My brother has been sending a juz a day message as his Ramadaan good deed :
Theme of Juz Six – The Perfect Shariah
At this point, I need to clarify that the division of the Qur’an into Juzs was not divinely revealed but the work of scholars. However, the division of the Qur’an into Surahs was revealed by Allah and therefore the themes of the Qur’an are not from Juz to Juz but from Surah to Surah. As the Surahs get shorter, we will discuss the theme of each Surah separately if needed.
The Sixth Juz begins with the last few passages of Surah An-Nisaa and the theme of this Surah was covered in the previous post. The rest of the Juz is made up of Surah Al-Maa’ida – The Chapter of the Table.
This was one of the latter Surahs to be revealed in Madinah and contains some of the last few verses and commandments to be revealed. The theme of the Surah is that of the importance of the Shariah and its implementation in our daily lives, and the Surah covers this theme from two angles, a detailed list of Shariah Laws and Prohibitions, and a firm warning about the importance of following the Shariah and that rejecting it is a form of disbelief.
The word Shariah needs to be explained because many people have limited its meaning to criminal law. The criminal laws found in this Surah and other chapters of the Qur’an are actually called the Hudood and make up a part of the Shariah but the Shariah is a far broader term. The word ‘Shariah’ means a way and it refers comprehensively to the principles, laws and foundations on which Islam in built. It is distinct from Fiqh in that the Shariah refers to that which was revealed and agreed upon, while Fiqh refers to that which is understood and generally differed over.
Among the Shariah laws covered in this Surah are the following:
1. Halal and Haraam Food (5:1-5)
2. Laws related to dealings with the Jews and Christians (5:5, 51, 57)
3. Laws related to being in the state of Ihraam (5:94-97)
4. Permission to eat seafood (5:96)
5. Laws related to Salah and Wudhu (5:6)
6. Criminal Law for thieves (5:38-39)
7. Prohibition of Alcohol and Gambling 5:90-91)
The Surah begins with a firm commandment “Oh you who believe, fulfil your covenants!” (5:1) and this refers primarily to our covenant as Muslims to obey the laws of Allah. The relationship to the theme is clear, these are laws of Allah and you are duty-bound as believers to uphold them to the best of your ability.
The Surah also declares the perfect nature of the Shariah: “Today I have perfected for you your way of life, and completed my favour upon you and am pleased to make Islam your way of life,” (5:3) This verse is the clearest evidence that the religion as revealed is perfect and therefore any innovations added to the religion are to be rejected. We should also ponder over the fact that if the Shariah is perfect, it would only benefit us to follow it.
The Surah contains a brief mention of the story of the time when the Children of Israel refused to go for Jihad with Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and as a result they were humiliated. The lesson here is that when the believers refuse to follow the Shariah, Allah will humiliate them. So the way out for Muslims from the current situation is to revive the Shariah in our daily lives.
There are many verses in this Surah that indicate that rejecting the Shariah is an act of Kufr, but the most clear of these is the verse “So whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then they are disbelievers” (5:44) This verse was been misinterpreted by contemporary extremists as an excuse to declare the majority of Muslims as disbelievers. This misinterpretation has had dangerous repercussions and must be avoided. Nonetheless, the message of the verse remains clear: if you truly believe, you will not reject the laws of Allah.
Allah also confirms in verse 54 that He is not in need of us and that should we reject the Shariah, He will replace us with true believers who will uphold it and describes them as people who are gentle in dealing with the believers, firm in dealing with disbelief, who strive to revive and uphold Allah’s religion and who do not fear criticism.
The last point is crucial, as any effort at revival of Islam will be met with criticism by those who fear change and enjoy the status quo, so if we wish to revive Islam, we must rise above criticism and focus on pleasing our Creator.
Topic: the things family and friends mention about their religious lives