1 The Virtues of Surah Al-Ma'idah; When It was Revealed Surah to ...

Ibrahim and Ismail in it holding the Azlam in
their hands. The Prophet commented,
قَاتَلَهُمُ‏ االلهُ‏ لَقَدْ‏ عَلِمُوا أَن َّهُمَا لَمْ‏ یَسْتَقْسِمَا بِهَا أَبَدًا
May Allah fight them (the idolaters)! They know
that they never used the Azlam to make
decisions.
Mujahid commented on Allah's statement,
Al- ((Forbidden) also is to make decisions with بِالأَزْلاَمِ‏
Azlam),
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وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُواْ‏
"These were arrows that the Arabs used, and dice
that the Persians and Romans used in gambling.''
This statement by Mujahid, that these arrows
were used in gambling, is doubtful unless we say
that they used the arrows for gambling
sometimes and for decisions other times, and
Allah knows best.
We should also state that Allah mentioned Azlam and
gambling in His statement before the end of the Surah
(5:90-91),
یَا أَی ُّهَا ال َّذِینَ‏ آمَنُواْ‏ إِن َّمَا الْخَمْرُ‏ وَالْمَيْسِرُ‏ وَالأَنصَابُ‏ وَالأَزْلاَمُ‏
رِجْسٌ‏ م ِّنْ‏ عَمَلِ‏ الش َّيْطَانِ‏ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ‏ لَعَل َّكُمْ‏ تُفْلِحُونَ‏
إِن َّمَا یُرِیدُ‏ الش َّيْطَانُ‏ أَن یُوقِعَ‏ بَيْنَكُمُ‏ الْعَدَاوَةَ‏ وَالْبَغْضَاء فِي الْخَمْ‏ ‏ِر
وَالْمَيْسِرِ‏ وَیَصُد َّآُمْ‏ عَن ذِآْرِ‏ اللّهِ‏ وَعَنِ‏ الص َّلاَةِ‏ فَهَلْ‏ أَنتُم م ُّنتَهُونَ‏
O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of
alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansab,
and Al-Azlam are an abomination of Shaytan's
handiwork. So avoid that in order that you may
be successful. Shaytan wants only to excite
enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants
(alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you
from the remembrance of Allah and from the
Salah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain!
In this Ayah, Allah said,