Surah Ali 'Imran 3:93
سُورَةُ آلِ عِمۡرَانَ · Medinan · Verse 93 of 200
۞ كُلُّ ٱلطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّۭا لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِۦ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تُنَزَّلَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةُ ۗ قُلْ فَأْتُوا۟ بِٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ فَٱتْلُوهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
Translation
Except for what Israel made unlawful for himself, all food was lawful to the Children of Israel before the Torah was revealed. Say, ‘Bring the Torah and read out [the relevant passage] if you are telling the truth.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
This verse from Surah Aal Imran addresses the claims of the Jewish people concerning dietary laws. It clarifies a key historical point, guiding us to deeply appreciate the precision of Allah's words in setting the record straight.
The Clear Message
The verse begins with the unequivocal statement, "كُلُّ ٱلطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّۭا لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ" (All food was lawful for the Children of Israel). The word "كل" (kull, meaning "all" or "every") is emphatic, stressing the complete generality of the statement, as Ibn Ashur and al-Razi explain. It refers to all types of food, not just a specific kind. Furthermore, the word "حِلًّۭا" (hillan, lawful or permissible) is a verbal noun, which in Arabic often conveys a sense of strong emphasis or full permissibility, meaning it was truly and wholly lawful for them.
A Singular Exception
This universal permissibility had only one exception, highlighted by the precise wording "إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِۦ" (except what Israel forbade for himself). "إسرائيل" (Israel) is the name given to Prophet Ya'qub (Jacob, peace be upon him). Scholars like al-Zamakhshari and al-Jalalayn clarify that Ya'qub, due to an illness like sciatica ('irq al-nasa), made a personal vow to abstain from certain foods he loved, such as camel meat or its milk, if he recovered. Crucially, the verse attributes this prohibition to "Israel himself" and not to Allah's direct command or a general law for his people at that time.
The Critical Timeline
The verse then adds a vital temporal clause: "مِن قَبْلِ أَن تُنَزَّلَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةُ" (before the Torah was sent down). This timing is the core of the argument, as Ibn Ashur points out. It explicitly states that *before* the revelation of the Torah to Prophet Musa (Moses), the only dietary restriction for the Children of Israel was what Ya'qub had personally taken upon himself. This challenges the Jewish claim that certain foods were forbidden from the time of Abraham or even earlier, and that the later prohibitions in the Torah were not a consequence of their transgressions, but an ancient, unchanging law.
The Definitive Challenge
To settle the matter, Allah instructs the Prophet Muhammad to issue a direct challenge: "قُلْ فَأْتُوا۟ بِٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ فَٱتْلُوهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ" (Say, "Then bring the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful"). The particle "فَ" (fa, meaning "then" or "so") links their claim to the demand for proof. It's a call for them to produce their own scripture as evidence, a challenge designed to expose their falsehood. As al-Razi notes, their inability to do so would not only reveal their misrepresentation of their own sacred text but also underscore the divine source of Prophet Muhammad's knowledge. This specific wording acts as a powerful, unassailable piece of evidence for the truth of the Quran's narrative.
Sources: al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), al-Jalalayn, Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir)
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Ali 'Imran 3:93 is discussed in 5 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Ali 'Imran 3:93 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.