Aal-i-Imraan • EN-AL-QUSHAIRI-TAFSIR
﴿ ۞ كُلُّ ٱلطَّعَامِ كَانَ حِلًّۭا لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِۦ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تُنَزَّلَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةُ ۗ قُلْ فَأْتُوا۟ بِٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ فَٱتْلُوهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ ﴾
“ALL FOOD was lawful unto the children of Israel, save what Israel had made unlawful unto itself [by its sinning] before the Torah was bestowed from on high. Say: "Come forward, then, with the Torah and recite it, if what you say is true!"”
All food was lawful to the children of Israel save what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was revealed. Say: �Bring the Torah now and recite it if you are truthful.� Whoever invents falsehood against God after that those are the evildoers. [God] does not declare things permissible or prohibited in their original state; in [this state] there is no divine ordinance ḥadd regarding them. That is a liberality and kindness from the Real ������ [and this state exists] until such a [time] as a command or a law comes regarding it. God ������ has eased the precepts of religious obligation aḥkām al-taklīf for advanced disciples ahl al-nihāya. Their way is to adopt what is easiest in order to perfect what comes to them from the precepts of the hearts aḥkām al-qulūb-surely the difficulties made incumbent on their hearts are harder for them. As for novices ahl al-bidāya the affair is made difficult for them with tasks and litanies-their way is to adopt what is more onerous and difficult [in these areas] so as to empty their hearts of thoughts. Whoever thinks otherwise is in error. This verse also alludes in His saying �Whoever invents falsehood against God� to the states of the people of false claims and errors. They absolve themselves and attribute to God ������ their false notions hawājis but God is free of these. It is a rare servant who can distinguish between [true] incoming thoughts khawāṬir and false notions hawājis.