Quran Universe
10:59

قُلۡ أَرَءَيۡتُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُم مِّن رِّزۡقٖ فَجَعَلۡتُم مِّنۡهُ حَرَامٗا وَحَلَٰلٗا قُلۡ ءَآللَّهُ أَذِنَ لَكُمۡۖ أَمۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَفۡتَرُونَ

Qul araaytum ma anzala Allahu lakum min rizqin fajaAAaltum minhu haraman wahalalan qul allahu athina lakum am AAala Allahi taftaroona

Say, "Have you seen what Allah has sent down to you of provision of which you have made [some] lawful and [some] unlawful?" Say, "Has Allah permitted you [to do so], or do you invent [something] about Allah?"

Word by word
  1. قُلۡSay
  2. أَرَءَيۡتُمHave you seen
  3. مَّآwhat
  4. أَنزَلَ(has been) sent down
  5. ٱللَّهُ(by) Allah
  6. لَكُمfor you
  7. مِّنof
  8. رِّزۡقٖ(the) provision
  9. فَجَعَلۡتُمand you have made
  10. مِّنۡهُof it
  11. حَرَامٗاunlawful
  12. وَحَلَٰلٗاand lawful
  13. قُلۡSay
  14. ءَآللَّهُHas Allah
  15. أَذِنَpermitted
  16. لَكُمۡۖ[to] you
  17. أَمۡor
  18. عَلَىabout
  19. ٱللَّهِAllah
  20. تَفۡتَرُونَyou invent (lies)
Yunus · 10:59Makkah

Who gave you the right to forbid what Allah allowed?

Making up lawful and unlawful by desire

What they did
Allah's provisioncamels, crops, food
split into
lawful and unlawfulby their own rules
asked
did Allah permit it?or is it invented?
Who decides
my opinionfeels right to me
Allahnot desires or guesses

Ibn Abbas and others said this criticised the idolators who cut the ears of their camels and declared them forbidden for themselves. The Prophet ﷺ told one man: what Allah has given you is lawful. Ibn Kathir says their rules came from desires and false opinions, not evidence.

Someone in the family declares a thing haram with total confidence. Another calls something fine because everyone does it. Both are claims about Allah. The verse asks: did He say so, or did we?

If it feels wrong or right to me, that settles it.

Only Allah makes things lawful or unlawful. My feelings do not.

Try this

Next time you are about to say this is haram or halal, pause and ask: do I actually know?

Related6:136
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Say: "Tell me, what provision Allah has sent down to you! And you have made of it lawful and unlawful." Say: "Has Allah permitted you (to do so), or do you invent a lie against Allah (59)And what think those who invent a lie against Allah, on the Day of Resurrection Truly,Allah is full of bounty to mankind, but most of them are ungrateful (60)

None can make Anything Lawful or Unlawful except Allah or Those Whom Allah has allowed to do so

Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam and others said: "This Ayah was revealed to criticize the idolators for what they used to make lawful and unlawful. Like the Bahirah, Sa'ibah and Wasilah." As Allah said:

وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا

(And they assign to Allah a share of the tilth and cattle which He has created.)[6:136] Imam Ahmad recorded a narration from Malik bin Nadlah who said, "I came to Allah's Messenger ﷺ while in filthy clothes. He said,

هَلْ لَكَ مَالٌ؟

(Do you have wealth) I answered, 'Yes.' He said,

مِنْ أَيِّ الْمَالِ؟

(what kind of wealth?) I answered, 'All kinds; camels, slaves, horses, sheep.' So he said,

إِذَا آَتَاكَ اللَّهُ مَالًا فَلْيُرَ عَلَيْكَ

(If Allah gives you wealth, then let it be seen on you.) Then he said,

هَلْ تُنْتَجُ إِبْلُكَ صِحَاحًا آذَانُهَا، فَتَعْمِدَ إِلَى مُوسًى فَتَقْطَعَ آذَانَهَا، فَتَقُولُ: هَذِهِ بُحْرٌ، وَتَشُقُّ جُلُودَهَا وَتَقُولُ: هَذِهِ صُرُمٌ، وَتُحَرِّمُهَا عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى أَهْلِكَ؟

(It is not that your camels are born with healthy ears, you take a knife and cut them, then say, "This is a Bahr, " tear its skin, then say, ' This is a Sarm, " and prohibit them for yourself and your family) I replied, ' Yes. ' He said,

فَإِنَّ مَا آتَاكَ اللهُ لَكَ حِلٌّ، سَاعِدُ اللهِ أَشَدُّ مِنْ سَاعِدِكَ، وَمُوسَى الله أَحَدُّ مِنْ مُوسَاكَ

(What Allah has given you is lawful. Allah's Forearm is stronger than your forearm, and Allah's knife is sharper then your knife.)"

And he mentioned the Hadith in its complete form, and the chain for this Hadith is a strong, good chain.

Allah criticized those who make lawful what Allah has made unlawful or vice verse. This is because they are based on mere desires and false opinions that are not supported with evidence or proof. Allah then warned them with a promise of the Day of Resurrection. He asked:

وَمَا ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

(And what think those who invent a lie against Allah, on the Day of Resurrection?) What do they think will happen to them when they return to Us on the Day of Resurrection Ibn Jarir said that Allah's statement:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ

(Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind,) indicated that the bounty is in postponing their punishment in this world. I (Ibn Kathir) say, the meaning could be that the Grace for people is in the good benefits that He made permissible for them in this world or in their religion. He also has not prohibited them except what is harmful to them in their world and the Hereafter.

وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ

(but most of them are ungrateful.) So they prohibited what Allah has bestowed upon them and made it hard and narrow upon themselves. They made some things lawful and others unlawful. The idolators committed these actions when they set laws for themselves. And so did the People of the Book when they invented innovations in their religion.