maker. But this psychological make-up changes in the case of self-styled beliefs. In that case man’s attention is diverted to the supposed properties of the things he consumes. Therefore, the same divine blessing which is meant to produce feelings of thanksgiving, evoke instead feelings of veneration for material objects. Under the influence of such false beliefs, man comes to accord the position of Creator to the created. If something is held unlawful by God, it is not owing to the sacredness of that thing but rather because it is something impure or the divine law has testified to its uncleanness, e.g. carrion, blood, swine or an animal sacrificed in the name of some idol instead of in the name of God. In cases of extreme necessity where a man’s life may be at stake, he may eat food otherwise forbidden, for instance when suffering extreme hunger and when no other food is available, or in illness, or other such circumstances as may compel him to do so. However, it is essential that such forbidden food should not be taken simply for the pleasure of the palate. That is, one must remain within the bare limits of necessity.