The Lawful and the Forbidden

In Islamic law the question of the lawful and the forbidden is not merely a legal boundary; it is also a cornerstone of spiritual life.

In Islamic law the question of the lawful and the forbidden is not merely a legal boundary; it is also a cornerstone of spiritual life. Lawful sustenance is regarded as a prerequisite for righteous deeds. The nature of what a person consumes affects not only the physical body, but also the will, the light of the heart, and the acceptance of prayers. Forbidden earning and consumption blunt the zeal of worship, darken the heart, and leave the person open to disobedience. In this context, working and earning from what is lawful is not merely a preference; for every Muslim it carries the ruling of an obligation and of jihad.

1. Lawful Sustenance and Righteous Deed

The source text, citing the verse "Eat of what is clean that you may perform righteous deeds," emphasizes that the prelude to good works is lawful eating.

Dependence: The will to perform righteous deeds depends on the lawful morsel. When what is lawful is not consumed, the quality of deeds is corrupted, or the person cannot find in himself the strength to worship.

The Ten Parts of Worship: If worship is taken to consist of ten units, nine of them are said to relate to lawful eating.

2. The Merit of Lawful Earning and Social Responsibility

Working and seeking provision is not merely a worldly pursuit, but a spiritual rank.

The Ruling of Jihad: One who engages in lawful trade for the provision of his family is ranked with those who strive in God's path and with martyrs.

Laziness and the Forbidden: The root source of the forbidden is usually laziness. The desire to gain without labor, by a shortcut, drives a person toward the forbidden. To tire oneself for what is lawful—to work until the knees give way—becomes a means for the forgiveness of sins.

3. The Stomach: The Body's Reservoir and Source of Energy

In the text the body is likened to a machine and the stomach to a fuel tank.

The Fuel Analogy: Just as a luxury car worth sixty million liras cannot move—or burns out its engine—when the wrong fuel is put in (petrol in a diesel car, for example), a body nourished by the forbidden cannot move in the right direction.

Physical Effect: The purity of the blood circulating in the veins depends on the morsel that enters the stomach. In a body entered by the forbidden, the joints struggle to move for good works; rising to prayer becomes a burden.

4. Darkening of the Heart and the Source of Wisdom

The effect of the lawful and the forbidden on the heart determines a person's ability to see the truth.

Forty Days of Lawful Eating: Upon the heart of one who eats only what is lawful for forty days without interruption, a divine light descends, and drops of wisdom begin to flow from his tongue.

The Mirror of the Heart: The heart is a mirror in which the divine names are reflected. A forbidden morsel darkens (rusts) this mirror. The person whose heart is darkened loses empathy and compassion, and can no longer distinguish right from wrong.

Key concepts

Prerequisite Condition: Lawful eating is the beginning and the preparer of righteous deed.
Will and Movement: A body tainted by the forbidden cannot find in itself the will to turn toward the good. When the forbidden enters the stomach—the body's "fuel"—directing that body toward the right is not regarded as possible physically or spiritually.
Material Independence: A Muslim's providing for his family and not being a burden on others is characterized as an obligation (*farḍ*).
Equivalence with Jihad: One who strives after lawful sustenance may be ranked with those who strive in God's path or with martyrs. This, however, depends on fulfilling the obligations and not spending the earned money on the forbidden.
Laziness and the Forbidden: The root source of the forbidden is often laziness. When a person wants to reach by a shortcut what he would obtain in the long term through labor, he inclines toward the forbidden.
Definition: Keeping away from doubtful things out of fear of falling into the forbidden.
Scope: Abandoning not only the forbidden but also situations whose lawfulness is doubtful.
Reward: It is said that God will "be shy" of calling a person of *waraʿ* to account, and that such a person will be given a share from all categories of reward in Islam.
*Waraʿ*: The sensitivity of keeping away even from lawful things that are doubtful because of the possibility that they may be forbidden.
Righteous Deed (*Ṣāliḥ ʿAmal*): Good and beneficial conduct in conformity with God's pleasure.
Wisdom (*Ḥikma*): True speech that filters from the heart, revives the one addressed, and carries strong effect.
Giving Charity (*Taṣadduq*): The act of giving charity and alms for God's pleasure.
Censure (*Dhamm*): To blame or censure something; used in the sense of censuring the forbidden.
Recommended (*Mustaḥabb*): Acts whose performance brings reward but which are neither obligatory (*farḍ*) nor necessary (*wājib*).
Maintaining Kin Ties (*Ṣilat al-Raḥim*): Preserving kinship bonds, visiting relatives, and doing good to them.
Spending (*Infāq*): Spending wealth in God's path.
Fortune-telling (*Kahāna*): The claim to report the future (mentioned in the text as a forbidden path of earning).
Limbs (*Jawāriḥ*): The moving members of the body—hands, feet, and the like.

Study questions

According to the text, what change is observed in a person who succeeds in eating only what is lawful for forty days?

God places a light in that person's heart, and drops of wisdom begin to flow from his heart to his tongue; his words have a reviving effect (an elixir) upon people.

By what analogy is the function of the stomach in the body explained?

The stomach is the body's "reservoir" or "source." All the veins are connected to it. If the stomach (the fuel) is clean/lawful, the blood flowing in the veins is also clean, and it becomes easy to move the body toward good works.

What is the share of the lawful morsel in the acceptance of acts of worship?

If worship consists of ten parts, nine of them are said to relate to lawful eating.

To what is charity or spending done with wealth tainted by the forbidden likened?

It is likened to washing a dirty garment with urine; the act does not produce cleanliness and only increases the filth.

What did Abū Bakr do when he learned that the milk his slave had brought was obtained by a forbidden means (fortune-telling)?

He immediately vomited the milk he had drunk from his stomach and sought refuge in God for any amount that might have mixed into his veins.

What does the analogy of "the columns of the building" express?

Sensitivity to the lawful and the forbidden in religion is like the columns of a building. Even if the other elements of the building are perfect, if there is a problem in the columns (the boundaries of lawful/forbidden), the building cannot stand.

The Lawful and the Unlawful