سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 87
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُحَرِّمُوا۟ طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَآ أَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ ﴿87﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O you who believe! Make not unlawful the Tayyibât (all that is good as regards foods, things, deeds, beliefs, persons) which Allâh has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily, Allâh does not like the transgressors.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O you
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
who
ءَامَنُوا۟
āmanū
believe
لَا
lā
(Do) not
تُحَرِّمُوا۟
tuḥarrimū
make unlawful
طَيِّبَـٰتِ
ṭayyibāti
(the) good things
مَآ
mā
(of) what
أَحَلَّ
aḥalla
has (been) made lawful
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
(by) Allah
لَكُمْ
lakum
for you
وَلَا
walā
and (do) not
تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ
taʿtadū
transgress
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
لَا
lā
(does) not
يُحِبُّ
yuḥibbu
love
ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ
l-muʿ'tadīna
the transgressors
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.
87. O you who believe! Why do you make unlawful [131] the pure things which Allah has made lawful for you? And do not transgress. Surely, Allah does not like those who transgress.
[131]
The Group That Declares Lawful Things as Unlawful and Its Forms:
It has already been mentioned that, from the perspective of Shariah, all things are permissible and lawful for humans except those things whose prohibition has been clarified by Shariah. Now, in this verse and the following verse, a few comprehensive principles regarding benefiting from lawful things have been stated, and all of these fall under the scope of "la ta'tadu" (do not transgress), for example:
(1) Do not, out of belief or practice, declare as unlawful those things which Allah has made lawful. For instance, people of a Sufi disposition avoid marriage in practice because the responsibilities that come with marriage, in their view, hinder the worship of Allah. Such people existed among Christians as well as among Muslims, and this tendency even emerged among the Companions. Among the Sufi-inclined Companions, one said, "I will never marry," and another said, "I will spend the entire night in worship of Allah," thereby neglecting the rights of their own bodies, wives, and guests. Another said, "I will always fast during the day." When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ learned of these things, he strongly admonished those Companions and said, "I am the Messenger of Allah and the one who fears Allah the most among you, and I have married. I sleep at night and also stand (in prayer), and I fast (voluntary) and also leave it; this is my way, and whoever turns away from my Sunnah has nothing to do with me." [بخاري۔ كتاب النكاح۔ باب الترغيب فى النكاح]
The second form is to eat less than what the body needs, or much less, or to avoid desirable things. This is also found among the Sufi group, whose belief is that the more the body is weakened and emaciated, the stronger the soul becomes. The concept of monasticism is also completely contrary to the Sunnah of the Prophet. The third form of excess is overeating, as it is said: ﴿وَّكُلُوْا وَاشْرَبُوْا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوْا﴾ [الاعراف :31] and spending more than necessary on oneself is also included in this. It is obvious that a person who is involved in these things will not care for the rights of others. Moreover, overeating not only makes a person heedless of the remembrance of Allah, but also leads to various physical ailments and diseases. The fourth form of transgression is that the thing itself is lawful, but a person makes it unlawful by the way it is acquired, such as wealth obtained through theft, robbery, usurpation, betrayal, interest, and other unlawful means. And this too falls under ﴿لَا تُحَرِّمُوْا طَيِّبٰتِ مَآ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ﴾ [المآئده :87]. And the majority of the Jews were afflicted with these very diseases.
[131]
The Group That Declares Lawful Things as Unlawful and Its Forms:
It has already been mentioned that, from the perspective of Shariah, all things are permissible and lawful for humans except those things whose prohibition has been clarified by Shariah. Now, in this verse and the following verse, a few comprehensive principles regarding benefiting from lawful things have been stated, and all of these fall under the scope of "la ta'tadu" (do not transgress), for example:
(1) Do not, out of belief or practice, declare as unlawful those things which Allah has made lawful. For instance, people of a Sufi disposition avoid marriage in practice because the responsibilities that come with marriage, in their view, hinder the worship of Allah. Such people existed among Christians as well as among Muslims, and this tendency even emerged among the Companions. Among the Sufi-inclined Companions, one said, "I will never marry," and another said, "I will spend the entire night in worship of Allah," thereby neglecting the rights of their own bodies, wives, and guests. Another said, "I will always fast during the day." When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ learned of these things, he strongly admonished those Companions and said, "I am the Messenger of Allah and the one who fears Allah the most among you, and I have married. I sleep at night and also stand (in prayer), and I fast (voluntary) and also leave it; this is my way, and whoever turns away from my Sunnah has nothing to do with me." [بخاري۔ كتاب النكاح۔ باب الترغيب فى النكاح]
The second form is to eat less than what the body needs, or much less, or to avoid desirable things. This is also found among the Sufi group, whose belief is that the more the body is weakened and emaciated, the stronger the soul becomes. The concept of monasticism is also completely contrary to the Sunnah of the Prophet. The third form of excess is overeating, as it is said: ﴿وَّكُلُوْا وَاشْرَبُوْا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوْا﴾ [الاعراف :31] and spending more than necessary on oneself is also included in this. It is obvious that a person who is involved in these things will not care for the rights of others. Moreover, overeating not only makes a person heedless of the remembrance of Allah, but also leads to various physical ailments and diseases. The fourth form of transgression is that the thing itself is lawful, but a person makes it unlawful by the way it is acquired, such as wealth obtained through theft, robbery, usurpation, betrayal, interest, and other unlawful means. And this too falls under ﴿لَا تُحَرِّمُوْا طَيِّبٰتِ مَآ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ﴾ [المآئده :87]. And the majority of the Jews were afflicted with these very diseases.
