سُوْرَةُ الْحَجِّ
Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 30
ذَٰلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦ ۗ وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلرِّجْسَ مِنَ ٱلْأَوْثَـٰنِ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ قَوْلَ ٱلزُّورِ ﴿30﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
That (Manâsik- prescribed duties of Hajj is the obligation that mankind owes to Allâh), and whoever honours the sacred things of Allâh, then that is better for him with his Lord. The cattle are lawful to you, except those (that will be) mentioned to you (as exceptions). So shun the abomination (worshipping) of idol, and shun lying speech (false statements) -
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That
وَمَن
waman
and whoever
يُعَظِّمْ
yuʿaẓẓim
honors
حُرُمَـٰتِ
ḥurumāti
(the) sacred rites
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
فَهُوَ
fahuwa
then it
خَيْرٌۭ
khayrun
(is) best
لَّهُۥ
lahu
for him
عِندَ
ʿinda
near
رَبِّهِۦ ۗ
rabbihi
his Lord
وَأُحِلَّتْ
wa-uḥillat
And are made lawful
لَكُمُ
lakumu
to you
ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ
l-anʿāmu
the cattle
إِلَّا
illā
except
مَا
mā
what
يُتْلَىٰ
yut'lā
is recited
عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ
ʿalaykum
to you
فَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟
fa-ij'tanibū
So avoid
ٱلرِّجْسَ
l-rij'sa
the abomination
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْأَوْثَـٰنِ
l-awthāni
the idols
وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟
wa-ij'tanibū
and avoid
قَوْلَ
qawla
(the) word
ٱلزُّورِ
l-zūri
false
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
30. That (is the purpose of the Ka‘bah). And whoever honors the sacred things [44] of Allah, it is better for him with his Lord. And the cattle are made lawful for you, except what has already been made known to you [45]. So avoid the impurity of idols [46], and avoid false speech [47].
[44] By the sanctity of Allah is meant both the things forbidden by Allah and the things worthy of respect, i.e., the symbols of Allah. That is, full consideration must be given to the sanctity and respect of all these things, and the primary purpose of the construction of the Ka'bah was that it should be kept pure and clean from polytheistic acts and the filth of idols. But the Quraysh of Makkah paid absolutely no attention to such impurities, and even imposed restrictions on the entry of those who believed in the oneness of Allah into the House of Allah. In other words, in every way, they insulted the House of Allah and its symbols. Also, at this place, by sanctity is generally meant the rulings related to Hajj, Umrah, the Ka'bah, sacrifice, and Ihram. For example, refraining from fighting and quarreling, hunting in the state of Ihram, and having intercourse, and it is necessary to fully observe such rulings, and this is in their favor and is a great virtue and goodness in the sight of Allah.
[45]
Four Fundamental Forbidden Things:
That is, Allah Almighty has declared all grazing cattle lawful for mankind except for those things which have already been mentioned at several places before, and they are: carrion, whether the animal died in any way; every animal or thing that is dedicated to other than Allah. In this sentence, it is intended to clarify that the animals of the types Bahirah, Wasilah, Sa'ibah, and Ham, which the polytheists of Makkah had declared forbidden, are absolutely not forbidden by Allah.
[46] That is, avoid the filth of shrines and the worship of idols just as a person avoids a heap of filth and even feels disgust at going near it. All animals are the creation and property of Allah. Therefore, they can only be dedicated to Him and for Him at the Ka'bah. An animal slaughtered at any idol, goddess, or shrine is forbidden and impure like carrion. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid such acts.
[47]
Literal Meaning of ﴿زُور﴾:
In ﴿ قول الزور﴾, both words are used in a very broad sense. The meaning of "zur" is not only a lie but every statement that deviates from the truth, and it can have many forms. In contrast to ﴿قول الزور﴾, the Quran uses the words ﴿قولاً سديداً﴾, meaning a statement in which there is no flaw, ambiguity, manipulation, or complexity, and "qawl al-zur" is a statement in which any of these things are present. According to the author of Fiqh al-Lughah, "zur" is such a lie that is presented in an embellished way so that it appears good and correct. In this sense, naming the animals created by Allah after other than Allah and slaughtering them, declaring the lawful as unlawful and the unlawful as lawful without any Shari'ah evidence—all these are forms of "qawl al-zur" and are also fabrications against Allah.
