Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Today, the good things have been made lawful for you, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them, and the chaste women from among the believers"

Then Allah the Exalted said: Today, the intended meaning of this may be what is before this day, that is, other than the past time, or the present day, which is the specific day. Who made it lawful? Allah Mighty and Majestic made it lawful, so the doer was omitted because it is known, just as in His saying: The Creator is Allah Mighty and Majestic, and He is known, and the one who makes things lawful and forbidden is known, and therefore the doer was omitted in creation, which is a cosmic matter, and in legislation, which concerns the lawful and the forbidden. Accordingly, if something is known to be made lawful or forbidden, or created or annihilated, there is no harm in omitting it and constructing the verb with an unnamed doer. That is, Allah made the good things lawful, and the good things are the opposite of the bad. Allah the Exalted said: So what is the standard for the good? Is it in the taste of every person, or in the custom of people, or what? We say that the reference for that is what the Shari'ah has brought, so what the Shari'ah has made lawful is good, and what it has forbidden is bad. If someone asks: What is the original ruling? What is the original ruling regarding food? It is permissibility. What is the evidence? So the original ruling is permissibility. If a claimant claims that this thing is forbidden, whether it is a bird or something else, we say to him: What is the evidence for that? And what Allah has made lawful is undoubtedly good. Meaning the Jews and the Christians. The intended meaning is not everything they eat of grain and fruit; no, the intended meaning is everything they eat of meat. Also, the intended meaning is not everything they eat of meat if slaughter is not required for it, because what does not require slaughter is lawful without any action, and grains and fruits are lawful without any action, so it is not their specific food. It is not possible that Allah the Exalted would say: and the intended meaning is this food that is for everyone. For example, if the People of the Book did not eat anything but barley, is barley lawful for us based on this verse? No, because this is not one of their specific characteristics, and its lawfulness did not depend on their action. What does the lawfulness depend on their action for? It is the slaughtered animals. For this reason, Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) interpreted their food as their slaughtered animals. Accordingly, the intended meaning of is their slaughtered animals, and they are the Jews and the Christians. The apparent meaning of the noble verse is that there is no difference between whether they have altered and distorted [their scriptures] or adhered to their laws, due to the generality of the verse, and because this verse is in the same surah in which Allah narrated that they say that Allah is the third of three. That is, what you have slaughtered. So here, foods are of three types: food whose lawfulness does not depend on a human action, so it is lawful for everyone; lawful food that depends on human slaughter, so if we slaughter it, it is lawful for us, and if they slaughter it, it is lawful for us. Meaning, and He has made lawful for you the chaste women. So his saying: It is possible that the intended meaning is the chaste women. As for the first, it is supported by the saying of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He: So the intended meaning of the chaste women here is the free women without doubt. As for the second, that the intended meaning is the chaste women, it is supported by His saying the Exalted: and His saying: So the intended meaning of them is the chaste women regarding zina. But what appears is that the intended meaning of the chaste women here is the free women. The verse is ambiguous and contains nothing indicating this or that. Meaning the free women. As for the slave women, it is not lawful for a man to marry them except with conditions mentioned previously in Surat al-Nisa. What are the chaste women? The free women or the chaste women, according to the difference of opinion. But with the condition that Allah the Exalted made it a condition for the lawfulness of the chaste women from the believers and from those who were given the Scripture that the wages be given, which are the mahr (bridal gifts) offered in exchange for enjoying the woman. For this reason, Allah the Exalted called it a wage, because a wage is what is taken in exchange for a consideration.