الآية رقم (96) - أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُ مَتَاعًا لَّكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُمًا وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِيَ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

(96) - (Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food as provision for you and the travelers, but forbidden to you is game from the land as long as you are in the state of ihram. And fear Allah to whom you will be gathered.)

This verse is not regarding the practice of the prohibition of hunting, but rather, the practice of obeying the commands of Allah (swt). Here, game from the land is forbidden while game from the sea is made lawful, as explained by the Prophet (saws) when asked regarding it:

“Its water is pure, and its dead animals are permissible”[1]

(… أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُ ) (Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food ): The game from the sea is its food, so why does Allah (swt) mention it by means of a conjunction? The answer: Game from the sea refers to what has been fished from it directly, while its food refers to what has been flavoured of the catch and left for a certain period.

(… وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُمًا ۗ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ… ) (…but forbidden to you is game from the land as long as you are in the state of ihram. And fear Allah to whom you will be gathered.): Allah (swt) explains to us that the reason for all of this is to gain Taqwa (fearing Allah). The issue of halal (lawful) and haram (forbidden) is in essence a test, and it also proves the Taqwa. Some people say that there must be a wisdom in the prohibition of every haram, such as the prohibition of intoxicants, gambling, sacrificing on stone altars and divining arrows. The prohibition for these is permanent and not connected to time and place, whereas the prohibition for hunting is only during the period of Ihram or in the stated places of Ihram, i.e., it is only prohibited when a person enters the area for Ihram and then starts his Ihram. Therefore, this indicates that the reason for the commands and prohibitions from Allah (swt) is obedience to the One Who Commands, and not to say, for example, “Pork meat has worms, so we do not eat it, as it leads to diseases”, or “We do not drink alcohol because it clouds over the mind.” These statements may be true, but we do not eat pork nor drink alcohol and we avoid gambling, divining arrows and sacrificing on stone altars in obedience to Allah’s Commands, whether or not we know the wisdom He wills behind the commands or prohibitions. If we do not avoid prohibitions in obedience to Allah, but instead, due to the reasons behind the prohibitions, we are actually worshipping the reasons and wisdoms instead of worshipping Allah (swt). When a person is asked why he does not drink alcohol and he replies that it is because it will lead to inflammation of the liver, this answer is true medically. However, the main reason he does not drink alcohol should be because Allah (swt) has prohibited it. After this, he can then learn about the dangers of drinking alcohol and all the other prohibitions of Allah (swt). The main point here is that all the halal and haram and do’s and don’ts are tests to prove one’s faith. Therefore, the rulings connected to Ihram and the sacred months lead to the reason for these rulings, which is: {And fear Allah}. Likewise, the reason for the legislation of fasting is also Taqwa, as Allah (swt) says:  

 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

(O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become mindful ˹of Allah) (Al-Baqara: 183)

In the case of fasting, it is true that Allah (swt) stops human beings from eating and drinking and intercourse, whereas these are forms of nutrition for the body. However, through this, He wills to give nutrition for the soul, as the soul is not nourished except through moral values. Therefore, food and drinks become nourishment for the body while the Quran and fasting become nourishment for the moral values and thus, for the soul. Due to all this, the Prophet (saws) has said:

“Fasting and the Quran intercede for a man. Fasting says, ‘O my Lord, I have kept him away from his food and his passions by day, so accept my intercession for him.’ The Qur’an says, ‘I have kept him away from sleep by night, so accept my intercession for him.’ Then their intercession is accepted.”[2]

The main purpose and reason that Allah (swt) gives commands linked to the lawful and unlawful and also to perform acts of worship is to attain Taqwa (fearing Allah), which is the accumulator of all good. Thus, all matters connected to goodness are part of Taqwa.

(  وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ … ) (…And fear Allah to whom you will be gathered): This means that you should make a barrier between yourselves and the wrath of Allah (swt), as you will all be returned and gathered in front of Him, and He (swt) shall inform you of what you used to do.

[1] Sunan an-Nasai: Book of water, Chapter of performing Ablution with sea water, Hadith No. 332.

[2] Musnad al-Imam Ahmad: Musnad of the Companions, Musnad of Abdullah ibn Omar, Hadith No. 6626.