Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 173

173. 1. In this verse, four prohibited things are mentioned, but it is stated with the word of exclusivity (انما), which may create the impression that only these four things are forbidden, whereas there are many other things that are also forbidden. Therefore, firstly, it should be understood that the exclusivity is in a specific context, that is, in the context of the polytheists’ act of declaring even lawful animals as forbidden. Allah said that those are not forbidden; only these are forbidden. Thus, this exclusivity is relative, meaning that there are other prohibitions as well which are not mentioned here. Secondly, in the hadith, two principles have been stated regarding the permissibility and prohibition of animals, which should be kept in mind as the correct interpretation of the verse. Among beasts, ذوناب (the beast that hunts with its teeth) and among birds, ذومخلب (the one that hunts with its claws) are forbidden. Thirdly, those animals whose prohibition is established from hadith, such as donkey, dog, etc., are also forbidden, which indicates that hadith, like the Noble Quran, is a source of religion and a proof in religion, and religion is complete by accepting both, not by ignoring hadith and relying only on the Quran. By "dead" is meant that lawful animal which dies naturally or due to some accident (the details of which are in Surah Al-Ma'idah) without being slaughtered, or is slaughtered contrary to the prescribed method, for example, strangled, or killed with a stone or wood, or as in the modern mechanical slaughter method where it is killed by a blow. However, in hadith, two dead animals have been declared lawful: one is fish, the other is locust; they are exceptions to this ruling of میتہ. By blood is meant دم مسفوح, that is, the blood that flows and gushes out at the time of slaughter; the blood that remains with the meat is lawful. Here too, two types of blood are lawful according to hadith: liver and spleen. خنزیر means the flesh of swine. The swine is the worst animal in shamelessness; Allah has declared it forbidden. (وما اھل) refers to that animal or anything else upon which a name other than Allah’s is invoked; it refers to those animals that are slaughtered in the name of other than Allah, as the polytheists of Arabia used to slaughter in the names of Lat, Uzza, etc., or in the name of fire as the Magians did. Included in this are also those animals which ignorant Muslims slaughter at graves and shrines out of devotion and love for deceased saints, to seek their pleasure and nearness, or out of fear and hope from them, or bring to the caretakers in the name of the saints’ offerings (as there are boards on the graves of many saints, for example, “Goats for Data Sahib’s offering should be deposited here”). Even if these animals are slaughtered taking Allah’s name at the time of slaughter, they will still be forbidden, because the intention is not the pleasure of Allah but the pleasure of the people of the graves, and the veneration of other than Allah, or fear or hope in other than Allah (fear or hope from other than Allah in a way that transcends natural means), which is shirk. Similarly, any items other than animals that are offered as vows and offerings in the name of other than Allah will also be forbidden, such as taking or buying food to graves and distributing it among the poor and needy around the graves, or distributing sweets and money there, or putting money in the offering box, or sending milk there on the occasion of the annual festival; all these acts are forbidden and unlawful because these are all forms of vows and offerings to other than Allah, and vow, like prayer, fasting, and other acts of worship, is an act of worship, and every kind of worship is exclusively for Allah alone. That is why it is stated in the hadith: (ملعون من ذبح لغیر اللہ) Sahih Al-Jami’ As-Saghir wa Ziyadatuhu Al-Albani, vol. 2, p. 124: Whoever slaughters an animal in the name of other than Allah is accursed. In Tafsir Azizi, quoting Tafsir Nishapuri: اجمع العلماء لوان مسلما ذبح ذبیحۃ یرید بذبحھا التقرب الی غیر اللہ صار مرتدا وذبیحتہ ذبیحۃ مرتد (Tafsir Azizi, p. 611, quoting Ashraf Al-Hawashi): The scholars are unanimous that if a Muslim slaughters an animal with the intention of seeking nearness to other than Allah, he becomes an apostate, and his slaughtered animal is the slaughter of an apostate.