سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 4
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَآ أُحِلَّ لَهُمْ ۖ قُلْ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ ۙ وَمَا عَلَّمْتُم مِّنَ ٱلْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّآ أَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ ﴿4﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) what is lawful for them (as food). Say: "Lawful unto you are At-Tayyibât [all kind of Halâl (lawful-good) foods which Allâh has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. And those beasts and birds of prey which you have trained as hounds, training and teaching them (to catch) in the manner as directed to you by Allâh; so eat of what they catch for you, but pronounce the Name of Allâh over it, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Swift in reckoning."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ
yasalūnaka
They ask you
مَاذَآ
mādhā
what
أُحِلَّ
uḥilla
(is) made lawful
لَهُمْ ۖ
lahum
for them
قُلْ
qul
Say
أُحِلَّ
uḥilla
Are made lawful
لَكُمُ
lakumu
for you
ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ ۙ
l-ṭayibātu
the good things
وَمَا
wamā
and what
عَلَّمْتُم
ʿallamtum
you have taught
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلْجَوَارِحِ
l-jawāriḥi
(your) hunting animals
مُكَلِّبِينَ
mukallibīna
ones who train animals to hunt
تُعَلِّمُونَهُنَّ
tuʿallimūnahunna
you teach them
مِمَّا
mimmā
of what
عَلَّمَكُمُ
ʿallamakumu
has taught you
ٱللَّهُ ۖ
l-lahu
Allah
فَكُلُوا۟
fakulū
So eat
مِمَّآ
mimmā
of what
أَمْسَكْنَ
amsakna
they catch
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
for you
وَٱذْكُرُوا۟
wa-udh'kurū
but mention
ٱسْمَ
is'ma
(the) name
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
عَلَيْهِ ۖ
ʿalayhi
on it
وَٱتَّقُوا۟
wa-ittaqū
and fear
ٱللَّهَ ۚ
l-laha
Allah
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
سَرِيعُ
sarīʿu
is swift
ٱلْحِسَابِ
l-ḥisābi
(in taking) account
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 4) ➊ {يَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ مَا ذَاۤ اُحِلَّ لَهُمْ ……:} The command regarding cattle has been given, then people asked about other things, so Allah Almighty stated a great principle of religion, which is expressed in jurisprudential language as: "The original ruling of everything is permissibility." That is, all pure things for eating and drinking are lawful, so whatever things the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) declared unlawful, it is understood that they are not pure, such as predatory animals with fangs and birds that hunt with their claws, or those which have been declared unlawful by name. All others are lawful. By this rule, the scope of unlawful things became narrow and the scope of lawful things became wide.
➋ {وَ مَا عَلَّمْتُمْ مِّنَ الْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِيْنَ …… :} By hunting animal is meant every beast and bird that is kept and trained for hunting, such as a dog, cheetah, falcon, and hawk, etc., and the sign of it being "trained" is that when it is released on the prey, it catches and holds it for its owner. If it starts eating the prey itself, then eating that prey is not permissible, and this is the meaning of {”مِمَّاۤ اَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ“}. ‘Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about this issue, so he (peace be upon him) said: "When you release your trained dog and mention Allah's name, then whatever prey it catches for you, eat it." I said: "Even if it kills it?" He said: "Even if it kills it, provided that no other dog which is not among them has participated in the killing, because you mentioned Allah's name when releasing your dog, not on another." [ بخاری، الذبائح والصید، باب صید المعراض : ۵۴۷۶۔ مسلم: 1929/1 ]
It is narrated from ‘Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When you release your dog and it catches and holds the prey for you and you find it alive, then slaughter it. And if you find that it has killed it but has not eaten it itself, then you may eat it, because the dog's catching it is itself a slaughter." [ بخاری، الذبائح والصید، باب التسمیۃ علی الصید : ۵۴۷۵۔ مسلم: 1929/6 ]
➌ {وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ :} That is, if any condition for lawfulness is missing, then do not eat it out of desire for hunting, being fearless of Allah.
➋ {وَ مَا عَلَّمْتُمْ مِّنَ الْجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِيْنَ …… :} By hunting animal is meant every beast and bird that is kept and trained for hunting, such as a dog, cheetah, falcon, and hawk, etc., and the sign of it being "trained" is that when it is released on the prey, it catches and holds it for its owner. If it starts eating the prey itself, then eating that prey is not permissible, and this is the meaning of {”مِمَّاۤ اَمْسَكْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ“}. ‘Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about this issue, so he (peace be upon him) said: "When you release your trained dog and mention Allah's name, then whatever prey it catches for you, eat it." I said: "Even if it kills it?" He said: "Even if it kills it, provided that no other dog which is not among them has participated in the killing, because you mentioned Allah's name when releasing your dog, not on another." [ بخاری، الذبائح والصید، باب صید المعراض : ۵۴۷۶۔ مسلم: 1929/1 ]
It is narrated from ‘Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When you release your dog and it catches and holds the prey for you and you find it alive, then slaughter it. And if you find that it has killed it but has not eaten it itself, then you may eat it, because the dog's catching it is itself a slaughter." [ بخاری، الذبائح والصید، باب التسمیۃ علی الصید : ۵۴۷۵۔ مسلم: 1929/6 ]
➌ {وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ :} That is, if any condition for lawfulness is missing, then do not eat it out of desire for hunting, being fearless of Allah.
