لِّيَشْهَدُوا۟ مَنَـٰفِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ فِىٓ أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَـٰتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ ۖ فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا۟ ٱلْبَآئِسَ ٱلْفَقِيرَ 28
Translations
That they may witness [i.e., attend] benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allāh on known [i.e., specific] days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.
Transliteration
Liyashhadoo manāfi'a lahum wa yadhkuroo isma Allāhi fī ayyāmin ma'lūmātin 'alā mā razaqahum min bahīmati al-an'ām, fa-kulū minhā wa aṭ'imū al-bā'isa al-faqīr
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the purpose and benefits of the Hajj pilgrimage and the animal sacrifice ('Eid al-Adha), commanding the believers to witness the benefits of this sacred ritual and remember Allah's name during the designated days (10-13 Dhul-Hijjah) when slaughtering sacrificial animals. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir emphasize that the 'manāfi'' (benefits) refer to spiritual elevation, forgiveness, and social welfare through charity, while the commandment to eat from the sacrifice and feed the poor reflects Islam's integration of worship with social responsibility.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Madinah as part of the comprehensive regulations for Hajj and its associated rites. It appears within the context of Surah Al-Hajj's detailed instructions on pilgrimage, particularly addressing the practice of animal sacrifice that accompanies the Hajj ceremony and its charitable dimensions.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim record that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of days is the Day of 'Arafah,' emphasizing the spiritual significance of the Hajj period. Additionally, Sunan Ibn Mājah records that the Prophet encouraged believers to eat from their sacrifices and gift portions to others, directly reflecting the injunction in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
True worship is not merely individual spiritual exercise but carries communal and social dimensions; believers must couple their remembrance of Allah with practical charity and care for the less fortunate. This ayah teaches that religious rituals gain their complete meaning when combined with compassion, generosity, and social justice.
Related Ayahs
يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّآ أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى ٱلنَّاسَ سُكَـٰرَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَـٰرَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ ٱللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ
On the Day you see it every nursing mother will be distracted from that [child] she was nursing, and every pregnant woman will abort her pregnancy, and you will see the people [appearing] intoxicated while they are not intoxicated; but the punishment of Allāh is severe.
حُنَفَآءَ لِلَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِۦ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ ٱلطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِى بِهِ ٱلرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ
Inclining [only] to Allāh, not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allāh - it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.
وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَعَادٌ وَثَمُودُ
And if they deny you, [O Muḥammad] - so, before them, did the people of Noah and ʿAad and Thamūd deny [their prophets],
يَدْعُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُۥ وَمَا لَا يَنفَعُهُۥ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلضَّلَـٰلُ ٱلْبَعِيدُ
He invokes instead of Allāh that which neither harms him nor benefits him. That is what is the extreme error.