فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا ذُكِرَ ٱسْمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِهِۦ مُؤْمِنِينَ 118
Translations
So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allāh has been mentioned, if you are believers in His verses [i.e., revealed law].
Transliteration
Fakulu mimma dhukira ismu Allahi alayhi in kuntum bi-ayatihi mu'mineen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah permits the consumption of slaughtered animals over which Allah's name has been invoked, provided one believes in Allah's signs. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this verse establishes the permissibility of eating meat from lawfully slaughtered animals, emphasizing that the pronouncement of Allah's name (Bismillah) during slaughter is a condition for halal meat. The phrase 'if you believe in His signs' (in kuntum bi-ayatihi mu'mineen) connects faith in Allah's oneness and guidance to obedience in following His prescribed dietary laws.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-An'am, which discusses halal and haram foods and establishes Islamic dietary laws. It follows verses discussing the prohibition of carrion, blood, and swine, and serves to clarify what animals are permissible to eat when properly slaughtered according to Islamic ritual, addressing pre-Islamic practices and pagan customs of the Meccan period.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, 'There is no animal among the animals that has more souls than the locust; so when you slaughter, do so in a good manner. Let each of you sharpen his blade and spare the animal suffering' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Also relevant: The Prophet emphasized the importance of saying 'Bismillah' before slaughter in various hadith collections including Sahih Muslim.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that following Islamic dietary laws is an expression of faith in Allah and His wisdom; believers should ensure that their food is obtained lawfully and through proper Islamic methods, recognizing that how we obtain and consume sustenance reflects our submission to divine guidance.
Related Ayahs
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يَعْرِفُونَهُۥ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَآءَهُمُ ۘ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Those to whom We have given the Scripture recognize it as they recognize their [own] sons. Those who will lose themselves [in the Hereafter] do not believe.
وَذَرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَذَكِّرْ بِهِۦٓ أَن تُبْسَلَ نَفْسٌۢ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِىٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ وَإِن تَعْدِلْ كُلَّ عَدْلٍ لَّا يُؤْخَذْ مِنْهَآ ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا۟ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ ۖ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ
And leave those who take their religion as amusement and diversion and whom the worldly life has deluded. But remind with it [i.e., the Qur’ān], lest a soul be given up to destruction for what it earned; it will have other than Allāh no protector and no intercessor. And if it should offer every compensation, it would not be taken from it [i.e., that soul]. Those are the ones who are given to destruction for what they have earned. For them will be a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment because they used to disbelieve.
۞ وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ وَكَلَّمَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَحَشَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ قُبُلًا مَّا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَجْهَلُونَ
And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the message] and the dead spoke to them [of it] and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allāh should will. But most of them, [of that], are ignorant.
ثَمَـٰنِيَةَ أَزْوَٰجٍ ۖ مِّنَ ٱلضَّأْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ ٱلْمَعْزِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا ٱشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖ نَبِّـُٔونِى بِعِلْمٍ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
[They are] eight mates - of the sheep, two and of the goats, two. Say, "Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Inform me with knowledge, if you should be truthful."