At first glance, verse 87 looks harmless, telling Muslims not to prohibit what Allah allows. However, when combined with 4:24 and 23:5, this verse becomes one of the components which allows, according to some Shi'ite Muslims, the practice of Muta (a.k.a. Mutah, Mutta, etc. not to be confused with the Battle of Mutah) temporary marriage. In a hadith told by Abdullah (recorded by Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 60, #139), Muhammad "made an allowance for us that we could marry a woman for a price. Then he recited, O you who believe, do not make unlawful the good things Allah has made lawful for you [5:87a]." The practice of Muta was made unlawful by the Caliph Umar (probably using the argument that Muhammad had allowed it only as a temporary concession) but some Shi'ites insist that Umar had no authority to do so, and was wrong to do so in light of 5:87.
At www.al-islam.org/al-serat/muta you can read more than you will ever need to know about Muta, from a Shi'ite Muslim point of view. The vows of Muta include the statement, "I marry you for [X] number of days, for [Y] amount of money." Most Christians will probably have difficulty seeing the difference between Muta and formalized self-prostitution.
By the way, at that site, in chapter 4 ("The the Legitimacy of Muta") the author raises a question about the text of the Quran in 4:24. He notes that several of Muhammads companions, including Ibn 'Abbas (ancestor of the 'Abbasid caliphs), Ibn Mas'ud (one of the earliest Muslims), and Ubayy b. Ka'b (who helped write down the recitations of the Quran), believed that three words were lost from this passage, and that originally it read, "So those of them whom you enjoy to a specified term (ila ajal musamma)." Thus it would refer to Muta. Ibn 'Abbas is said to have cited 4:24, only to be told that he had not recited it the way someone else had. Ibn 'Abbas responded, "I swear by Allah, this is how Allah revealed it," and he said this twice. (A reference for this anecdote is provided: Abu 'Ali al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al Tabarsi (d. 548/1153), Majma' al-bayan, Tehran, 1339/1960, III, 32.)
Verse 89 warns against casual oaths, and provides instructions about what to do if one wishes to negate an oath. This is different from passages in the Torah such as Deuteronomy 23:21-23, and from Jesus' statement that people should not make any oaths at all, but simply state the unembellished truth, in Matthew 5:33-37.
Verses 90-93 prohibit wine, gambling, idol-stones, and the use of divination-arrows. Before this verse was revealed at Medina, Muslims had consumed wine. But, according to Ibn Abbas, there was a skirmish at a party, and one of Muhammads Companions broke the nose of a man named Sad Ibn Abi Wagghas, who was new to Islam. Then someone asked Muhammad about wine, and this verse was "revealed," and the Muslims poured out their wine into the streets.
According to some hadith (including Bukhari 3:509 and 8:768, cited at www.angelfire.com/mo2/scarves/alcohol.html ), on one occasion a drunken man was brought to Muhammad, and Muhammad ordered everyone in the house to beat him. They beat him with their shoes, hands, and twisted garments.
Verse 93 was probably delivered to assure the Muslims of Medina that they bore no guilt for all the wine they had consumed - as faithful Muslims - before this point. Previously, Muhammad had stated (in 16:67) that "From the fruit of date-palms and grapes, you derive strong drink and a goodly provision," and "Verily, therein is indeed a sign for people who have wisdom." Probably the intended lesson in 16:67 was that the same natural source can produce things that are beneficial, and things that are harmful (compare 16:66 where the same point is illustrated).
(Miscellaneous note: According to old Russian stories, it was partly because of Islam's total prohibition on alcoholic drinks that Prince Vladimir decided not to adopt Islam in 988.)
The Azlam-arrows which are mentioned here were used for various sorts of divination (a special set of arrows seems to have been kept at the Ka'aba in Mecca for this purpose; some arrows would be distinguished as "yes" and others as "no"). The prohibition also applies to mealtime-raffles. (A group would slaughter an animal, divide it into fewer pieces than there were individuals, and select arrows to see who got a piece. Or, a group would buy a large meal, and everyone would eat, and afterwards divination-arrows would be drawn; some would indicate "he pays" and others "he doesnt pay.")
Verses 94-100 supplement the pilgrimage-rules that were given in verse 2. The basic message here is that even though some game-animals might be easily accessible to pilgrims, game-animals are off-limits to pilgrims during the pilgrimage. Pilgrims are allowed to fish while on their pilgrimage, though. Also, if one does go hunting while on pilgrimage, payment for this misdeed may be made by offering, at the Ka'aba, an animal like the animal that was killed in the hunt, or (if that is not feasible) by feeding paupers, or (if that is not feasible) by fasting. (For a collection of regulations about what is allowed on pilgrimage, and what is forbidden, see www.islamiska.org/e/i5.htm .)
Verse 97 describes the Ka'aba as an "asylum of security," implying that violence should end where the territory of the Ka'aba begins. This atmosphere of non-violence is to be applied to the animals reserved for sacrifice (so designated by having a special garland placed upon them) also they should not be slaughtered before the right time.
