﴿ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَٱحْذَرُوا۟ ۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا عَلَىٰ رَسُولِنَا ٱلْبَلَٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ ﴾

“Hence, pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle, and be ever on your guard [against evil]; and if you turn away, then know that Our Apostle's only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted to him].”

During Hajj or ‘umrah (the pilgrimage to the Ka‘bah) it is the rule that before reaching the Ka‘bah, people are required to put on ahram (specified dress) at and from some specified places (miqat). Thereafter, on the journey towards the Ka‘bah, pilgrims come across many birds and animals which they could easily hunt, but this has been declared haram (forbidden). Hunting personally, or through others, is prohibited in these conditions. According to tradition, this verse was revealed during the Hudaybiyyah journey, when the Muslims were clad in ihram with the intention of performing ‘umrah. At that time, many birds and animals were roaming about so close that they could have been easily hunted down with arrows or spears. The Muslims wanted to hunt, as they normally did, to meet their requirements. But they immediately stopped on receiving this order. This order, which is applicable under ihram, has to be followed by the common man in day-to-day life.