Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 3

3. Forbidden to you [11] are carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to any other than Allah [12]. Also forbidden is the animal that dies by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a fall, or by being gored [13], and that which has been partially eaten by a wild animal—unless you are able to slaughter it (while it is still alive) [14]. Also forbidden is that which is sacrificed on altars [15], and also that you seek to divide by arrows of chance [16]—all these are sinful acts. Today, those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion [17], so do not fear them, but fear Me alone. Today I have perfected your religion for you [18], completed My favor upon you [19], and have chosen Islam [20] as your religion. But if anyone is forced by hunger (to eat of these forbidden things), without intending to sin [21], then surely Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[11]
The Reason for Permissibility and Prohibition:

In the law of permissibility and prohibition, the Shariah has not only considered the medical benefits or harms of forbidden things on the human body. If that were the case, then first and foremost, substances like arsenic and other poisons would have been mentioned. Rather, it has mostly been considered how these forbidden things affect human morals and their relation to purity and cleanliness. Moreover, all those things have also been declared forbidden which are made unlawful by the impurity of intention and the filth of belief. Therefore, it is not necessary that the wisdom behind what Allah has forbidden must always be understood by humans.
[12] The forbidden things mentioned in this verse—the first four of them have already been mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 173. Please refer to its footnote.
[13] Since blood is forbidden, therefore, every form of death in which blood cannot flow out of the body is, a fortiori, forbidden. Four such cases are mentioned here. The first case is death by strangulation or throttling; this includes several forms, such as someone being killed by squeezing or twisting the neck, or by a noose, or if the neck gets stuck in the branches of a tree and the animal dies. The second case is death by a blow or injury, which could be caused by a stone or a stick, etc. The third case is death by falling, whether from a mountain or a tree, or by falling into a pit, well, or stream. The fourth case is when horned animals fight with their horns and one of them dies; all such dead animals are forbidden.
[14]
Rulings Regarding Hunting:

Adi bin Hatimؓ says that I asked the Prophetﷺ: "O Messenger of Allahﷺ! If I send my trained dog for hunting, reciting Bismillah, and it holds the prey for me?" The Prophetﷺ said, "You may eat it." I said, "If the dog kills it but does not eat it?" The Prophetﷺ said, "You may eat it." And if there is another dog with your dog and the prey is dead, then do not eat it, because you do not know which dog killed it. Then I asked, "If the prey dies by being struck by something broad?" The Prophetﷺ said, "If it is torn and blood flows out, you may eat it, otherwise not." Also, according to another narration, the Prophetﷺ said, "If the trained dog, after reciting Bismillah, eats from the prey itself, then do not eat it, because the dog hunted it for itself, not for you."
[مسلم۔ کتاب الصید والذبائح۔ باب الصید بالکلاب المعلمۃ]
[15] A place about which it is commonly believed among the public that by offering a sacrifice there or by making a vow, a certain human affliction is removed or a certain benefit is obtained, and people consider it sacred, whether or not there is an idol present there. And if similar benefits are attributed to a tree or a stone, it will also fall under the same ruling. The following hadith explains this fully.

Definition of Shrines and the Ruling on Sacrificing at Them:

Sayyiduna Thabit bin Dhahhak states that in the time of the Prophetﷺ, a man made a vow to sacrifice a camel at a place called Buwana. He then came to the Prophetﷺ and said, "I have vowed to slaughter a camel at the place of Buwana." The Prophetﷺ asked, "Was there any idol from the idols of the pre-Islamic era that was worshipped there?" The people said, "No." Then the Prophetﷺ asked, "Was there any festival (fair, urs) of the polytheists held there?" The people said, "No." Then the Prophetﷺ said to the man, "Fulfill your vow. However, it is not permissible to fulfill a vow in disobedience to Allah, nor in something that is not owned by the son of Adam."
[ابو داؤد کتاب الایمان والنذور۔ باب۔ مایومر بہ من الوفاء عن النذر]
[16] To seek knowledge of the unseen or to determine one's good or bad fortune through divining arrows is mere superstition and falls under belief in Jibt (falsehood). These arrows were usually kept in an idol house or, according to the disbelievers, at some sacred place. Whenever an important task or journey was at hand, they would first seek guidance from these arrows, as is evident from the following hadiths.
1.
The Custom of Divination in Arabia:

