فَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ حَلَـٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ 114
Translations
Then eat of what Allāh has provided for you [which is] lawful and good. And be grateful for the favor of Allāh, if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.
Transliteration
Fakulu mimma razaqakumullahu halalan tayyiban washshkuru ni'mata allahi in kuntum iyyahu ta'budun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands believers to consume the lawful (halal) and pure (tayyib) sustenance that Allah has provided, while emphasizing gratitude to Allah as an essential aspect of true worship. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir note that 'tayyib' (pure/good) refers to both what is permissible in Islamic law and what is wholesome and beneficial, establishing that Islamic consumption is not merely about legality but also about quality and healthfulness. The ayah connects eating with worship, suggesting that even mundane acts like eating become acts of devotion when performed with gratitude and within Islamic boundaries.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl (a Meccan surah), which comprehensively discusses divine signs and blessings. The context within the surah emphasizes Allah's provision and bounties to mankind, and this particular ayah comes after a discussion of various sustenance Allah provides. There is no specific historical revelation occasion (asbab al-nuzul) recorded, but it fits the surah's broader theme of recognizing and being grateful for divine blessings.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi). More directly relevant: 'Whoever eats and thanks Allah, it is like fasting and patience for one who eats without thanks' - a principle reflected in various hadith collections emphasizing gratitude with sustenance.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should approach consumption mindfully—ensuring what they eat is both lawfully permissible and wholesome—while recognizing every meal as an opportunity to express gratitude to Allah, making even daily sustenance a form of worship. This ayah teaches that Islamic living extends to all aspects of life, and that true devotion includes mindfulness about what we consume and gratitude for what we receive.
Related Ayahs
وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ حَرَّمْنَا مَا قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـٰهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
And to those who are Jews We have prohibited that which We related to you before. And We did not wrong them [thereby], but they were wronging themselves.
إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Indeed, Abraham was a [comprehensive] leader, devoutly obedient to Allāh, inclining toward truth, and he was not of those who associate others with Allāh.
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَآ أَمْرُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ إِلَّا كَلَمْحِ ٱلْبَصَرِ أَوْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And to Allāh belongs the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. And the command for the Hour is not but as a glance of the eye or even nearer. Indeed, Allāh is over all things competent.
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.