Verse 99 says that the messenger's job is only to convey the message. On one hand, this is in sync with Ezekiel 3:17-19. On the other hand, this statement, which pops up elsewhere in the Quran, may have been a convenient reply when listeners asked Muhammad why Allah provided wine as a sign, and then prohibited it as an abomination of Satan, and why Allah allows pilgrims to fish but not to hunt (one speculative explanation is that fish do not require slaughter), and why wine is enjoyed in Paradise but is an abomination on earth, and so on.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
At www.al-islam.org/al-serat/muta you can read more than you will ever need to know about Muta, from a Shi'ite Muslim point of view. The vows of Muta include the statement, "I marry you for [X] number of days, for [Y] amount of money." Most Christians will probably have difficulty seeing the difference between Muta and formalized self-prostitution.
By the way, at that site, in chapter 4 ("The the Legitimacy of Muta") the author raises a question about the text of the Quran in 4:24. He notes that several of Muhammads companions, including Ibn 'Abbas (ancestor of the 'Abbasid caliphs), Ibn Mas'ud (one of the earliest Muslims), and Ubayy b. Ka'b (who helped write down the recitations of the Quran), believed that three words were lost from this passage, and that originally it read, "So those of them whom you enjoy to a specified term (ila ajal musamma)." Thus it would refer to Muta. Ibn 'Abbas is said to have cited 4:24, only to be told that he had not recited it the way someone else had. Ibn 'Abbas responded, "I swear by Allah, this is how Allah revealed it," and he said this twice. (A reference for this anecdote is provided: Abu 'Ali al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al Tabarsi (d. 548/1153), Majma' al-bayan, Tehran, 1339/1960, III, 32.)
Verse 89 warns against casual oaths, and provides instructions about what to do if one wishes to negate an oath. This is different from passages in the Torah such as Deuteronomy 23:21-23, and from Jesus' statement that people should not make any oaths at all, but simply state the unembellished truth, in Matthew 5:33-37.
Verses 90-93 prohibit wine, gambling, idol-stones, and the use of divination-arrows. Before this verse was revealed at Medina, Muslims had consumed wine. But, according to Ibn Abbas, there was a skirmish at a party, and one of Muhammads Companions broke the nose of a man named Sad Ibn Abi Wagghas, who was new to Islam. Then someone asked Muhammad about wine, and this verse was "revealed," and the Muslims poured out their wine into the streets.
According to some hadith (including Bukhari 3:509 and 8:768, cited at www.angelfire.com/mo2/scarves/alcohol.html ), on one occasion a drunken man was brought to Muhammad, and Muhammad ordered everyone in the house to beat him. They beat him with their shoes, hands, and twisted garments.
Verse 93 was probably delivered to assure the Muslims of Medina that they bore no guilt for all the wine they had consumed - as faithful Muslims - before this point. Previously, Muhammad had stated (in 16:67) that "From the fruit of date-palms and grapes, you derive strong drink and a goodly provision," and "Verily, therein is indeed a sign for people who have wisdom." Probably the intended lesson in 16:67 was that the same natural source can produce things that are beneficial, and things that are harmful (compare 16:66 where the same point is illustrated).
(Miscellaneous note: According to old Russian stories, it was partly because of Islam's total prohibition on alcoholic drinks that Prince Vladimir decided not to adopt Islam in 988.)
The Azlam-arrows which are mentioned here were used for various sorts of divination (a special set of arrows seems to have been kept at the Ka'aba in Mecca for this purpose; some arrows would be distinguished as "yes" and others as "no"). The prohibition also applies to mealtime-raffles. (A group would slaughter an animal, divide it into fewer pieces than there were individuals, and select arrows to see who got a piece. Or, a group would buy a large meal, and everyone would eat, and afterwards divination-arrows would be drawn; some would indicate "he pays" and others "he doesnt pay.")
Verses 94-100 supplement the pilgrimage-rules that were given in verse 2. The basic message here is that even though some game-animals might be easily accessible to pilgrims, game-animals are off-limits to pilgrims during the pilgrimage. Pilgrims are allowed to fish while on their pilgrimage, though. Also, if one does go hunting while on pilgrimage, payment for this misdeed may be made by offering, at the Ka'aba, an animal like the animal that was killed in the hunt, or (if that is not feasible) by feeding paupers, or (if that is not feasible) by fasting. (For a collection of regulations about what is allowed on pilgrimage, and what is forbidden, see www.islamiska.org/e/i5.htm .)
Verse 97 describes the Ka'aba as an "asylum of security," implying that violence should end where the territory of the Ka'aba begins. This atmosphere of non-violence is to be applied to the animals reserved for sacrifice (so designated by having a special garland placed upon them) also they should not be slaughtered before the right time.
Verse 99 says that the messenger's job is only to convey the message. On one hand, this is in sync with Ezekiel 3:17-19. On the other hand, this statement, which pops up elsewhere in the Quran, may have been a convenient reply when listeners asked Muhammad why Allah provided wine as a sign, and then prohibited it as an abomination of Satan, and why Allah allows pilgrims to fish but not to hunt (one speculative explanation is that fish do not require slaughter), and why wine is enjoyed in Paradise but is an abomination on earth, and so on.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
