(120 verses in total; revealed in Madinah)
THIS SURAH TAKES ITS NAME from a special supplication that the disciples of Jesus requested him to make to God to provide them with repast from Heaven (5:112–114) to comfort their souls and to reinforce their conviction in the faith and truth as taught by Jesus Christ. This surah continues to reinforce the unity of faith as taught by Moses, Jesus and Mohammad and emphasize the need to remain true to the teachings of prophets and the teaching in this Qur’an and not to fall prey to selective interpretation or denial of some aspects of faith in favor of others. God also proclaims in a special verse (5:3) revealed before the death of Prophet Mohammad that God has perfected the teaching of monotheism with this Prophet and with Qur’an as the last direct call from God for our faith and goodness. Now all people of faith, especially those who submit to God, the God Who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and the God about Whom Jesus spoke in his Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Bible and as corroborated in the Qur’an, should uphold the truth regarding the unity of Godhead and the unity of faith and guidance from the same God. We owe it ourselves and to our common humanity to sustain and to generate momentum in our continuous march of human progress toward God and goodness.
This surah deals with a diverse set of topics of human and social contracts with God and with fellow human beings, the nature of Jesus and Christian faith revisited, lessons to be learned from stories of Abel and Cain and other prior generations, the encouragement of rational thinking and avoidance of all forms of superstitions, fortune-telling, and game of chance. Respect for human lives and social justice has been repeated here as a reminder, basic dietary rules are reemphasized, and physical aspects of worship are made an important part of being in God’s presence during daily and weekly worship. One critical aspect that we need to be mindful of and pay particular attention to is to be vigilant against excesses of clerical interpretations in detailing guidance where such interpretations are overly constraining and impinging on human freedom to think rationally and choose for ourselves as we see it.
Finally this surah calls for each one of us to have a sense of purpose and be willing to face adversity and difficulties in achieving such purpose. Only such commitment and sacrifice demonstrate our true understanding of our existence and our purpose in this life and the life to come.
Following are key concepts in this surah; they are listed here and further explained at the end of the surah:
1. Dietary rules explained (5:1, 3, 4–5, 87–88, 93)
2. Honoring the signs of God (5:2)
3. Avoiding transgressions and maintaining justice at all times (5:2, 8–10)
4. The perfection of faith and guidance (5:3, 11)
5. Marriage to people of faith (from other religions) (5:5)
6. Ablution for prayer detailed (5:6–7)
7. Lessons to be learned from people of previous revelations (5:12–26, 41–47)
8. Lessons from Abel and Cain (5:27–31)
9. The killing of human beings and corruption on land is forbidden (5:32)
10. Success requires sacrifice and a sense of purpose (5:35)
11. The punishment for disrupting social order (mischief, loss of life and property) (5:33, 38–40)
12. The Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an all lead to the same God and goodness (5:44–48, 69)
13. God’s warning about failing to remain true to His guidance (5:54–56)
14. Warning against the excesses of clerics (5:59,62–66, 68)
15. The nature of Jesus explained (5:72–77, 109–118)
16. Christian priests and monks are praised for humility (8:82–85,66)
17. The importance of keeping oaths and promises (5:89)
18. Injunction against intoxicants, gambling, and fortune-telling (5:90–92)
19. Good and bad are distinct (5:100)
20. The desire for over-clarification is discouraged (5:101)
21. God’s protection (5:67,105)
22. The need to draw up a will and protect it with witnesses (5:106–108)