Quran Universe
6:118

فَكُلُواْ مِمَّا ذُكِرَ ٱسۡمُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡهِ إِن كُنتُم بِـَٔايَٰتِهِۦ مُؤۡمِنِينَ

Fakuloo mimma thukira ismu Allahi AAalayhi in kuntum biayatihi mumineena

So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you are believers in His verses.

Word by word
  1. فَكُلُواْSo eat
  2. مِمَّاof what
  3. ذُكِرَ(is) mentioned
  4. ٱسۡمُ(the) name
  5. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  6. عَلَيۡهِon it
  7. إِنif
  8. كُنتُمyou are
  9. بِـَٔايَٰتِهِۦin His Verses
  10. مُؤۡمِنِينَbelievers
Al-An'am · 6:118Makkah

Eat what Allah's name was spoken over.

Food tied back to the One who provides it

What changed
pagan customfood offered to idols
replaced by
Allah's namespoken over it
if you
believe His signs
What a meal is
just fuelnothing to do with faith
a provision from Allahreceived in His name

Ibn Kathir says the pagans of Quraysh would eat what was sacrificed to idols. Allah gives the believers permission to eat what His name was mentioned over, tying their food back to Him. The verse links it to faith: if you believe in His signs.

Lunch at your desk, eyes on a screen, fork moving on autopilot. You do not even taste it. Saying Bismillah turns a meal back into a gift from someone who chose to feed you today.

Eating is just something I do, it has nothing to do with Allah.

My food is His provision, and His name over it reminds me who gave it.

Try this

Say Bismillah out loud before every meal today, and pause one breath before the first bite.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

So eat of that on which Allah's Name has been mentioned, if you are believers in His Ayat (118)And why should you not eat of that on which Allah's Name has been mentioned, while He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity? And surely, many do lead astray by their own desires through lack of knowledge. Certainly your Lord knows best the transgressors (119)

Allowing What was Slaughtered in the Name of Allah

This is a statement of permission from Allah, for His servants, allowing them to eat the slaughtered animals werein His Name was mentioned when slaughtering them. It is understood from it that He has not allowed that over which Allah's Name was not mentioned when slaughtering. This was the practice of the pagans of Quraysh who used to eat dead animals and eat what was slaughtered for the idols.

Allah next encourages eating from the meat of sacrificed animals on which His Name was mentioned upon slaughtering,

وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ

(And why should you not eat of that on which Allah's Name has been mentioned, while He has explained to you what is forbidden to you...) meaning, He has explained and made clear to you what He has prohibited for you in detail,

إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ

(except under compulsion of necessity.)

In which case, you are allowed to eat whatever you can find. Allah next mentions the ignorance of the idolators in their misguided ideas, such as eating dead animals and what was sacrificed while other than Allah's Name was mentioned when slaughtering them. Allah said,

وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَّيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهْوَائِهِم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِينَ

(And surely, many do lead astray by their own desires through lack of knowledge. Certainly your Lord knows best the transgressors.)

He has complete knowledge of their transgression, lies and inventions.