The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 91
PT. 4 ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN CH. 3 كُلُّ الطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلَّا لِبَنِي إِسْرَاعِيْلَ إِلَّا All food was lawful to the. 94 to JokĮLEIjs children of Israel, except what مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَاءِ يْلُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ Israel forbade himself before تُنَزَّلَ التَّوْرِيةُ قُلْ فَأْتُوْا بِالتَّوْرِيةِ the Torah was sent down. Say فَاتْلُوْهَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَدِقِينَ 'Bring, then, the Torah and read it, if you are truthful. '380 highest stage of righteousness can be attained only by spending in the way of God that which one loves best. (3) If, however, the word is taken to mean high morals, the verse would signify that high morals cannot be attained without inculcating a true spirit of sacrifice. It is on record in the Ḥadīth that when this verse was revealed, Abū Ṭalḥah, a Companion of the Holy Prophet, stood up and addressing him said, "O Messenger of God, my garden known as Bi'r Rauḥā' (this garden was situated opposite to the Mosque at Medina) is to me the dearest of my property and I hereby give it in charity" (Bukhārī, ch. on Tafsir). This illustrates how the early converts to Islam strove to practise the highest good as the Quran enjoined upon them. 380. Important Words: (all) is a very common Arabic word used to express two senses: (1) all members of a group; (2) all parts of an individual thing. The word may generally be rendered as, all; whole; each; every one, etc. It is also sometimes used in the sense of "the majority of", and rarely even in the sense of "some" or "part of" (Aqrab & Tāj) Commentary: The preceding verses emphasize the importance of complete submission to the will of God. The highest good cannot be attained without the sacrifice of most beloved things, including personal and national sentiments. The present verse cites an apt illustration. Whereas God had allowed "all food" to the Jews, the Israelites forbade themselves parts thereof on the ground that Jacob, for personal and medical considerations, abstained from partaking of them. But as the word Israel, primarily the name of Jacob, is also used about his children and descendants and has been so used in the Bible, it may also be taken in this sense in the second clause of the present verse. By saying, All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, the Quran also refutes an objection of the People of the Book, which served as an obstacle in the way of their accepting Islam. There were certain kinds of food which the Jews abstained from eating but which were allowed by Islam. One such thing was the sciatic nerve, to which reference is made in Gen. 32:32. Jacob suffered from sciatica, and, therefore, for medical reasons he forbade himself the use of the sciatic 531