وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُمْ مَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهْوَائِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِينَ ﴿۱۱۹﴾ وَذَرُوا ظَاهِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْسِبُونَ الْإِثْمَ سَيُجْزَوْنَ بِمَا كَانُوا يَقْتَرِفُونَ ﴿۱۲۰﴾ وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ لِيُجَادِلُوكُمْ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ ﴿۱۲۱﴾

﴾119﴿ Wa maa lakum allaa ta'kuloo mimmaa zukirasmul laahi 'alaihi wa qad fassala lakum maa harrama 'alaikum illaa mad turirtum ilaih; wa inna kaseeral la yudilloona bi ahwaaa'ihim bighairi 'ilm; inna Rabbaka Huwa a'lamu bilmu'tadeen
﴾120﴿ Wa zaroo zaahiral ismi wa baatinah; innal lazeena yaksiboonal ismaa sa yujzawna bimaa kaanoo yaqtarifoon
﴾121﴿ Wa laa ta'kuloo mimmaa lam yuzkaris mullaahi 'alaihi wa innahoo lafisq; wa innash Shayaateena la yoohoona ilaaa awliyaaa'ihim liyujaadilookum wa in ata'tumoohum innakum lamushrikoon

﴾119﴿ And what excuse do you have that you do not eat from that over which the name of Allah has been specifically mentioned? Indeed, He explains in detail to you what things have been made unlawful for you, except for what you are compelled to (consume). And surely, many people lead others astray by their desires without knowledge (or proof). Indeed, your Lord knows best those who transgress the limits.
﴾120﴿ And abandon the open sin and the hidden sin; surely those who commit sins will soon be punished for what they used to do.
﴾121﴿ And do not eat from that over which the name of Allah has not been mentioned; surely this is a transgression from the command of Allah. And indeed, the devils whisper to their friends so that they dispute with you, and if you obey them, surely you will be among the polytheists.

[119] This verse is also a refutation of declaring things unlawful without Allah’s command and serves as an emphasis on the previous ruling of فَكُلُوا (“So eat”).
(وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ) – Question: Previously, there was no detailed explanation, because in the earlier Meccan surahs, the lawful and unlawful were not fully elaborated. And although detailed rulings are found in Surahs Al-Baqarah and Al-Ma’idah, those were revealed after this surah. So what does فَصَّلَ (past tense) mean here?
Answer: The intent behind فَصَّلَ is actually in the present-future sense (يُفَصِّلُ)—meaning: He will give detailed clarification.
(إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ) – The exception here indicates that in cases of necessity (such as life-threatening situations), consuming blood, carrion, pork, or what has been slaughtered in the name of other than Allah is not considered forbidden. In such situations, saving one's life becomes the priority, and consumption is allowed to the extent necessary.
(وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا) – This refers to ‘Amr ibn Luhayy and those who followed him blindly. They are referred to as mu‘tadīn (transgressors)—those who go beyond the bounds in making things unlawful or lawful without authority from Allah.
[120] The meaning of (ظَاهِرَ الْإِثْمِ) is sins that are related to outward actions or physical aspects, or that become visible—this includes practical forms of shirk (associating partners with Allah through actions).
(وَبَاطِنَهُ) refers to sins related to beliefs and the heart, or those that remain hidden—this includes ideological shirk (shirk in belief).
(سَيُجْزَوْنَ) – The verse contains a specific condition implied by other verses about repentance and forgiveness—meaning, Allah the Exalted will not punish unless the person has not repented. Therefore, punishment becomes necessary only when there is no repentance.
Additionally, the phrase سَيُجْزَوْنَ (they will be recompensed) is a warning (waʿīd), but not a definitive declaration of obligation. Hence, this verse cannot be used by the Muʿtazilah as a proof for their view that Allah must punish sinners without exception.
[121] This verse is a refutation of making vows (nadhar) to anyone other than Allah. This interpretation is transmitted from ʿAṭā’, and it also includes carrion (murdār) under its ruling. As for the slaughter of a Muslim who deliberately omits mentioning the name of Allah during slaughter, there is a difference of opinion on its permissibility.
(وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ) – The pronoun refers either to the act of slaughtering for other than Allah, in which case it is ideological fisq (rebellion in belief), as in verse 145 of this Surah. Or it refers to the act of eating it, making it practical fisq (rebellion in action).
(وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ) – The “shayāṭīn” here refers to corrupt scholars (ʿulamā’ as-sū’) who cast doubts and whisperings into the hearts of the common people. Az-Zajjāj said: This is evidence that whoever declares the unlawful to be lawful, or the lawful to be unlawful, or permits making vows to other than Allah—then such a person is considered a mushrik (polytheist).
This also proves that someone from this ummah can commit shirk—even if it is shirk in ruling and legislation (shirk fī al-ḥukm wa at-tashrīʿ)—and he will still be called a mushrik.