Qur'an 6:119
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-An'am (Qur'an 6) |
| Verse | 119 |
| Juz' | 8 |
| Content Information | |
| Cause of Revelation | Objections of disbelievers regarding slaughtered animals vs. carrion; Muslims abstaining from lawful meat |
| Place of Revelation | Mecca |
| Topic | Theological, Jurisprudential |
| About | Reprimanding those who refrain from eating lawful meat |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 6:118, Qur'an 16:115, Qur'an 2:168, Qur'an 2:173, Qur'an 5:3 |
Qur'an 6:119 admonishes those who refrain from consuming the meat of animals that have been slaughtered lawfully with the pronouncement of God's name (Tasmiya). Referencing a prior detailed exposition of prohibited meats, the verse delineates an exception for consumption in cases of necessity (iḍṭirār). It subsequently addresses those who deviate from the truth due to personal caprice or who mislead others, affirming God's omniscience regarding their transgressions.
The verse's addressees have been variously identified as polytheists, disbelievers, Muslims, or humanity at large. Exegetes interpret the "detailed clarification" of forbidden meats as a reference to subsequent verses within this Sura, or to verses in Sura al-Nahl, Sura al-Baqara, and Sura al-Ma'ida. The concept of necessity has been explicated through scenarios such as extreme hunger while stranded in the desert or coercion by polytheists or disbelievers.
This verse is frequently cited in jurisprudential discussions. Reported occasions of revelation include the disbelievers' contention equating lawfully slaughtered animals with carrion, as well as the rebuke of Muslims who abstained from lawful meat out of asceticism.
Introduction
Qur'an 6:119 reproaches individuals who abstain from eating the meat of lawful animals slaughtered with tasmiya.[1] Nasir Makarim Shirazi, author of Tafsir-i nimuna, asserts that while the preceding verse establishes the permissibility of such meat, this verse reinforces that ruling with more emphatic reasoning.[2]
The preceding verse (Qur'an 6:118) mandates the consumption of meat over which God's name has been pronounced; this verse interrogates the refusal to do so and censures those who abstain. It then alludes to the previously articulated prohibitions, emphasizing that abstention is obligatory only regarding forbidden items, except in cases of necessity.[3]
Some exegetes argue that the reprimand targets not the mere abandonment of lawful meat, but the failure to restrict consumption exclusively to what is lawful and to avoid what is unlawful.[4]
The verse concludes by noting that many are led astray by personal desire, lacking knowledge or proof, and in turn mislead others. It declares God's full awareness of those who transgress divine limits, distinguishing truth from falsehood and the lawful from the unlawful.[5]
| “ | وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَّيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهْوَائِهِم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِينَ
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| “ | Why should you not eat of that over which Allah’s Name has been mentioned, when He has already detailed for you what He has forbidden you, excepting what you may be compelled to [eat in an emergency]? Indeed many mislead [others] by their fancies, without any knowledge. Indeed your Lord knows best the transgressors.
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| — Qur'an 6:119 | ||
Addressees of the Verse
Scholarly opinion varies regarding the verse's intended audience. Interpretations range from polytheists or the Quraysh elite,[6] to disbelievers,[7] Muslims,[8] believers,[9] ascetics, or even all individuals who refrain from lawful meat.[10]
Intended Meaning of the Prior Detailed Explanation
Exegetes differ on which verses constitute the "detailed explanation" of forbidden meats. Some point to later verses within this surah, while others identify Qur'an 16:115, Qur'an 2:168, Qur'an 2:173, or Qur'an 5:3.[11] 'Allama Tabataba'i posits that Sura al-Nahl, being a Makkan sura that explicitly enumerates forbidden foods, is the most likely reference.[12]
Exception to the Ruling
The verse establishes an exception permitting the consumption of forbidden meat in cases of necessity.[13] Such necessity encompasses extreme hunger, being stranded, coercion, or the fear of serious harm.[14] al-Shaykh al-Tusi restricts this permission to the minimum amount required to preserve life, whereas others allow consumption until satiety is reached.[15]
Occasion of Revelation
Some exegetes link the verse to objections raised by Arab polytheists who questioned the prohibition of carrion while permitting slaughtered animals, arguing inconsistently that both involve killing.[16] The verse serves to refute this sophistry and clarify the divine rationale.[17]
Other scholars suggest the verse addresses Muslims who avoided lawful meat due to excessive asceticism or spiritual rigor.[18]
Notes
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 5, p. 419; Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i dirakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 6, p. 134.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 5, p. 420.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 8, p. 10; Jaʿfarī, Tafsīr-i Kawthar, 1376 Sh, vol. 3, p. 539.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 5, p. 419; Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-tanwīr, vol. 7, p. 28.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 7, p. 332.
- ↑ Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, 1404 AH, vol. 3, p. 42.
- ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 4, p. 259.
- ↑ Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-tanwīr, vol. 7, p. 28.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 4, p. 255.
- ↑ Ṣādiqī Ṭihrānī, al-Furqān, 1365 Sh, vol. 10, p. 245.
- ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 13, p. 129.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 7, p. 332.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 8, p. 10.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 4, p. 552.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 4, pp. 254–255.
- ↑ Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-tanwīr, vol. 7, p. 26.
- ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 542.
- ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, 1415 AH, vol. 4, p. 259.
References
- Ālūsī, Maḥmūd b. ʿAbd Allāh al-. Rūḥ al-maʿānī fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1415 AH.
- Fakhr al-Rāzī, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar. al-Tafsīr al-kabīr. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 3rd ed., 1420 AH.
- Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Sayyid Muḥammad. Anwār-i dirakhshān. Tehran: Kitābfurūshī-yi Luṭfī, 1404 AH.
- Ibn ʿĀshūr, Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir. al-Taḥrīr wa al-tanwīr. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Tārīkh al-ʿArabī, n.d.
- Jaʿfarī, Yaʿqūb. Tafsīr-i Kawthar. Qom: Hijrat, 1376 Sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1st ed., 1371 Sh.
- Qarāʾatī, Muḥsin. Tafsīr-i nūr. Tehran: Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Dars-hā-yī az Qurʾān, 1388 Sh.
- Ṣādiqī Ṭihrānī, Muḥammad. al-Furqān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Qurʾān. Qom: Intishārāt-i Farhang-i Islāmī, 2nd ed., 1365 Sh.
- Suyūṭī, Jalāl al-Dīn al-. al-Durr al-manthūr fī l-tafsīr bi-l-maʾthūr. Qom: Kitābkhāneh-ye Āyatullāh Marʿashī Najafī, 1404 AH.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 2nd ed., 1390 AH.
- Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-. Jāmiʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1st ed., 1412 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Nāṣir Khusraw, 3rd ed., 1372 Sh.
- Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.