5-94 O you who believe, Allah will certainly try you in respect of some game which your hands and your lances can reach, that Allah may know who fears Him in secret. Whoever exceeds the limit after this, for him is a painful chastisement.a
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَيَبۡلُوَنَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلصَّيۡدِ تَنَالُهُ ۥۤ أَيۡدِيكُمۡ وَرِمَاحُكُمۡ لِيَعۡلَمَ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَخَافُهُ ۥ بِٱلۡغَيۡبِۚ فَمَنِ ٱعۡتَدَىٰ بَعۡدَ ذَٲلِكَ فَلَهُ ۥ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ۬ (٩٤)
5-94a: The main topic of this section is the respect and sanctity of the Kabah. The rules regarding hunting are also with respect to it. This topic too has a special relationship with Christianity. In the year of the Prophet’s birth, a Christian monarch planned to destroy the Kabah, details of which are given in Surah Al-Fil (The Elephant). There are clear prophecies present in the Quran and Hadith regarding the domination of Christianity in the end times. It is obvious that the domination of Christianity raises the question of safeguarding the Kabah and therefore this topic is mentioned in what is otherwise a general discussion about Christianity.
The sanctity of Kabah is elevated to such a high level that hunting is prohibited while a pilgrim is in the state of pilgrimage. Even otherwise, hunting when the area is packed with pilgrims can easily result in accidents with consequent mortalities.
The term reaching with hands means catching the prey with nets and hunting by lance means prey caught after wounding it. Hunting with bows and guns is included in the latter classification. According to Mujahid, reaching with hands means small prey and hunting by lance means large prey (IJ).
5-95 O you who believe, kill not game while you are on pilgrimage. And whoever among you kills it intentionally, the compensation thereof is the like of what he killed, from the cattle, as two just persons among you judge, as an offering to be brought to the Ka‘bah, or the expiation thereof is the feeding of the poor or equivalent of it in fasting, that he may taste the unwholesome result of his deed. Allah pardons what happened in the past. And whoever returns (to it), Allah will punish him. And Allah is Mighty, Lord of Retribution.a
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَقۡتُلُواْ ٱلصَّيۡدَ وَأَنتُمۡ حُرُمٌ۬ۚ وَمَن قَتَلَهُ ۥ مِنكُم مُّتَعَمِّدً۬ا فَجَزَآءٌ۬ مِّثۡلُ مَا قَتَلَ مِنَ ٱلنَّعَمِ يَحۡكُمُ بِهِۦ ذَوَا عَدۡلٍ۬ مِّنكُمۡ هَدۡيَۢا بَـٰلِغَ ٱلۡكَعۡبَةِ أَوۡ كَفَّـٰرَةٌ۬ طَعَامُ مَسَـٰكِينَ أَوۡ عَدۡلُ ذَٲلِكَ صِيَامً۬ا لِّيَذُوقَ وَبَالَ أَمۡرِهِۦۗ عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَمَّا سَلَفَۚ وَمَنۡ عَادَ فَيَنتَقِمُ ٱللَّهُ مِنۡهُۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ۬ ذُو ٱنتِقَامٍ (٩٥)
5-95a: Hunting prohibited during pilgrimage: This verse further expands on the topic of the last verse and states that hunting is prohibited in the state of pilgrimage. Animals that are predators or dangerous are not included in the prohibition. The punishment for the violators is also specified. The punishment is the sacrifice of an animal within the precincts of Kaabah that is equivalent to the one killed in hunting as decided by two just persons. By just persons are meant persons that have judicial acumen and can compare the rights. The final determination is left to these people and in special circumstances they can decide whether the compensation will be sacrifice or feeding of needy or fasting and the quantity of the punishment imposed. The Quran generally specifies more than one person in decisions of this sort. Two people are specified here, and the same number is specified in case of divorce. The objective is that two people can discuss the matter with each other and can reach the right decision. There is a greater chance of a wrong decision with one person. Having a bench of judges is therefore not a new idea.
5-96 Lawful to you is the game of the sea and its food, a provision for you and for the travelersa and the game of the land is forbidden to you so long as you are on pilgrimage, and keep your duty to Allah, to Whom you shall be gathered.
أُحِلَّ لَكُمۡ صَيۡدُ ٱلۡبَحۡرِ وَطَعَامُهُ ۥ مَتَـٰعً۬ا لَّكُمۡ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِۖ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ صَيۡدُ ٱلۡبَرِّ مَا دُمۡتُمۡ حُرُمً۬اۗ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ إِلَيۡهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ (٩٦)
5-96a: طعام -طَعۡم means to eat something for nutrition and طعام is everything that is eaten as food (R). However, as narrated by Caliph Abu Bakr Siddiq, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar and others that صیدہ is that which is caught and killed as a result of fishing and طعام is that which the river throws out on its own or that is left as the river recedes (IJ).
سیارۃ – It is derived from سیر and means to travel in the land. A party that travels in the land is called سیارۃ as in: وَجَآءَتۡ سَيَّارَةٌ۬ (And there came travelers) (12:19).
