Tafseer Ibn Kathir of AL MAA-IDAH [87]

87. 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. 88. And eat of the things which Allah has provided for you, lawful and good, and have Taqwa of Allah in Whom you believe. `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said, ”This Ayah ﴿5:87﴾ 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,

(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 `A'ishah 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,

(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,

(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,

(And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance.)ï´¿7:31ï´¾, and,

(And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes).)ï´¿25:67ï´¾ 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,

(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,

(And eat of the things which Allah has provided for you, lawful and good,)ï´¿5:88ï´¾, eat of those items that are pure and lawful for you,

(and have Taqwa of Allah,) in all your affairs, obey Him and seek His pleasure, all the while staying away from defiance and disobedience of Allah,

(and have Taqwa of Allah in Whom you believe.)