Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "O you who believe! Do not violate the sacred rites of Allah, nor the sacred month, nor the sacrificial animals, nor the garlands, nor those who come to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and His pleasure."

Then Allah the Exalted said: . We say regarding His statement: what we said about the first verse. means do not violate their sanctity. "Al-Shu'a'ir" is the plural of "shu'irah," which are the major acts of worship such as Hajj, 'Umrah, and the like. This is because the rulings of the Shari'ah are sacred rites, and the major rulings other than these are called sacred rites. Allah the Exalted said: . The month referred to here is the generic type, not a specific single one. So what is the sacred month? The sacred months are four, which Allah the Exalted specified in His statement: , and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified the identities of these months as Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab, the Rajab of the Mudar tribe, which is between Jumada and Sha'ban. These are the sacred months, meaning do not make them lawful through sins, and do not make them lawful through fighting either, because fighting in the sacred months is forbidden, even against disbelievers; it is not permissible for us to initiate fighting against them in the sacred months except in self-defense or if it is a continuation of previous fighting. Note that the ruling on this issue and the disagreement among scholars regarding it will be explained, if Allah wills. means do not make the sacrificial animals lawful. What is meant by "al-hady" is what is sent to the Haram from camels, cattle, or sheep. How is it made lawful? It is made lawful by slaughtering it before it reaches its destination. This is making it lawful. So if a person drives the sacrificial animals from the miqat of Dhul-Hulayfah and then wants to slaughter or sacrifice them before reaching Makkah, this is forbidden and not permissible. For this reason, He said: . "Al-Qalaa'id" is the plural of what? The plural of "qala'idah." So what is meant by "al-qalaa'id"? What is meant by "al-qalaa'id" is what is hung around the necks of the sacrificial animals. It was their custom to place a garland around the neck of each one as a sign that it is a sacrificial animal. They would hang this garland with sandals and the ends of water skins, the ends of the skins and water containers and the like, as a sign that these are for the poor. So from the moment a person sees this sheep or this camel with this garland on it, he knows that it is a sacrificial animal, so he respects it and does not harm it in any way. It is also possible to say that "al-qalaa'id" is broader than that, and that the meaning is: "Do not make lawful what you have pledged," i.e., the pledges and promises and other things you have pledged. But the context indicates the first meaning: the sacrificial animals, meaning the garlands, meaning the garlands of the sacrificial animals. means do not also make lawful meaning intending to, which is the Ka'bah. Allah called it a house because it is a house in reality, as it is a room with pillars and a roof, so it is a house. Allah described it as "al-Haram" (the Sacred) because of its sanctity and veneration. For this reason, what is around it is respected, even the trees are respected in the Haram, although trees are inanimate. What about the pebbles? The pebbles and the soil are not respected. For this reason, you may break the pebbles and you may move the soil outside the Haram, unlike the trees. What about trees that do not grow, such as those that have dried up, or branches that have been broken? Are they in the Haram or not? The answer is they are not in the Haram. The dry ones that have ended are not in the Haram. The phrase is in the position of an accusative as a state (hal) from . As for , it is the object of the verb for meaning they seek. "Al-Fadl" here includes both worldly bounty and hereafter bounty. The evidence for this is His statement when He mentioned the rulings of Hajj: , and this is the bounty of the world, referring to those who come to Hajj to buy and sell, or to hire out their camels or their vehicles or the like. And here He says: , which encompasses both bounties: the bounty of the world and the bounty of the hereafter. And His statement: means pleasure from Allah the Mighty and Majestic. There are two readings: with the dammah on the ra' and its kasrah and , and "ridwan" means from their Lord, or broader than that, meaning do they seek pleasure from Allah the Mighty and Majestic? Or pleasure from Allah and His prophets, His awliya (close friends of Allah), and His chosen ones? The general meaning, but the original and authentic meaning is that they seek bounty from Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Then He said: Has the time for the question come? Yes.