Sayyida Aishaؓ, while narrating the incident of migration, says that Suraqa bin Malik bin Ju'sham wanted to pursue the Prophetﷺ. Suraqa himself says that I rode my horse to catch up with them as soon as possible. When I got close to them, my horse stumbled and I fell. I got up and put my hand into my quiver, took out an arrow, and drew a divination to see whether I should harm those people or not. But the result was not what I liked. Nevertheless, I mounted my horse and paid no heed to the divination.
[بخاری باب بنیان الکعبہ۔ باب ھجرۃ النبی واصحابہ الی المدینۃ]
2. Ibn Abbasؓ says that (on the occasion of the conquest of Makkah) when the Prophetﷺ saw pictures inside the Ka'bah, he did not enter until all the pictures were erased at his command. When the Prophetﷺ saw the pictures of Ibrahimؑ and Ismailؑ, and there were arrows in their hands, the Prophetﷺ said, "By Allah, they never drew divination with arrows."
[بخاری۔ کتاب الانبیاء باب قول اللہ تعالیٰ و اتخذ اللہ ابراہیم خلیلا]
[17] That is, now Islam has attained such ascendancy that, despite all their efforts, the disbelievers can no longer block its path, nor can they hope for the dominance of disbelief.
[18]
The Meaning of the Completion of Religion:

By religion is meant all the principles and detailed rulings and guidance of the Shariah, and also the method and example of acting upon these commands as presented by the Messenger of Allahﷺ before all Muslims. This means that after this, Muslims no longer need to import any principle from outside into Islam for any aspect of life, whether social, economic, or political. In this respect, there is no room in Islam for modern Western democracy, socialism, communism, or any other "ism." The same applies to innovations (bid'ah).
[19]
Islam is a Great Blessing:

The greatest blessing of Allah upon mankind, and especially upon Muslims, is that He has granted them such comprehensive guidance and commands, by which the life of this world becomes successful and pleasant, and salvation in the Hereafter is also attained, and there is no need to be dependent on others.
[20] That is, just as all things in the universe submit to Allah's command without question, so too should man, despite having free will, submit to Allah's command and harmonize with the universe, making this the code of life in every aspect. In this sense, from Sayyiduna Adamؑ to the Last Prophet, the religion of all the Prophets has been Islam, and this is what Allah has chosen for the Muslims. This verse was revealed on the Day of Arafah, 9th Dhul-Hijjah, 10 AH, and that day was a Friday, as is clear from the following hadiths.
1.
The Day of the Completion of Religion:

The Jews (Ka'b al-Ahbar) said to Sayyiduna Umarؓ: You recite such a verse that if it had been revealed to us Jews, we would have made it a festival (day of celebration). Sayyiduna Umarؓ said, "I know when and where this verse was revealed and where the Prophet ﷺ was at that time. This verse was revealed on the Day of Arafah, and we were in Arafat at that time." Sufyan (a narrator) said, "I am unsure whether that day was Friday or another day."
[بخاري كتاب التفسير اور بخاري كي دوسري روايات مثلاً كتاب الايمان۔ باب زيادة الايمان و نقصانه اور كتاب الاعتصام بالكتاب والسنة۔ نيز مسلم۔ كتاب التفسير ميں وضاحت هے كه يه جمعه كا دن تها۔]
2. Sayyiduna Jabirؓ states that the Prophetﷺ stayed (in Madinah) for nine years but did not perform Hajj. Then, in the tenth year, it was announced among the people that the Prophetﷺ was going for Hajj. So, many people came to Madinah to accompany the Prophetﷺ.
[مسلم۔ كتاب الحج۔ باب حجة النبي]
[21] The same subject has appeared in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 173. Here the words are ﴿غير متجانف لاثم﴾ and there ﴿غير باغ ولا عاد﴾, and the meaning of both is the same. For details, see the mentioned verse. The previous verse mentioned the forbidden things; this sentence in this verse relates to those same things.