(… يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْتُلُوا الصَّيْدَ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ ) (O you who have believed, do not kill game while you are in the state of Ihram …): This is something Allah (swt) has forbidden. So, as long as a person is in the state of Ihram, he is not allowed to kill game.
(… وَمَن قَتَلَهُ مِنكُم مُّتَعَمِّدًا… ) (…And whoever kills it intentionally …): There are various opinions of the Scholars (Islamic jurists) in interpreting this verse regarding the issue of the ruling on a person who mistakenly kills game. He will need to pay a ransom, which is a compensation which is the equivalent of what he has killed, i.e., of the same size, or the same type of animal or bird that he had killed.
(… فَجَزَاءٌ مِّثْلُ مَا قَتَلَ مِنَ النَّعَمِ… ) (…shall make compensation with an animal which is the equivalent of what he has killed, …): The word (animal) used here means cattle. So, he would have to compensate with cattle if the animal killed was of the cattle.
(… يَحْكُمُ بِهِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ… ) (…as judged by two just men among you…): It is obligatory that two men give their judgements in this matter, that the person must compensate with an animal equivalent to the game he killed, which is to be distributed among the poor and needy.
(… هَدْيًا بَالِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ… ) (…as an offering (to Allah) brought to the Ka’ba, …): This offering is to be distributed for the poor and needy in the scared house.
(… أَوْ كَفَّارَةٌ طَعَامُ مَسَاكِينَ… ) (…as an offering (to Allah) brought to the Ka’ba, …): The Arabic word used here for offering is linguistically means the erasing and covering of a wrong deed which one has committed while he is in the state of Ihram. The required expiation here is to feed the needy this same amount.
(… أَوْ عَدْلُ ذَٰلِكَ صِيَامًا… ) (…Or the equivalent of that in fasting …): If the person is not able to feed the poor, he must fast the number of days which is equivalent to the amount fed to the needy, be it a day or two or three days.
(… لِّيَذُوقَ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِ… ) (…That he may taste the consequence of his matter (deed)…): The person who has killed game or went hunting while in the state of Ihram will have to compensate for his act. This compensation must be distributed and given (as an offering (to Allah) brought to the Ka’ba), i.e., for the needy around the area of the Ka’ba, (or an expiation: the feeding of needy people), (or the equivalent of that in fasting), i.e., he must fast according to the amount of the feeding. All of this is so (that he may taste the consequence of his matter), i.e., the weight or the effect of the act he had committed.
(… عَفَا اللَّهُ عَمَّا سَلَفَ ۚ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَيَنتَقِمُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَامٍ… ) (…Allah has pardoned what is past; and whoever returns (to violation), then Allah will take retribution from him. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution …): The one who returns to violation and continues to carry out acts of disobedience will be retributed, as Allah (swt) wills His Servants to be obedient to His Commands and not to be rebellious. Here, the issue is not regarding the permissibility of hunting, but rather, it is pertaining to the test for human beings. So when Allah (swt) starts the verse by saying: (O you who have believed, do not kill game), the test comes when a game presents itself in front of a person and he is capable of shooting it, but Allah (swt) does not allow it, specifically for this period of time or specifically when he has entered the state of Ihram and is on his way to the sacred house of Allah (i.e. the Ka’ba).