Medinan surah addressing the Christians in particular, named after the table of heavenly food the disciples of Isa AS asked him for. This surah was revealed in one revelation whilst the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was on his camel. The camel had to sit down due to the “weight” of the surah. It was the last of the long surahs to be revealed, after the final pilgrimage, within 2-3 months of death of Prophet ﷺ.

At that time paganism was almost extinguished from Arabia. The surah was raising awareness of Christianity and finalising legislations, punishments and the fulfillment of covenants. It was directed to the believers compared with Al Nisa which opens with message for all humankind.

Five Islamic legal rulings: obligation – fard, wajib (sinful if omitted), recommendation – mustahab (rewarded if committed, no sin if omitted), permissible – mubha (no reward or sin), disapproved – mukru (no sin of committed), prohibition – haram (sinful if committed, rewarded if omitted)

Themes

• Monotheism.
• Islamic rulings.
• Covenants with the People of the Book and their repeated violations.

Summary

• 1-6: Contracts, permissible foods, ritual bath, ablution.
• 7-32: Covenant with Allah SWT. Musa AS. The sons of Adam AS.
• 33-40: Ordained punishments and repentance.
• 41-50: Judge by what Allah SWT has revealed, the Torah, Bible, Quran.
• 51-86: Who to take as allies/guardians. The People of the Book who have rebelled and disbelieved. Refuting Christian theology.
• 87-108: Laws.
• 109-120: Covenants on Day of Judgement. Miracles of ISA AS. Story of the table. The dialogue between Allah SWT and ISA AS on the Day of Judgement.

Selected Verses

1-5, 95-96: Islamic legal instructions: 

• Fulfil contracts.
• Lawful to eat livestock and seafood.
• Unlawful to hunt during the pilgrimage.
• Lawful to hunt when the pilgrimage is over.
• Unlawful to violate the sacred right of Allah SWT in pilgrimage.
• Unlawful to offend people who visit the Kaaba.
• Unlawful to forbid entry to Kaaba for believers.
• Unlawful to eat:
  • Carrion, swine and blood.
  • Animals slaughtered in the name of any other deity.
  • Animals killed by strangling, beating, fall, goring or predators.
• Unlawful to use lots to make decisions.
• Lawful to eat food caught by hunting animals or birds.
• Lawful to eat food of the People of the Book.
• Lawful to marry Jews and Christians.
• Unlawful for alcohol, gambling and idolatry.

2: Mutual cooperation to perform good and righteous deeds. Do not cooperate in sin and transgression.

3: Today I have perfected your faith for you, completed My favour upon you and chosen Islam as your way.

5: Whoever rejects the faith, all their good deeds will be void (in this life) and in the Hereafter they will be among the losers.

6: Ayah on wudu (ablution), describing its components and the ruling for dry ablution (tayammum) if no water is available. A state of impurity requires a full bath – following any sexual discharge and following menstruation.

There are differences in opinions as to whether wudu includes elbows/ankles and what portions of the face, based on hadith and observations of the Prophet ﷺ.

Wudu is an act of worship in its own right with great rewards. The benefits include:

• Removes germs, prevents tooth and gum disease.
• Provides physical and spiritual cleanliness.
• Gain blessings of Allah SWT.
• Attain status of a martyr if one dies in a state of wudu.
• Expiates sins and protects one on the Day of Judgement.
• Strengthens spirituality and faith.
• Sunnah to sleep with wudu.
• The dua after wudu is a means of entering Jannah.

8: Act justly, even with people you have hatred for. That is righteousness/piety.

12-14: Allah’s SWT covenants with the Jews and Christians which were broken. They neglected some of the commandments they were given and were deceitful, except for a few.

16: Allah SWT guides those who seek His pleasure, out of the darkness and into the light. He guides them through the Quran onto the Straight Path.

17: Isa AS is not God. Allah SWT has the power to destroy him, his mother and all in the world. To Allah SWT belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all in-between.

18: Jews and Christians claim they are the children of God and His most beloved. They are humans like others, created by Allah SWT.

20-26: The Jews were told to enter the promised land. They were afraid of the powerful people there and had no trust in Allah SWT. They mocked the commandment and rebelled so they were punished with 40 yrs in the wilderness.

27-31: Story of the sons of Adam AS. Qabil killed Habil (Cain and Abel) as his sacrifice to Allah SWT was not accepted. The first death on this earth was due to murder because of jealousy. The concept of burial was unknown, so Cain learnt from a crow sent by Allah SWT.

32: The value of mankind. Whoever takes a life is as if they killed all of humanity. Whoever saves a life is as if they saved of all of humanity.

33, 38: Harsh punishments for murder, mischief in the land, theft – akin to terrorism. This is in order to act as a deterrent and thereby remove these crimes from society.

44-48: Judging by the Torah, Gospel and Quran, all Allah’s SWT revelations. The Quran supersedes the Torah and Bible. An eye for eye, the same as in Torah. But to waive this right is atonement.

51-58: Do not take Christians, Jews, disbelievers or hypocrites as your guardians. True guardians are Allah SWT, the Messenger ﷺ and true believers.

59: People of book resenting Muslims for believing in Allah SWT and all his revelations. They are rebellious not even believing in their own scriptures.

65-66: Had the People of the Book believed and obeyed they would have had bountiful provisions form Allah SWT.

69: Whoever truly believes in Allah SWT and the Last Day will have no fear or grief, be they Muslims, Jews or Christians.

72-76: Ayats discounting Christian theology. Isa AS preached monotheism (there is no verse in the New Testament saying that Jesus is God). Even the Christians cannot explain the trinity to make any sense. Both Isa AS and Marayam RA ate food, by extension necessitated excretion – how can that be a God. How clear are the revelations yet how deluded they are.

77: People of the Book, do not go to extremes in faith. Do not go beyond the truth or follow the vain desires of those who themselves have gone astray. The Christian doctrine was developed over time by people. The first notion of the trinity came in 2nd-3rd century of Christianity.

82: The most bitter towards the believers are the Jews and polytheists. The most gracious are the Christians.

87: Moderation in religion. Do not forbid lawful food.

89: Allah SWT will hold us to account for our deliberate oaths. The penalty for a broken oath is to fee ten poor people, or clothe them, or fee a slave. If none of this is affordable, to fast 3 days.

91: Shaytan’s plan is to sow enmity and hatred by using gambling and intoxicants to prevent the taqwa of Allah SWT.

100: Good and evil, pure and filth, are not the same. Just because we are surrounded by evil and filth it does not mean it is acceptable. Evil will always be evil, it is not decided by society. Morals do not change.

105: We are accountable only for ourselves.

110-111: Allah SWT’s favours upon Isa AS:

• Speaking in infancy.
• Taught him wisdom, writing, the Torah and Gospel.
• Bringing a clay bird to life.
• Healing the blind and lepers.
• Bringing the dead to life.
• Preventing the Children of Israel from harming him.

112-115: The miracle of the Table, a meal from heaven requested by the disciples;. Having witnessed this miracle, if they deny the truth they will be inflicted by a torment never before inflicted on creation.

116-120: Dialogue between Allah SWT and Isa AS on Day of Judgement. Isa AS denied any claim to divinity and told his people to worship Allah SWT.

120: To Allah SWT alone belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He is Most Capable of everything.