Traducción de los significados del Sagrado Corán - La traducción al inglés- Dr. Walid Blihech Al Umari (en proceso)
Al-Mā’idah
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَوۡفُواْ بِٱلۡعُقُودِۚ أُحِلَّتۡ لَكُم بَهِيمَةُ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ إِلَّا مَا يُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡكُمۡ غَيۡرَ مُحِلِّي ٱلصَّيۡدِ وَأَنتُمۡ حُرُمٌۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحۡكُمُ مَا يُرِيدُ
[1090] al-ʿUqūd (lit. contracts) are the pledges that one has with God and other human beings (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Saʿdī). They denote solemn undertakings or engagements involving more than one party. This opening command is a strong reminder to the Believers of their binding obligations and is meant to put them in the right frame of mind to receive the commandments that are to come. Belief is a ‘contract’ between God and the Believers and it has to be honoured.
Alternatively, these first two ayas can also be understood within the context of what is known as ʿumrat al-qaḍā’ (the ʿumrah of recompense) (cf. al-Shinqīṭī, al-ʿAdhb al-Namīr, 1/59), which took place in the sacrosanct month of Dhū al-Qiʿdah on the year that followed the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah (the stipulates of which are probably the ‘obligations’ alluded to in this aya). As per the treaty, the Prophet (ﷺ) along with the Muslims were turned back from performing ʿumrah, only to be given license to perform it the following year. The Prophet (ﷺ) was accompanied on it by a 2,000 strong contingent of lightly armed well-built men, a fact which was pointed out to the Deniers. The call for self-restraint to curb aggression out of ‘resentment’ particularly in a sacrosanct month, not harming those who are also performing the rites, whilst probably not Muslim but nevertheless peaceful, as well as the ‘garlanded’ offerings, a pilgrimage practice that existed before Islam, lead to this reading. Yet it has to be stressed that these two ayas cannot be circumscribed by any historical reference but rather have timeless, general import as is the case with all Qur’anic ayas.
[1091] The Qur’anic term used here is bahīmat al-anʿām. The word baḥīmah refers to creatures which cannot speak and/or cannot be understood, while al-anʿām is a collective denomination for such edible grazing animals as camel, cows, goats and sheep (cf. Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah).
[1092] That is the forbidden food explained in Aya 3 below. (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī)
[1093] Ḥurum, in a state of sanctity, means whether you are donning iḥrām to perform Hajj or ʿumrah, or whether you are within the inviolable precincts, the ḥaram area (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[1094] A Believer’s duty is to listen and obey whatever God’s command is: “It is not for a Believer – man or woman – when Allah and His Messenger decree a matter to have any other choice in the matter. Indeed, whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has clearly gone far astray” (33: 36). The ethos of Sincere Faith, which is lead by the heart, is being evoked here.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُحِلُّواْ شَعَٰٓئِرَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا ٱلشَّهۡرَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ وَلَا ٱلۡهَدۡيَ وَلَا ٱلۡقَلَٰٓئِدَ وَلَآ ءَآمِّينَ ٱلۡبَيۡتَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ يَبۡتَغُونَ فَضۡلٗا مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرِضۡوَٰنٗاۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلۡتُمۡ فَٱصۡطَادُواْۚ وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّكُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ أَن صَدُّوكُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ أَن تَعۡتَدُواْۘ وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَٰنِۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ
[1095] These are some of the obligations of the Believers towards God and man.
[1096] Shaʿā’ir (lit. symbols) is the plural of shaʿīrah, which denotes everything that God made as a sign for His worship. Particularly, they also mean the rites and duties of Hajj (cf. al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt). The command here warns against the violation of God’s laws and any irreverence of Divinely ordained rites, including those of Hajj (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[1097] al-Shahr al-ḥarām is any of the four sacrosanct months (Dhū al-Qiʿdah, Dhū al-Ḥijjah, al-Muḥarram and Rajab, cf. al-Bukhārī: 4662, Muslim: 1679): “Indeed, the number of months ordained by Allah is twelve—in Allah’s Record since the day He created the Heavens and the Earth—of which four are sacrosanct. That is the Right Way. So do not wrong one another during these months” (9: 36). The command here is not to start a fight, nor to transgress and commit sinful deeds during these months (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[1098] al-Hady, lit. sacrificial animals gifted to God. The term is limited to those animals intended for slaughter during Hajj or ʿumrah.
[1099] al-Qalā’id are hady (gifted offerings) which are collared around the neck. Garlands of bark, taken from the trees of the inviolable precinct of Makkah, (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz) were put around the necks of unaccompanied offerings: hence, they were safe to roam and graze freely (cf. Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah).
[1100] Faḍl here means gains from lawful trade. (Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī)
[1101] Cf. note on Aya 3: 92.
