Surah al-Ma'idah (The Table) 5 : 5

Explanatory Note

The verse goes on to outline more types of food made permissible for believers, and adds to that what is permissible in marriage.

Again the variety of permissible pleasures are initially described as good: “Today all the good things of life have been made lawful to you.” This emphasises the meaning we have already stressed, explaining that only evil things have been forbidden to Muslims. Within the framework of making good things lawful, we witness a genuine manifestation of Islamic tolerance when it comes to dealing with non-Muslim communities living side by side with Muslims in the land of Islam, or perhaps having a relationship based on a peace treaty or one of simple loyalty.

Islam does not merely extend religious freedom to these communities allowing them to live a life of isolation from the rest of society. It creates a social set-up based on partnership and mutual friendship. Their food is lawful to Muslims and the food of Muslims is also lawful to them, so that visits and hospitality can be exchanged. The whole society will thus enjoy an air of tolerance and friendship. Moreover, chaste, virtuous women from among these communities who had previously received revelations from God are lawful for Muslims to marry. Indeed, these women are mentioned side by side with chaste, virtuous Muslim women. Only the followers of Islam show such a degree of tolerance and friendliness towards other communities. A Christian Catholic may feel very reluctant at marrying a Christian Orthodox or Protestant woman, despite the fact that all these belong to Christianity. Only those who are not strictly religious may enter such a marriage.

This is clear evidence that Islam provides the only system which allows for the establishment of a world community where Muslims do not live in isolation from the followers of other revealed religions and where barriers are not erected between the followers of different religions which exist side by side in Muslim lands. This also applies to social relations.

The same conditions apply to lawful marriages with either virtuous Muslim women or virtuous women of the followers of other Divine religions: “When you give them their dowers, taking them in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor as mistresses.” This means that a dower must be paid for a serious, lawful marriage by which a man provides his wife with a home, security and protection. The money paid must never be used for an illegitimate relationship that makes a woman available to any man as a prostitute or only to one man as a mistress. Both types were known in pre-Islamic Arabia and recognised by Arabian society prior to its purification by Islam.

These rulings are followed by a comment which carries an added emphasis together with a strong warning against their violation: “Anyone who rejects the faith [will find that] all his works will be in vain. In the life to come he shall be among the losers.” All these regulations are related to faith. To implement them as they are is faith, or at least is evidence of faith. A person who abandons them rejects the faith altogether. Hence, all his actions will be to no avail. Indeed, whatever good he may do will be rejected by God. This state of affairs, i.e. the rejection of the actions of one who denies the faith, is described in the Qur’ān in terms of what may happen to an animal which grazes in a poisonous area. Its belly is greatly swollen and it dies. This is a perfect description of what is rejected of man’s actions. It swells, but it comes to nothing. In the life to come, such a person suffers a loss that comes on top of his vain actions.

It is to be noted that this stern warning comes by way of comment on rulings outlining what is permissible and what is forbidden in matters of food and marriage. This is indicative of the fact that all details of this religion of Islam are closely interwoven in one whole. Nothing that is in conflict with its principles and regulations, whether relevant to fundamentals or matters of detail, is at all acceptable.