Sea food is exempt: Fishing during pilgrimage is allowed. Fishing in the river poses no danger to life of other pilgrims.
5-97 Allah has made the Ka‘bah, the Sacred House, a means of support for the people, and the sacred month and the offerings and the victims with garlands. That is that you may know that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and that Allah is Knower of all things.a
جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡكَعۡبَةَ ٱلۡبَيۡتَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ قِيَـٰمً۬ا لِّلنَّاسِ وَٱلشَّہۡرَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ وَٱلۡهَدۡىَ وَٱلۡقَلَـٰٓٮِٕدَۚ ذَٲلِكَ لِتَعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ (٩٧)
5-97a: ٱلۡكَعۡبَةَ – The ankle is called کعب that is those bones that jut out at the joint of the thigh and the foot, and کَعَبَتِ الۡجاریة is a girl whose breasts have begun to develop. From this concept of elevation, کعب is used in the sense of honor and eminence, as in the hadith: لا یزال کَعۡبك عالیاً which is a prayer for honor and eminence. Lisan al-Arab defines کعب as: و کُلُّ شیءٍ علا وارتفع فھو کعبٌ (Everything that is high and elevated) (LA). The Kabah is so called because it it is high and square (LA). The reality is that it is so called because of its dignity and eminence. The meaning of high and elevated is not its physical height but its elevation in status because this House right from its inception has enjoyed eminence and exaltation. In fact, it can be said that it is named Kabah as a prophecy that it will have honor and eminence in the world, and being square in shape is no great distinction because of which to name this building.
قِيَـٰمً۬ا لِّلنَّاسِ – Having قیام for a thing means to care for and protect it (R). So, قِيَـٰمً۬ا لِّلنَّاسِ means a way for caring and protecting the people. Assama has taken its meaning to be قائما , that is self-subsisting or one never to be abrogated (R), that is that the Kabah will never be destroyed nor will any new religion come into the world so that the importance of Kabah is abrogated.
God Has made Kabah a place of support: This verse draws attention to the real topic. God has made the Kabah a place of support. In other words, it is a means of safety for the people. It is not just specifically the Arabs who are mentioned here but it is stated to be a place of support for all the people. Hence the meaning cannot only be that it is a means of livelihood for the people of Arabia because it is a center of trade. Instead, the meaning is that just as nutrition is a means of physical existence, the Kabah is a means of people’s spiritual existence, and through it the religious affairs of the world are reformed. It is absolutely true that if the Holy Prophet had not come into this world, monotheism and spirituality would have become extinct in the world. In this way, the Kabah has become the cause of the spiritual life of the world and has thus become a support for the world. It is for this reason that the Kabah is protected from destruction forever because it has been made a manifest sign that truth can never be destroyed. Similarly, قیام is true in its application to the Kabah in both of its meanings. It will remain forever, and no earthly power will be able to destroy it, and the spirituality that it has given birth to will also never be destroyed, and instead will be the means that will give life to this world.
The mention of the remaining three things is also meant to inform that not only will the Kabah remain standing till end times, but also the things that are associated with it, namely the sacred months in which pilgrimage is performed and the offerings and the victims with garlands that are sacrificed. The purport is that Haj too will continue forever, and the stoppage of Haj will be a sign of the destruction of the people. The pilgrims have not been mentioned here and instead it is the days of pilgrimage and sacrifices that are mentioned. However, when these are protected, it follows that the pilgrims too will be protected. Accordingly, the meaning narrated by Atta is that as long as people continue to perform Haj, they will not be destroyed and when Haj is relinquished, they will be destroyed.
A great prophecy: This is called a great prophecy whose fulfilment evidences that Allah is the knower of the unseen. Such a claim has not been made about any other structure in the world. It is indeed strange that despite thousands of every kind of plots, no person has been successful in harming the Kabah in any way. This is the biggest argument against the Christians because they became the most powerful nations and they exerted the maximum effort to convert the Muslims to Christianity, but they failed. They tried to take over the Muslim lands and they failed in that too.
5-98 Know that Allah is Severe in requiting (evil) and that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.a
ٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (٩٨)
5-98a: The meaning is that Allah will severely punish anyone who tries to harm the Kabah, but Allah is Forgiving and Merciful and forgives many faults.
5-99 The duty of the Messenger is only to deliver (the message). And Allah knows what you do openly and what you hide.
مَّا عَلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ إِلَّا ٱلۡبَلَـٰغُۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تُبۡدُونَ وَمَا تَكۡتُمُونَ (٩٩)
5-100 Say: The bad and the good are not equal, though the abundance of the bad may please thee. So keep your duty to Allah, O men of understanding, that you may succeed.a
قُل لَّا يَسۡتَوِى ٱلۡخَبِيثُ وَٱلطَّيِّبُ وَلَوۡ أَعۡجَبَكَ كَثۡرَةُ ٱلۡخَبِيثِۚ فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ يَـٰٓأُوْلِى ٱلۡأَلۡبَـٰبِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ (١٠٠)
5-100a: The bad are still in the majority much to the amazement of the world, but the good and the bad are not equal and the good will ultimately dominate.
Bayan-ul-Quran 