Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ma'idah Verse 87

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, do not hold as unlawful the good things that Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Do not forbid the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, do not prohibit the good things that Allah has made lawful for you, and do not exceed the limits, for Allah does not like those who exceed the limits.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, forbid not such good things as God has permitted you; and transgress not; God loves not transgressors.

Abdul Haleem

You who believe, do not forbid the good things God has made lawful to you- do not exceed the limits: God does not love those who exceed the limits-

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O ye who believe! forbid not the clean things of that which Allah hath allowed unto you, and trespass not verily Allah approveth not the trespassers.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! make not unlawful the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, but commit no excess; for Allah loveth not those given to excess.

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers! Do not hold as unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful to you, and do not exceed the bounds of right. Allah does not love those who transgress the bounds of right.

Ahmed Ali

O believers, do not forbid the good things God has made lawful for you; and do not transgress. God does not love transgressors.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Do not forbid the pure things, which Allah has made lawful for you, and do not cross the limits; indeed Allah dislikes the transgressors.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Do not prohibit the good things that Allah has made lawful to you, and do not transgress. Indeed Allah does not like the transgressors.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Do not hold as unlawful the pure, wholesome things that God has made lawful to you, and do not exceed the bounds (either by making forbidden what is lawful, or by over-indulgence in the lawful). God does not love those who exceed the bounds.

Amatul Rahman Omar

O You who believe! do not forbid yourselves good and pure things which Allâh has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Verily, Allâh does not like the transgressors..

English Literal

You, you those who believed, do not forbid/prohibit goodnesses (from) what God permitted/allowed for you, and do not transgress/violate , that God does not love/like the transgressors/violators.

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Do not forbid the pure things, which Allah has made lawful for you, and do not cross the limits; indeed Allah dislikes the transgressors.

Hamid S. Aziz

But eat of what Allah has provided you, lawful and good things; and fear (do your duty to) Allah, in Whom you believe.

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Make not unlawful the Taiyibat (all that is good as regards foods, things, deeds, beliefs, persons, etc.) which Allah has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And those who disbelieve and reject Our messages, such are the companions of the flaming fire.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! do not forbid (yourselves) the good things which Allah has made lawful for you and do not exceed the limits; surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Forbid not the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, and transgress not, Lo! Allah loveth not transgressors.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, do not make unlawful the pure things which God has made lawful for you. Do not transgress for God does not love the transgressors.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, do not forbid the good things that Allah has made lawful to you. Do not transgress; Allah does not love the transgressors.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, do not forbid the wholesome good things, which God made lawful to you. Do not transgress; God does not love the transgressors.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Do not prohibit the good things God has permitted for you, and do not commit aggression. God does not love the aggressors.

Tafsir jalalayn

When a number of Companions resolved to practise fasting and night vigil continuously, and to abstain from women, perfume, consumption of meat, and sleeping on beds, the following was revealed; O you who believe, do not forbid the good things that God has made lawful for you and do not transgress, do [not] exceed God's command; God does not love transgressors.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

There is No Monasticism in Islam

Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تُحَرِّمُواْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللّهُ لَكُمْ

O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful to you,

Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn Abbas said,

"This Ayah was revealed about some of the Companions of the Prophet who said, `We should cut off our male organs, abandon the desires of this life and travel in the land, just as the Ruhban (monks) do.' When the Prophet heard of this statement, he summoned them and asked them if they made this statement and they answered `Yes.'

The Prophet said,

لكِنِّي أَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ وَأُصَلِّي وَأَنَامُ وَأَنْكِحُ النِّسَاءَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ بِسُنَّتِي فَهُوَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَأْخُذْ بِسُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي

I fast and break my fast, pray and sleep, and marry women. Whoever follows my Sunnah is of me, and whoever abandons my Sunnah is not of me."

Ibn Abi Hatim also collected this Hadith.

Ibn Marduwyah recorded that Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas narrated a similar Hadith.

It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Aishah said that;

some of the Companions asked the wives of the Prophet about the acts of worship that he performed in private.

One of them said, "I will not eat meat," another said, "I will not marry women," while the third said, "I will not sleep on the bed."

When the Prophet heard this statement, he said,

مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ يَقُولُ أَحَدُهُمْ كَذَا وَكَذَا لكِنِّي أَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ وَأَنَامُ وَأَقُومُ وَاكُلُ اللَّحْمَ وَأَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي

What is the matter with some people who said such and such I fast and break the fast, sleep and wake to stand to pray, eat meat, and marry women. He who is not pleased with my Sunnah is not of me.

Allah's statement,

وَلَا تَعْتَدُواْ

and transgress not,

means, do not exaggerate and make it hard for yourselves by prohibiting the permissible things. Do not transgress the limits by excessively indulging in the permissible matters; only use of it what satisfies your need; and do not fall into extravagance.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وكُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ وَلَا تُسْرِفُواْ

And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance. (7;31)

and,

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُواْ لَمْ يُسْرِفُواْ وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُواْ وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَاماً

And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes). (25;67)

So Allah legislated a medium way between those who are extreme and those who fall into shortcomings, and it does not allow excessive application, nor lack of application.

This is why Allah said here,

لَا تُحَرِّمُواْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا أَحَلَّ اللّهُ لَكُمْ

وَلَا تَعْتَدُواْ

إِنَّ اللّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ



Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors.

then He said