-1

My problem at understanding is about the completion of favor on believers.

If the favor of ALLAH is completed on believers how can believers now have good things? are those not favor of ALLAH? why?

Like how can new believers get new good things if favor of ALLAH on believers was completed long ago?

Emphasis mine and I made the part that I want to be answered as bold:

5:3 Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh, and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islām as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful. — Saheeh International

2
  • 4
    Are you suggesting that if someone does a favor for you, they can never do anything good for you ever again? Because otherwise, I don't see how this could be a contradiction.
    – goldPseudo
    Nov 17, 2022 at 10:02
  • @goldPseudo That's a good explanation!
    – Vbscript
    Nov 20, 2022 at 2:33

1 Answer 1

2

There is no contradiction here. I recommend you read tafsirs (commentaries) on how this ayah is interpreted and any other ayahs you have questions about.

Many scholars consider ayah 5:3 to be the last ayah revealed in the Quran and that no other ayah came after it.

Tafsirs

According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Quran 5:3 says that his "favor" is the completion of Islam and since it is complete, no other religion is needed.

(This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.) This, indeed, is the biggest favor from Allah to this Ummah, for He has completed their religion for them, and they, thus, do not need any other religion or any other Prophet except Muhammad. This is why Allah made Muhammad the Final Prophet and sent him to all humans and Jinn. Therefore, the permissible is what he allows, the impermissible is what he prohibits, the Law is what he legislates and everything that he conveys is true and authentic and does not contain lies or contradictions.

According to the Study Quran (p. 650) on Quran 5:3, the completion of his "favor" refers widely to two views, the establishment of the rites and procedures for Hajj, or the completion of the Quran.

The “perfection” of the religion and the “completion” of blessing are widely understood as referring either to the fact that the Prophet’s pilgrimage to Makkah established the rites and procedures for the final Muslim ritual obligation, the ḥajj, or to the completion of the Quranic revelation, although not all agree that this was the last verse to be revealed. Some claim that no other ritual or legal rulings were revealed to the Prophet after this day (Ṭ, Ṭū, Z), although others assert that additional verses containing legal, but not ritual, prescriptions were revealed after this verse (Q).

According to Tafsir Al-Jalalayn, the completion of his "favor" refers to perfecting the religion of Islam and by giving the Muslims at the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) safe entry into Mecca.

[5:3] Forbidden to you is carrion, that is, the consumption of it, and blood, that is, what has been spilt, as mentioned in [sūrat] al-Anʿām [Q. 6:145], and the flesh of swine, and what has been hallowed to other than God, in that it was sacrificed in the name of something other than Him, and the beast strangled, to death, and the beast beaten down, to death, and the beast fallen, from a height to its death, and the beast gored, to death by another, and what beasts of prey have devoured, of such animals — except for what you have sacrificed duly, catching it while it still breathes life and then sacrificing it — and what has been sacrificed in, the name of, idols (nuṣub is the plural of nuṣāb) and that you apportion, that is, that you demand an oath or a ruling, through the divining of arrows (azlām: the plural of zalam or zulam, which is a qidḥ, ‘a small arrow’, without feathers or a head). There were seven of these [arrows], [marked] with flags, and they were retained by the keeper of the Kaʿba. They would use them for abitrations and when they commanded them they obeyed, and if they prohibited them they would desist; that is wickedness, a rebellion against obedience. And on the Day of ʿArafa in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage, the following was revealed: Today the disbelievers have despaired of your religion, of you apostatising from it, having hoped for it [earlier], for now they perceived its strength; therefore do not fear them, but fear Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you, that is, its rulings and obligations (after this [verse] nothing about [what is] lawful or unlawful was revealed) and I have completed My favour upon you, by perfecting it [your religion], but it is also said by [effecting] their safe entry into Mecca; and I have approved, chosen, Islam for you as religion. But whoever is constrained by emptiness, by hunger, to consume some of what has been forbidden him and consumes it, not inclining purposely to sin, to an act of disobedience — then God is Forgiving, to him for what he has consumed, Merciful, to him by permitting it to him, in contrast to the one who [purposely] inclines to sin, that is, the one actively engaged in it, such as a waylayer or a criminal, for whom [such] consumption is forbidden.

You can check out more tafsirs regarding Quran 5:3 here.

Conclusion

All Muslims alive during the revelation of this ayah to us living in the present day are benefiting from Allah's "favor" upon us which is the perfection/completion of Islam.

And according to some views/tafsirs, the "favor" also relates to the safe entry of Muslims into Mecca as well.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .