Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This surah is the capstone of Islamic legislation, opening with the solemn command to honour all covenants with Allah, with the Prophet, and within society. It details the final rulings on food, purification, and criminal justice, while also defining the Muslim community's relationship with the People of the Book. By recounting the covenants made with the Israelites, their breaches, and their refusal to enter the Holy Land, the surah holds up for the ummah a mirror of warning, showing the consequences of breaking one’s covenant and calling it to steadfastness in its own. The surah also marks a shift toward a fuller engagement with Christians as Islam reached new frontiers and earlier hostilities subsided. It is the surah that seals the legislation of Islam and contains the historic proclamation, “Today I have completed your religion for you.”

Context of Revelation:

Era: Madinan by agreement.

Time: It is one of the very last surahs to be revealed, with the ayah “Today I have perfected your religion for you”[3]  famously revealed at ʿArafah during the Farewell Pilgrimage (10 AH).

Context: Its revelation was prolonged and piecemeal throughout the late Madinan period. Some verses trace back to events shortly after the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah (6 AH) and were incorporated later, while the surah as a whole belongs to the final years of the Prophet’s mission (ﷺ), principally during 9–10 AH, when Arabia was securely under his command and the influence of the hypocrites had effectively ended, leaving only Jews and Christians in open opposition. 

It was revealed after significant parts of Sūrat al-Nisā’, as shown by the progression from partial to total prohibition of alcohol. It is also likely later than Sūrat al-Tawbah, since al-Tawbah contains extensive discussion of hypocrisy whereas al-Mā’idah mentions it only once, indicating that, by this stage, hypocrisy had effectively ceased as a major internal threat. The surah also reflects a clear intensification of engagement with Christian communities, consistent with the period in which Islamic expansion reached the frontiers of Byzantine territory while Jewish influence in Madinah had declined. Altogether, it represents the final phase of Islamic legislation, as it contains numerous laws revealed to complete the Islamic legal framework.

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: Its most famous name is "Sūrat al-Mā’idah" (The Table Spread), as it is the only surah that mentions the story of the table spread requested by the disciples of Jesus. It is called "al-ʿUqūd" because it opens with the command to fulfill all contracts.

Other Names: Also known as "Sūrat al-ʿUqūd" (The Covenants/Contracts), "al-Munqidhah" (The Rescuer), and "Sūrat al-Akhyār" (The surah of the Best People).

Ayah Count: 120 (Kūfan), 122 (Majority), or 123 (Baṣran).

Surah Overview:

• Opening Command: A command to fulfil all covenants with Allah, with the Prophet, and between people setting the governing ethic for all the surah’s rulings. [1]
• Sanctity of the Sacred: Upholding the inviolability of the Kaʿbah, the sacred months, and the pilgrimage rites. [2, 97]
• Final Rulings on Food: Detailing what is halal and haram, including the permissibility of food from the People of the Book. [3-5]
• Final Rulings on Purification: Completing the laws of wuḍū’, ghusl and tayammum. [6]
• Ethics of Justice: Commanding fairness in judgment, truthfulness in testimony, and restraint of hostility, establishing the moral foundations of public life. [8, 42]
• Relations with People of the Book: Addressing Jews and Christians, exposing concealment of scripture, refuting theological deviations (such as the Trinity), and recognising the humility and sincerity found among some Christians. [e.g., 12-18, 41-44, 72-77, 82-85]
• The Story of Adam's Sons: The narrative of Habil and Qabil (Cain and Abel), establishing the sanctity of life. [27-31]
• Criminal Justice:

• • • Legislating the penalties for theft [38]
    • Banditry [33]
    • The laws of retribution [45].
• Judgment by Revelation: Directing the Prophet (ﷺ) to judge the People of the Book by what Allah revealed, exposing their concealment of scripture, and affirming the Quran as the decisive criterion over earlier scriptures. [41–50]
• Warning Against False Allies: Prohibiting believers from taking those who mock the religion as close protecting allies. [51, 57]
• Moderation in Religion: Correcting excess and self-invented prohibitions, and returning the community to the balanced limits set by Allah. [87–88, 100–104]
• Laws of Oaths: Rulings on oaths and how to atone for them. [89]
• Final Prohibition of Vices: The definitive and total ban on alcohol and gambling. [90-91
• The Heavenly Tablespread: The unique story of the disciples’ request for a heavenly tablespread. [112–115]
• Conclusion: The surah concludes with a reminder of the Day of Judgment, where Allah will ask the Messengers (specifically Jesus) to testify regarding their communities. [109-120]