Tafseer of The Table · Al-Maaida · 5:93
There is not upon those who believe and do righteousness [any] blame concerning what they have eaten [in the past] if they [now] fear Allah and believe and do righteous deeds, and then fear Allah and believe, and then fear Allah and do good; and Allah loves the doers of good.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His word: لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا طَعِمُوا إِذَا مَا اتَّقَوْا وَآمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّقَوْا وَآمَنُوا ثُمَّ اتَّقَوْا وَأَحْسَنُوا وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (93)
(On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed, provided they fear (Allāh) and believe and do righteous deeds, and then fear (Allāh) and believe, and then fear (Allāh) and do good. And Allāh loves those who do good. (5:93))
Abū Jaʿfar said: He — exalted be His remembrance — says to the people who said — when Allāh sent down the prohibition of wine with His word: إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالأَنْصَابُ وَالأَزْلامُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ (Verily, wine, gambling, the sacrificial altars, and the divining arrows are an abomination, a work of the devil, so avoid it) —: "What is the case with those of our brothers who have died while they were drinking it? And with us, while we too used to drink it?" — On those of you who believe and do righteous deeds there is no guilt regarding what they drank of it, in the state in which Allāh — exalted be He — had not yet forbidden it to them. إِذَا مَا اتَّقَوْا وَآمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ — He says: provided the living among them fear Allāh, thus dreading Him and heeding Him by abstaining from what He has forbidden them of it, and hold Allāh and His Messenger to be true in what the two of them have commanded and forbidden them, and obey the two of them fully therein. "And do righteous deeds," He says: and they acquire of the deeds that with which Allāh is pleased, belonging to what their Lord has imposed upon them. "And then fear (Allāh) and believe," He says: then dread Allāh and heed Him by abstaining from His prohibitions, even after that imposition, so that they remain steadfast in fearing Allāh therein and in belief in Him, and do not change and do not exchange. "And then fear (Allāh) and do good," He says: then fear Allāh, so that their fear of Allāh impels them to doing good; and that "doing good" (iḥsān) is the performance of deeds which He has not made obligatory upon them, but which are voluntary deeds (nawāfil) by which they seek to draw near to their Lord, seeking His good pleasure and fleeing from His punishment. "And Allāh loves those who do good," He says: and Allāh loves those who seek to draw near to Him with the voluntary deeds with which He is pleased.
The first fearing (taqwā) is thus the fearing by receiving the command of Allāh with acceptance, with affirmation, with submission to it, and with action; and the second fearing is the fearing by remaining steadfast in the affirmation and in refraining from exchange and change; and the third fearing is the fearing by doing good and drawing nearer with voluntary deeds.
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If someone were to say: What is the proof that the third "fearing" is the fearing by means of the voluntary deeds, and not by means of the obligatory deeds?
Then it is answered: He — exalted be His remembrance — has already informed that He removes the guilt from the drinkers of wine for what they had drunk of it before its prohibition, provided they fear Allāh in drinking it after its prohibition, and hold Allāh and His Messenger to be true in its prohibition, and perform the good works of the obligations. And there is no reason to repeat that, while the mention of it had already preceded within one and the same verse.
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And in agreement with what we have said — namely that this verse was sent down concerning that which we have mentioned it was sent down about — are the narrations that have come from the Companions and the Successors (tābiʿūn).
* Mention of who said that:
12525 - Hannād ibn al-Sarī and Abū Kurayb related to us, they both said: Wakīʿ related to us; — and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: my father related to me; — on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: When the prohibition of wine was sent down, they said: "O Messenger of Allāh, what is the case with our companions who died while they were drinking wine?" Then was sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin" — the verse.
12526 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, on the authority of Isrāʾīl with his isnād, in a similar manner.
