The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 61
PT. 11 YŪNUS them rejoice. "That is better than what they hoard. '1334 CH. 10 قُلْ أَرَعَيْتُمْ مَّا أَنْزَلَ اللهُ لَكُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ Say, “Have you considered. 60 that Allah sent down provision to you, bthen you made some of it unlawful and some lawful?' Say, 'Has Allah permitted you that or do you invent lies against Allah?' 1335 فَجَعَلْتُمْ مِّنْهُ حَرَامًا وَحَلَا قُلْ الله a43:33. b5:104. 1334. Commentary: This verse reminds us that the blessings mentioned in the preceding verse can be attained only through the grace and mercy of God, and therefore he who has faith in God should not feel proud of his material resources but should rejoice only in God's grace and mercy. The verse also hints that disbelievers foolishly feel proud of what they hoard, viz. their material resources, which are as nothing against God's grace and mercy or against the great spiritual treasures of the Quran referred to in the preceding verse. 1335. Commentary: In v. 58, it was stated that the Holy Prophet has been given a Book which possesses the power to remove doubts and misgivings. In proof of this claim the Quran in the present verse refers to a rule of conduct which people before Islam observed with regard to eatables, merely because it came to them from their forefathers, though reason revolted against it. Eating and drinking is one of the primary needs اذِنَ لَكُمْ أَمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَفْتَرُونَ of mankind and it is the first duty of a religion to guide men in this respect. Before the advent of Islam, however, the world possessed no right guidance on this subject. Men followed no fixed principle or law, declaring one thing lawful and another unlawful as they desired. It stands to reason, however, that there should be some medical, moral or religious grounds for the declaration of some things as lawful and others as unlawful. An arbitrary classification into clean and unclean things without valid reason is to belie God's creation. There are sure to arise doubts in the minds of men with regard to such arbitrary classification, and only that religion can successfully remove such doubts which lays down and expounds definite laws and regulations with regard to eatables. Islam has clearly done that. So it excels other religions in this respect also that it has laid down definite laws and regulations according to which things belonging to a certain category are treated as lawful and clean and those belonging to another category as unlawful and unclean, and has not laid down its 1269