In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful,

Almost every Surah except surah At Tawbah we are reminded of these attributes of Allah SWT. Allah Almighty has chosen to reveal many of His attributes to us, but these two we are reminded about the most. 

In the Qur’an we are reminded we will be subject to tests and tribulations whilst we are alive upon upon this earth.  These two attributes is something a Muslim should never ever forget despite his or her condition. For example:

- How much they have sinned they should not despair of His mercy and come back sincerely to Allah;
- No matter how large and engulfing the trial, they should remember that Allah is indeed the Most Merciful, the especially Merciful.

When we examine the lives of the prophets peace upon them all, the sahabat, the renowned brave figures in our Islamic history, we understand that they were all trialed heavily. All of them had the best perception about Allah, none of their trials altered their perception about Allah but their trials led them to trust Allah fully; understanding that He is the All Knowing and that everything which befalls them is according to His wisdom and decree.

Remembering to keep the most positive opinion about Allah is essential for going through life until we return back to Allah. The one pleased with Allah in every state and has placed Allah before everything else will be victorious. 

I am reminded of the following Hadith:

Abu Musa reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him. Whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him.'

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6508

Whatever your situation , something good will come out of it; if it is difficult your sins will be atoned, you will discover a lesson that only makes you stronger and if you come out stronger you will become even closer to Allah. With all respective situations we must think the very best about Allah whose favours and blessings are in-numerous. Perhaps the greatest blessing of all is deep faith.

So, a reminder to myself - He is the Most the Merciful, the Especially Merciful in every state whether we are scared, happy, sad His Mercy is beyond the Mercy of anyone or anything else. 

A reflection I have pondered years upon. I’m not sure if my words are articulate enough to express for this humbling reminder regarding Allah the Most Merciful.

Introduction to the Sections
1. General Rules of Discipline (Dietary rulings, business transactions, agreements and halal/haram)
2. Cleanliness for prayers (Guidance and blessing of wudu), Command to abide by justice.
3. Allah's covenant with the Children of Israel and them breaking the covenant of God.
4. Musa (as) and his interactions with Bani Israel. 
5. Post Marital relationships and what it entails & Marriage with the Ahlul Kitaab. 
6. Analysis of the story of the two children of Adam. 
7. Types of Oaths with Allah's name and the consequence for not fulfilling those oaths. Allah's rules must be established.
8. Guidance for Muslims on peaceful co-existence with citizens of Madinah, including the people of the book. 
9. Those who make the mockery of the truth.
10. How Christians deviated from the truth while some came closer to Islam and recognized the truth.
11. Prohibition against intoxicants, gambling and shirk.
12. Respect for (and the ultimate purpose of) the Ka'bah.
13. Rules against idolatry and about testimony.
14. The signs God gives to prophets establish His existence. A detailed look at the miracles of Isa (asws). Allah blessed Prophet Isa (A.S) with a number of miracles including the Holy Spirit through which he could heal the leper and the blind and give life to the dead. He was also given knowledge of the Law and the Gospel. 
15. How the teachings of Jesus were corrupted after his departure.

Some general themes of Al-Maidah:

1. Commandments and Instructions about the Religious, Cultural and Political Life of the Muslims:
A code of ceremonial rules concerning the journey for Hajj has been prescribed; the observance of strict respect for the emblems of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has been enjoined; and any kind of obstruction or interference with the pilgrims to the Ka’abah has been prohibited.
* Definite rules and regulations have been laid down for what is lawful and unlawful in the matter of food, and self-imposed foolish restrictions of the pre-Islamic age have been abolished. 
* Permission has been given to take food with the people of the Book and to marry their righteous women. 
* Rules and regulations for the performance of wudhu, purification and tayammum have been prescribed.
* Punishment for rebellion, disturbance of peace and theft have been specified.
* Drinking and gambling have absolutely been made unlawful. 
* Expiation for the breaking of oath has been laid down and a few more things have been added to the law of evidence.

2. Admonition to the Muslims:
Now that the Muslims had become a ruling body, it was feared that power might corrupt them. At this period of great trial, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) admonish us over and over again to stick to justice and to guard against the wrong behavior of our predecessors, the people of the Book. 
* We have been enjoined to remain steadfast to the Covenant of obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and to observe strictly their commands and prohibitions in order to save ourselves from the evil consequences which befell the Jews and the Christians who had violated them. 
* We have been instructed to observe the dictates of the Qur’an in the conduct of all our affairs and warned against hypocrisy.

3. Admonition to the Jews and the Christians:
* As the power of the Jews had been totally weakened and almost all their habitations in north Arabia had come under the rule of the Muslims, they have been warned again about their wrong attitude and invited to follow the Right Way. 
* At the same time a detailed invitation has also been extended to the Christians. The errors of their creeds have been clearly pointed out and they have been admonished to accept the guidance of the Prophet

#deen

Summary of Al-Maidah’s key topics:
1. All obligations whether they are divine or human should be fulfilled. When we make a promise/sign a treaty we must abide by it. 
2. Allah gave some rules to be observed in order keep us clean and sober.  Cleanliness of the body, living with justice, being upright in morals, avoiding sin, corruption and superstition, and doing the deeds of piety and righteousness.
3. Message to the People of the Book i.e. Christians and Jews to recognize the truth.  Allah's punishment comes on those who reject Allah's rules and knowingly violate them.
4. The story of the two children of Adam is told.  Just and righteous persons sometimes suffer at the hands of their own family members, but God's judgment also comes. The righteous under no situation give up right attitude and behavior.
5. Justice should be impartial, even when dealing with your enemies.  However, the relations among Muslims should also include love, brotherhood, care and concern for each other.
6. Enjoy the good things that Allah has given, but guard against excesses.  Do not indulge in swearing, gambling, intoxicants, superstitions, violation of the sanctities of the Sanctuary of Allah (the Ka'bah).
7. Jesus -peace be upon him- was a great prophet of Allah. He performed many miracles, but his teachings were not followed and they were corrupted after his departure from this earth.

5: Al-Maidah (The Table Spread)

* It is known by two titles: al-MCi'idah, meaning 'the table;' and al-(Uqiid, meaning 'the covenants.' 
* This Surah was revealed in Madina and has 120 verses divided into 16 Sections. 

Period/Occasion of Revelation
In Zil-Qaadah 6 A. H Prophet Muhammad with 1400 Muslims decided to go to Mecca for Pilgrimage. The Meccans did not allow them to enter the city. The companions of the prophet were extremely angry over this. After much exchange of correspondence, they entered into the Treaty of Hudaibiyah by which it was agreed that the Muslims could visit Kaaba the following year. This is why the introductory verses deal with the things connected with pilgrimage to Makkah and the same theme has been resumed in 5: 101-104. 
* This Surah was revealed to suit the requirements of the changed conditions which were now different from those prevailing at the time of the revelation of Al-i-'Imran and An- Nisa.

Related Hadiths: 
Narrated by Umar bin Khattab: Once a Jew said to me, 'O the chief of believers! There is a verse in your Holy Book Which is read by all of you, and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed as a day of celebration' Umar bin Al-Khattab asked, 'Which is that verse?' The Jew replied, 'This day I have perfected your religion For you, completed My favor upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as your religion' (5:3) Umar replied, 'No doubt, we know when and where this verse was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet was standing at Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj)' - Sahih Bukhari