12527 - Mohammed ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Kabīr ibn ʿAbd al-Majīd related to me, he said: ʿAbbād ibn Rāshid informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik, who said: While I was passing the cup around among Abū Ṭalḥa, Abū ʿUbayda ibn al-Jarrāḥ, Muʿādh ibn Jabal, Suhayl ibn Bayḍāʾ and Abū Dujāna, until their heads began to sway from a mixture of unripe dates (busr) and ripe dates — then we heard a caller who cried out: "Verily, wine is forbidden!" He said: Then no one came in to us and none of us went out, but that we poured out the drink, and broke the large jars, and some of us performed the lesser ablution and some of us performed the greater ablution, and we took of the fragrant perfume of Umm Sulaym; then we went to the mosque, and behold, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was reciting: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالأَنْصَابُ وَالأَزْلامُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (O you who believe, verily wine, gambling, the sacrificial altars, and the divining arrows are an abomination, a work of the devil, so avoid it, that you may be successful), up to His word: فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُنْتَهُونَ (Will you then desist?). Then a man said: "O Messenger of Allāh, what then is the position of him among us who died while he was drinking it?" Then Allāh — exalted be His remembrance — sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed" — the verse. Then a man said to Qatāda: "Did you hear it from Anas ibn Mālik?" He said: "Yes!" A man said to Anas ibn Mālik: "Did you hear it from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ?" He said: "Yes! And it was related to me by one who did not lie. By Allāh, we used not to lie, and we did not even know what lying was!"
12528 - Hannād related to us, he said: Ibn Abī Zāʾida related to us, he said: Isrāʾīl informed us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of al-Barāʾ, who said: When wine was forbidden, they said: "What is the case with our companions who died while they were drinking wine?" Then was sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed" — the verse.
12529 - Mohammed ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Mohammed ibn Jaʿfar related to us, he said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, who said: Al-Barāʾ said: People of the companions of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ died while they were drinking wine. When its prohibition was sent down, some people of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ said: "How then is the case with our companions who died while they were drinking it?" Then this verse was sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin" — the verse.
12530 - Hannād related to us, he said: Ibn Abī Zāʾida related to us, he said: Dāwūd informed us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: There was sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed," concerning those who were killed at Badr and Uḥud with Mohammed ﷺ.
12531 - Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: Khālid ibn Makhlad related to us, he said: ʿAlī ibn Musir related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh, who said: When there was sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed," the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "It has been said to me: 'You are among them.'"
12532 - Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, he said: Jāmiʿ ibn Ḥammād related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed," up to His word: "And Allāh loves those who do good." When Allāh — exalted be His remembrance — sent down the prohibition of wine in "Sūrat al-Māʾida," after "Sūrat al-Aḥzāb," some men of the companions of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said concerning it: "So-and-so was struck down on the day of Badr, and so-and-so on the day of Uḥud, while they were drinking it! We therefore bear witness that they are among the people of the Garden (janna)!" Then Allāh — exalted be His remembrance — sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed, provided they fear (Allāh) and believe and do righteous deeds, and then fear (Allāh) and believe, and then fear (Allāh) and do good. And Allāh loves those who do good." He says: the people drank it in a state of godliness and doing good, and it was permitted to them on that day, then it was forbidden after them, so there is no guilt upon them therein.
12533 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed." They said: "O Messenger of Allāh, what do we say about our brothers who have passed away? They used to drink wine and consume the winnings of gambling!" Then Allāh sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed" — that means: before the prohibition, provided they were doers of good and god-fearing. And another time he said: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed" of the forbidden, before it was forbidden to them; "provided they fear (Allāh) and do good," after the prohibition — and that is His word: فَمَنْ جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ فَانْتَهَى فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ (Whoever a admonition from his Lord reaches and he desists, for him is what preceded) [Sūrat al-Baqara: 275].
12534 - Mohammed ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed" — by it He means men of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ who died while they were drinking wine, before wine was forbidden; upon them there was no guilt therein before it was forbidden. When it was forbidden, they said: "How can it be forbidden to us, while our brothers have died while they were drinking it?" Then Allāh — exalted be His remembrance — sent down: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed, provided they fear (Allāh) and believe and do righteous deeds." He says: upon them there is no guilt regarding what they used to drink before I forbade it, provided they were doers of good and god-fearing. "And Allāh loves those who do good."
12535 - Mohammed ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allāh, exalted be He: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin regarding what they have consumed" — concerning him who used to drink wine, of those who were killed with Mohammed ﷺ at Badr and Uḥud.
12536 - It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh al-Faḍl ibn Khālid say, he said: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning His word: "On those who believe and do righteous deeds there is no sin" — the verse. This concerns the matter of wine when it was forbidden: they asked the prophet of Allāh ﷺ and said: "Our brothers who have died while they were drinking it?" Then Allāh — exalted be His remembrance — sent down this verse.