The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 306
CH. 5 AL-MĀ'IDAH PT. 6 mean quadrupeds from among cattle, this respect. That time has already for the obvious reason that quadrupeds form a class wider than cattle. In fact, the as in the phrase is of the kind which may be a. According to the former, the words or تشبيهية come and Muslims who go to Europe or America experience great difficulty in getting clean and lawful food, and they have to take special care in procuring it, if they want to avoid forbidden food. اضافة بيانية called بهيمة would mean, the بهيمة الانعام (quadrupeds) which belong to the class of (cattle); and according to the latter, they would mean (quadrupeds) which resemble (cattle). This construction has been used by the Quran to signify that whereas all (quadrupeds) do not make lawful food, those of them that form the counterparts of (cattle) are allowed. Thus the expression is intended to comprise not only cattle but also such beasts of the forest as correspond to cattle, i. e. wild goat, wild cow, antelope, wild buffalo, etc. Commentary: In this verse the word (compacts) signifies compacts made by man with God or the obligations due to Him. The word, literally meaning "knots", has acquired this meaning because in ancient times knots were tied on strings or ropes as symbols of solemn compacts. The fulfilling of compacts or obligations due to God, referred to in the present verse which primarily deals with the subject of food, contains a veiled hint that a time was coming when Muslims would have to face trials and suffer hardships in order to avoid forbidden food. It is then that they would have to be particularly regardful of God's commandments in The word (game), here used in connection with Iḥrām, means the animal hunted and not the act of hunting itself, for the commandment with regard to hunting has been given separately in 5:97. In the present verse it is only the eating of game killed by a pilgrim that is mentioned, because not only is the hunting of a land animal by a pilgrim forbidden, but even the eating of it is for him unlawful. If, however, a land animal has been killed by a pilgrim who has not yet entered into the state of Iḥrām, the eating of it is not forbidden to those who are in a state of Iḥrām, provided they render no help to the man who kills the game. 746 The words, other than those which are being announced to you, refer to the flesh of the animals mentioned in 5:4 below, viz. that which has been strangled, and that which has been beaten to death, and that which has been killed by a fall, and that which has been gored to death, etc. The words, however, do not refer to the first part of 5:4, viz. the flesh of an animal which dies of itself, and blood, and the flesh of swine, because "swine" is not included among cattle and the exception here made is from among the cattle and not from among all animals, and also because this