Surah Al-Hajj Verse 31

ذلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَـتِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ الاٌّنْعَـمُ إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ - حُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِى بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ

(30. That and whoever honors the sacred things of Allah, then that is better for him with his Lord. The cattle are lawful to you, except those (that will be) mentioned to you. So shun the Rijs of the idols, and shun false speech.)

(31. Hunafa' Lillah, not associating partners unto Him; and whoever assigns partners to Allah,

The Reward for avoiding Sin

Allah says: `This is what We have commanded you to do in the rituals (of Hajj), and this is the great reward that the person who does that will gain.'

وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَـتِ اللَّهِ

(whoever honors the sacred things of Allah,) means, whoever avoids disobeying Him and does not transgress that which is sacred, and regards committing sin as a very serious matter,

فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ

(then that is better for him with his Lord.) means, he will attain much good and a great reward for doing that. Just as the one who does acts of obedience will earn a great reward, so too, the one who avoids sin will earn a great reward.

Cattle are Lawful

وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ الاٌّنْعَـمُ إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ

(The cattle are lawful to you, except those (that will be) mentioned to you.) means, `We have made permissible for you all the An`am (cattle etc.),' and Allah has not instituted things like Bahirah or a Sa'ibah or a Wasilah or a Ham.

إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ

(except those mentioned to you.) the prohibition of Al-Maytah, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns -- and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal -- unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death) - and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An-Nusub. This was the view of Ibn Jarir, who recorded it from Qatadah.

The Command to shun Shirk and Lying

فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ

(So shun the Rijis of the idols, and shun false speech.) From this it is clear what Ar-Rijs means, i.e., avoid the abomination, which means idols. Shirk is mentioned in conjunction with false speech, as in the Ayah:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْىَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُواْ بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَـناً وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

(Say: "(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (immoral sins) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge''.) 7:33 This includes bearing false witness. In the Two Sahihs it was reported from Abu Bakrah that the Messenger of Allah said:

«أَلَا أُنَبِّــئُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ؟»

(Shall I not tell you about the worst of major sins) We said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah.'' He said:

«الْإِشْرَاكُ بِاللهِ وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ (Associating others with Allah, disobeying one's parents.) He was reclining, then he sat up and said: أَلَا وَقَوْلُ الزُّورِ،أَلَا وَشَهَادَةُ الزُّور»

(and indeed giving false statements, and indeed bearing false witness...) and he kept on repeating it until we wished that he would stop.'' Imam Ahmad recorded that Khuraym bin Fatik Al-Asadi said, "The Messenger of Allah prayed As-Subh (Al-Fajr), and when he had finished, he stood up and said:

«عَدَلَتْ شَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ الْإِشْرَاكَ بِاللهِ عَزَّ وَجَل»

(Bearing false witness is on a par with the association of others with Allah.) Then he recited this Ayah:

فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِحُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ

(So shun the Rijs of the idols, and shun lying speech. Hunafa' Lillah, not associating partners unto Him;)

حُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ

(Hunafa' Lillah) means, sincerely submitting to Him Alone, shunning falsehood and seeking the truth. Allah says:

غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ

(not associating partners unto Him;) Then Allah gives a likeness of the idolator in his misguidance and being doomed and being far away from true guidance, and says:

وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ

(and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky,) meaning,

فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ

(the birds caught him in midair,)

أَوْ تَهْوِى بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ

(or the wind had thrown him to a far off place.) means, remote and desolate, dangerous for anyone who lands there. Hence it says in the Hadith of Al-Bara':

«إِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُ مَلَائِكَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَصَعِدُوا بِرُوحِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، فَلَا تُفْتَحُ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ بَلْ تُطْرَحُ رُوحُهُ طَرْحًا مِنْ هُنَاك»

(When the angels of death take the soul of the disbeliever in death, they take his soul up to the heaven, but the gates of heaven are not opened for him; on the contrary, his soul is thrown down from there.) Then he recited this Ayah. The Hadith has already been quoted in our explanation of Surah Ibrahim. Allah gives another parable of the idolators in Surat Al-An`am, where He says:

قُلْ أَنَدْعُواْ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَنفَعُنَا وَلاَ يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ كَالَّذِى اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَـطِينُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ حَيْرَانَ لَهُ أَصْحَـبٌ يَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى الْهُدَى ائْتِنَا قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى

(Say: "Shall we invoke others besides Allah, that can do us neither good nor can harm us, and shall we turn back on our heels after Allah has guided us -- like one whom the Shayaلtin have made to go astray in the land in confusion, his companions calling him to guidance (saying): `Come to us.''' Say: "Verily, Allah's guidance is the only guidance.'') 6:71