False Testimony is a Major Sin:
One type of "qawl al-zur" is "shahadat al-zur," i.e., such testimony in which manipulation is used, an important event is made to appear unimportant, and an unimportant one is presented as important in such a way that the right of one party is violated and an attempt is made to harm them. And this is such a great sin that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has equated it with shirk. As in this verse, "qawl al-zur" is mentioned alongside shirk. Also, 'Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakrah ؓ narrates from his father that he said: The Prophet ﷺ said, "Shall I not tell you of the greatest sins?" We said, "O Messenger of Allah! Please do tell us." He said, "Associating partners with Allah, disobedience to parents." At that time, he was reclining. He ﷺ sat up and said, "Telling lies, giving false testimony. Beware! Telling lies, giving false testimony." He kept repeating these words until I thought he would not stop. [بخاری۔ کتاب الادب باب حقوق الوالدین من الکبائر]
[44] By the sanctity of Allah is meant both the things forbidden by Allah and the things worthy of respect, i.e., the symbols of Allah. That is, full consideration must be given to the sanctity and respect of all these things, and the primary purpose of the construction of the Ka'bah was that it should be kept pure and clean from polytheistic acts and the filth of idols. But the Quraysh of Makkah paid absolutely no attention to such impurities, and even imposed restrictions on the entry of those who believed in the oneness of Allah into the House of Allah. In other words, in every way, they insulted the House of Allah and its symbols. Also, at this place, by sanctity is generally meant the rulings related to Hajj, Umrah, the Ka'bah, sacrifice, and Ihram. For example, refraining from fighting and quarreling, hunting in the state of Ihram, and having intercourse, and it is necessary to fully observe such rulings, and this is in their favor and is a great virtue and goodness in the sight of Allah.
[45]
Four Fundamental Forbidden Things:
That is, Allah Almighty has declared all grazing cattle lawful for mankind except for those things which have already been mentioned at several places before, and they are: carrion, whether the animal died in any way; every animal or thing that is dedicated to other than Allah. In this sentence, it is intended to clarify that the animals of the types Bahirah, Wasilah, Sa'ibah, and Ham, which the polytheists of Makkah had declared forbidden, are absolutely not forbidden by Allah.
[46] That is, avoid the filth of shrines and the worship of idols just as a person avoids a heap of filth and even feels disgust at going near it. All animals are the creation and property of Allah. Therefore, they can only be dedicated to Him and for Him at the Ka'bah. An animal slaughtered at any idol, goddess, or shrine is forbidden and impure like carrion. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid such acts.
[47]
Literal Meaning of ﴿زُور﴾:
In ﴿ قول الزور﴾, both words are used in a very broad sense. The meaning of "zur" is not only a lie but every statement that deviates from the truth, and it can have many forms. In contrast to ﴿قول الزور﴾, the Quran uses the words ﴿قولاً سديداً﴾, meaning a statement in which there is no flaw, ambiguity, manipulation, or complexity, and "qawl al-zur" is a statement in which any of these things are present. According to the author of Fiqh al-Lughah, "zur" is such a lie that is presented in an embellished way so that it appears good and correct. In this sense, naming the animals created by Allah after other than Allah and slaughtering them, declaring the lawful as unlawful and the unlawful as lawful without any Shari'ah evidence—all these are forms of "qawl al-zur" and are also fabrications against Allah.
False Testimony is a Major Sin:
One type of "qawl al-zur" is "shahadat al-zur," i.e., such testimony in which manipulation is used, an important event is made to appear unimportant, and an unimportant one is presented as important in such a way that the right of one party is violated and an attempt is made to harm them. And this is such a great sin that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has equated it with shirk. As in this verse, "qawl al-zur" is mentioned alongside shirk. Also, 'Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakrah ؓ narrates from his father that he said: The Prophet ﷺ said, "Shall I not tell you of the greatest sins?" We said, "O Messenger of Allah! Please do tell us." He said, "Associating partners with Allah, disobedience to parents." At that time, he was reclining. He ﷺ sat up and said, "Telling lies, giving false testimony. Beware! Telling lies, giving false testimony." He kept repeating these words until I thought he would not stop. [بخاری۔ کتاب الادب باب حقوق الوالدین من الکبائر]
