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Al-Ma'idah 90

Ayah 90 of 120 · Medinan

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا ٱلۡخَمۡرُ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرُ وَٱلۡأَنصَابُ وَٱلۡأَزۡلَٰمُ رِجۡسٞ مِّنۡ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ فَٱجۡتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ ٩٠

O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allāh], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid1 it that you may be successful.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 The prohibition understood from the word "avoid" is stronger than if Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) had merely said, "Abstain." The former requires distancing oneself from anything remotely related to these practices.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. يَٰٓأَيُّهَاO youyāayyuhā
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who(believe)alladhīna
  3. ءَامَنُوٓاْbelieveāmanū
  4. إِنَّمَاVerilyinnamā
  5. ٱلۡخَمۡرُthe intoxicantsl-khamru
  6. وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرُand [the] games of chancewal-maysiru
  7. وَٱلۡأَنصَابُand (sacrifices at) altarswal-anṣābu
  8. وَٱلۡأَزۡلَٰمُand divining arrowswal-azlāmu
  9. رِجۡسٞ(are an) abominationrij'sun
  10. مِّنۡfrommin
  11. عَمَلِ(the) workʿamali
  12. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ(of) the Shaitaanl-shayṭāni
  13. فَٱجۡتَنِبُوهُso avoid itfa-ij'tanibūhu
  14. لَعَلَّكُمۡso that you maylaʿallakum
  15. تُفۡلِحُونَ(be) successfultuf'liḥūna

Tafsir

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, intoxicants that affect the mind, gambling with a consideration from both sides, stone alters on which the idolaters offer sacrifices or which they erect for worship, and arrows by which they used to draw lots – these are all acts of sin that Satan has made attractive. Avoid such acts, so that you successfully achieve the Paradise that you desire and are saved from the Fire that you fear.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran