Lesson: Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Forbidden to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which is dedicated to other than Allah, and that which has been strangled, and that which has been killed by a blow, and that which has been killed by a fall, and that which has been gored, and that which a wild animal has eaten, except what you slaughter, and that which is sacrificed on the altars, and that you seek decision by the arrows. That is a great sin."
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and upon his family and all his Companions.
As for what follows: On this night, we recited the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic):[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] to the end of the verse.
This is from the forbidden that is detailed. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:[Al-An'am 6:119]. The reason the forbidden is detailed is that what Allah has made lawful for us is greater than what He has forbidden for us. So He made the forbidden things limited, detailed, and specific, meaning: and everything other than that is lawful.
Based on this verse[Al-An'am 6:119], based on it, if we were to doubt any of the things, whether it is a drink, food, clothing, or something used, if we doubted it, is it lawful or is it forbidden? We would say: it is lawful, because if it were forbidden, Allah would have detailed it for us, for Allah the Exalted has detailed for us what He has forbidden for us.
So if a person catches a bird and it is unclear to him whether it is lawful or forbidden? It is lawful; this is the original ruling. And if he finds a crawling creature among the many animals on the earth, and it is unclear to him whether it is lawful or forbidden? It is lawful, until evidence arises for its prohibition, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has detailed for us what He has forbidden for us.
And despite that, these detailed forbidden things, if a person is in dire necessity for them, they become lawful. For this reason, He said:[Al-An'am 6:119]. So whatever dire necessity calls for from the forbidden things, even if it is from the most vile of what can be forbidden, it becomes lawful for us, and nothing is excluded from this, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: [Al-An'am 6:119].
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and upon his family and all his Companions.
As for what follows: On this night, we recited the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic):
Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience.
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَنْ تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلَامِ ذَلِكُمْ فِسْقٌThis is from the forbidden that is detailed. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelled
وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُمْ مَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِBased on this verse
while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you
وقد فصل لكم ما حرم عليكمSo if a person catches a bird and it is unclear to him whether it is lawful or forbidden? It is lawful; this is the original ruling. And if he finds a crawling creature among the many animals on the earth, and it is unclear to him whether it is lawful or forbidden? It is lawful, until evidence arises for its prohibition, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has detailed for us what He has forbidden for us.
And despite that, these detailed forbidden things, if a person is in dire necessity for them, they become lawful. For this reason, He said: