5:3 Explained
Examples of Carrion
Sura 5:3 states several categories that appear to be prohibited in addition to the four universal dietary prohibitions. These include animals "strangled, struck with an object, fallen from a height, gored, attacked by a wild animal." Some falsely assume that animals that die by these means cannot be eaten, and each of these ways of death would add to the dietary prohibitions mentioned in 6:145. However, this is not the case, as these are just examples of carrion, the first dietary prohibition.
Proof of this is that animals that have been through these scenarios are still lawful to eat as long as they are slaughtered with the intent of being food before their death. This is articulated in the word "dhakkaytum" ( ذَكَّيْتُمْ ), which is used for slaughter with the intention of making the animal fit for food.
[5:3] Prohibited for you are animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than God. (Animals that die of themselves include those) strangled, struck with an object, fallen from a height, gored, attacked by a wild animal—unless you save your animal before it dies (ذَكَّيْتُمْ)—and animals sacrificed on altars. Also prohibited is dividing the meat through a game of chance; this is an abomination. Today, the disbelievers have given up concerning (the eradication of) your religion; do not fear them and fear Me instead. Today, I have completed your religion, perfected My blessing upon you, and I have decreed Submission as the religion for you. If one is forced by famine (to eat prohibited food), without being deliberately sinful, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful.
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةُ وَٱلدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَٱلْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَٱلْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَٱلنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَآ أَكَلَ ٱلسَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى ٱلنُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا۟ بِٱلْأَزْلَـٰمِ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ ٱلْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًا فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ فِى مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
This lets us know that if we kill an animal, the intention has to be that it will be killed for the sake of being food. Otherwise, it will fall into the category of carrion, regardless of whether it was done by a human or by natural causes.
This is why if a person, for instance, hits a deer with their car, the deer would be prohibited from eating. Because the intention when killing the animal was not to make it food, it would fall into the category of carrion.
But if the deer was still alive after the person hit it with their car, and then the human kills the animal with the intent of making it food ( ذَكَّيْتُمْ ), then it is lawful to eat.
Animals Sacrificed on Altars
This also sheds light on what it means when it states, “and animals sacrificed on altars”
[5:3] Prohibited for you are animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than GOD. (Animals that die of themselves include those) strangled, struck with an object, fallen from a height, gored, attacked by a wild animal—unless you save your animal before it dies—and animals sacrificed (ذُبِحَ) on altars. Also prohibited is dividing the meat through a game of chance; this is an abomination. Today, the disbelievers have given up concerning (the eradication of) your religion; do not fear them and fear Me instead. Today, I have completed your religion, perfected My blessing upon you, and I have decreed Submission as the religion for you. If one is forced by famine (to eat prohibited food), without being deliberately sinful, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful.
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةُ وَٱلدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَٱلْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَٱلْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَٱلنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَآ أَكَلَ ٱلسَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى ٱلنُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا۟ بِٱلْأَزْلَـٰمِ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ ٱلْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًا فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ فِى مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
The Arabic word translated as “animals sacrificed on altars” is “ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ” The Arabic word used for slaughtered is "dhubiḥa" ( ذُبِحَ ). This means explicitly something killed without the intention of it being food.
If we look at every other occurrence of this root (2:49, 2:67, 2:71, 14:6, 27:21, 28:4, 37:102, and 37:107), it is always in the context of killing when it is not intended to be food. For example, we see this term is used towards the killing of the sons by Pharoah and Abraham's dream.
[2:49] Recall that we saved you from Pharaoh’s people who inflicted upon you the worst persecution, slaying (يُذَبِّحُونَ) your sons and sparing your daughters. That was an exacting test from your Lord.
وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَـٰكُم مِّنْ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْ وَفِى ذَٰلِكُم بَلَآءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ
[37:102] When he grew enough to work with him, he said, "My son, I see in a dream that I am sacrificing you. What do you think?" He said, "O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, GOD willing, patient."
(١٠٢) فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ ٱلسَّعْىَ قَالَ يَـٰبُنَىَّ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ فِى ٱلْمَنَامِ أَنِّىٓ أَذْبَحُكَ فَٱنظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ قَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ ٱفْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
So based on this, the animals sacrificed (dhubiḥa) on altars would be animals slaughtered without the intent of being food. Such an animal would, therefore, constitute carrion, as the intent of its sacrifice was not for dietary consumption. It also makes sense why this category is mentioned after the mention of "dhakkaytum" ( ذَكَّيْتُمْ ) because if the animal was already slaughtered by "dhubiḥa" ( ذُبِحَ ) then there is no opportunity to save your animal to slaughter it for the consumption of food.
Dividing the Meat Through a Game of Chance
Lastly, what about "dividing the meat through a game of chance"? The concept of dividing the game of meat through a game of chance was a pagan practice similar to pulling straws to determine who would get what cut of meat. This example demonstrates that there are specific actions that may be prohibited, but this does not mean that the meat itself is prohibited.
For example, another common pagan practice among early Arabs was to set aside a portion of their crops and livestock for their idols.
[6:136] They even set aside a share of GOD’s provisions of crops and livestock, saying, “This share belongs to GOD,” according to their claims, “and this share belongs to our idols.” However, what was set aside for their idols never reached GOD, while the share they set aside for GOD invariably went to their idols. Miserable indeed is their judgment.
وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا هَٰذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَٰذَا لِشُرَكَائِنَا فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَائِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَىٰ شُرَكَائِهِمْ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
This practice was so rampant that they had specific names for certain kinds of livestock they deemed prohibited from eating because they were considered dedicated to their idols. This is best depicted in the following verse:
[5:103] GOD did not prohibit livestock that begets certain combinations of males and females, nor livestock liberated by an oath, nor the one that begets two males in a row, nor the bull that fathers ten. It is the disbelievers who invented such lies about GOD. Most of them do not understand.
مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَحِيرَةٍ وَلَا سَائِبَةٍ وَلَا وَصِيلَةٍ وَلَا حَامٍ وَلَٰكِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
These different kinds of livestock in the Arabic of 5:103 are not spelled out like in the translation. The Arabic, on the other hand, uses the pagan names for this list of animals that the pagan Arabs determined were set aside for their idols and, therefore, prohibited from being slaughtered for food. These names are the following:
Bahirah (بَحِيرَةٍ): livestock that begets certain combinations of males and females
Saibah (سَائِبَةٍ): livestock liberated by an oath
Wasilah (وَصِيلَةٍ): cattle that begets two males in a row
Hami (حَامٍ): a bull that fathers ten
These are all examples of practices that are prohibited, yet the food nor the livestock themselves are prohibited. If they were, then this would give legitimacy to these pagan practices and allow them to prohibit lawful food based on their pagan ideology. The Quran not only condemns these acts but informs the believers that as long as these foods are not part of the four dietary prohibitions, they are lawful for consumption.
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