Divine Legislation in Islam    —    Quranic Wisdom & Hadith Guidance

 

بِسمِ اللّـهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Divine Legislation Belongs to Allah Alone

A Comprehensive Study of Quranic Wisdom & Prophetic Guidance

Based on Surah An-Nahl 16:116–117 & Mawdudi’s Tafheem ul-Quran

 

Topics Covered

I. Quranic Verses & Translation  •  II. Scholarly Commentary  •  III. The Right to Legislate

IV. Divine Prohibitions as Mercy  •  V. Social & Moral Implications  •  VI. Maqasid al-Shariah

Part One: The Quranic Text & Commentary

Surah An-Nahl 16:116–117 — The Arabic Text

 

وَ لَا تَقُولُوا لِمَا تَصِفُ اَلْسِنَتُکمُ الْکَذِبَ ہٰذَا حَلٰلٌ وَّ ہٰذَا حَرَامٌ لِّتَفْتَرُوا عَلَی اللّـہِ الْکَذِبَ ؛ اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ یَفْتَرُونَ عَلَی اللّـہِ الْکَذِبَ لَا یُفْلِحُونَ ﹰ۱۱۶ﹲﹰ مَتَاعٌ قَلِیلٌ ، وَّ لَہُمْ عَذَابٌ اَلِیمٌ ﹰ۱۱۷ﹲ

 

English Translation

“And do not say, on account of what your tongues falsely assert, ‘This is lawful and that is forbidden,’ so that you fabricate lies against Allah. Indeed, those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper. (116) It is a brief enjoyment, and for them is a painful punishment. (117)”  —  Surah An-Nahl 16:116–117

 

Urdu Translation (Mawdudi)

اور یہ و تمہاری زبانیں جھوٹے احکام لگایا کرتی ہیں کہ یہ چیز حلال ہے اور وہ حرام، تو اس طرح کے حکم لگا کر اللہ پر جھوٹ نہ باندھا کرو۔ جو لوگ اللہ پر جھوٹے افترا باندھتے ہیں وہ ہر گز فلاح نہیں پایا کرتے۔ دنیا کا عیش چند روزہ ہے۔ آخر کار ان کے لیے دردناک سزا ہے۔

 

Footnote No. 116 — Surah An-Nahl (Mawdudi’s Commentary)

This verse explicitly states that no one other than Allah has the right to declare something permissible or forbidden — in other words, Allah alone is the Legislator. Any person who dares to decide what is lawful and what is unlawful will be transgressing his bounds, unless he accepts divine law as his authority and, deriving guidance from its injunctions, says that such-and-such thing or action is permissible or impermissible.

 

The reason this independent declaration of lawfulness and prohibition has been called a lie and fabrication against Allah is that the act of such a person cannot be free from one of two conditions:

 

• 1. He claims that what he is declaring lawful or forbidden — without any sanction from the Book of Allah — has been so designated by Allah.

• 2. He claims that Allah has relinquished His authority over legislation and left man free to formulate the law of his own life independently.

 

Whichever of these two claims he makes, it is inevitably a lie and a fabrication against Allah.

Part Two: Legislation Belongs to Allah Alone

1. The Core Principle: Allah is the Sole Legislator

 

إِنِ الحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلّـہِ  —  Yusuf 12:40

“The decision rests with Allah alone.”  —  Yusuf 12:40

 

أَمْ لَہُمْ شُرَکَآءُ شَرَعُوا لَہُم مِّنَ الدِّینِ مَا لَمْ یَأْذَن بِہِ اللّـہُ  —  Ash-Shura 42:21

“Or do they have partners who have ordained for them in religion what Allah has not permitted?”  —  Ash-Shura 42:21

 

This verse frames man-made legislation in religious matters as a form of shirk — associating partners with Allah — demonstrating the gravity of usurping Allah’s exclusive authority to declare things permissible or forbidden.

 

2. Obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ is Mandatory

 

یَا أَیُّہَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا أَطِیعُوا اللّـہَ وَأَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ  —  An-Nisa 4:59

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you differ in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.”  —  An-Nisa 4:59

 

وَمَا کَانَ لِمُؤْمِنْ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَی اللّـہُ وَرَسُولُہُ أَمْرًا أَن یَکُونَ لَہُمُ الخِیَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِہِمْ  —  Al-Ahzab 33:36

“It is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any choice in their affair.”  —  Al-Ahzab 33:36

 

3. Human Beings Lack the Wisdom to Legislate for Themselves

 

وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَکْرَہُوا شَیْئًا وَہُوَ خَیْرٌ لَّکُمْ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَیْئًا وَہُوَ شَرٌّ لَّکُمْ وَاللّـہُ یَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ  —  Al-Baqarah 2:216

“And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing which is evil for you. Allah knows and you do not know.”  —  Al-Baqarah 2:216

 

أَلَا یَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَہُوَ اللَّطِیفُ الْخَبِیرُ  —  Al-Mulk 67:14

“Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the All-Aware?”  —  Al-Mulk 67:14

 

Prophetic Hadith: “The halal is clear and the haram is clear, and between them are doubtful matters that many people do not know. Whoever avoids doubtful matters has protected his religion and his honor.”  —  (Bukhari & Muslim)

 

4. Consequences of Independent Legislation

 

إِنَّ الَّذِینَ یَفْتَرُونَ عَلَی اللّـہِ الْکَذِبَ لَا یُفْلِحُونَ  —  An-Nahl 16:116

“Those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.” —  An-Nahl 16:116

 

The Prophet ﷺ specifically warned against issuing rulings without knowledge:

 

“The most audacious of people in issuing fatwas is the most audacious of them toward the Fire.”  —  (Ibn Majah)

 

The Permitted Exception: Scholarly Derivation (Ijtihad)

The one legitimate exception is the scholar who derives rulings from divine sources — Quran and authentic Sunnah — transparently and humbly. This is ijtihad, not independent legislation:

 

• The mujtahid says: “Based on what Allah revealed, this appears to be permitted/forbidden.”

• The transgressor says: “I declare this permitted/forbidden” — without divine sanction.

 

“When a judge exercises ijtihad and reaches the correct ruling, he has two rewards. If he errs, he has one reward.” —  (Bukhari & Muslim)

Part Three: Divine Prohibitions — Mercy, Not Restriction

Preface: Allah Gains Nothing — We Gain Everything

 

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَٰلِحًا فَلِنَفْسِہِ وَمَنْ أَسَآءَ فَعَلَیْہَا وَمَا رَبُّکَ بِظَلَّامِ لِّلْعَبِیدِ  —  Fussilat 41:46

“Whoever does righteousness — it is for his own soul. And whoever does evil — it is against it. And your Lord is not unjust to His servants.”  —  Fussilat 41:46

 

Allah is Al-Ghani — utterly self-sufficient. His prohibitions carry zero personal benefit for Him. They are entirely and exclusively for the protection and flourishing of human beings — individually, socially, and civilizationally. Prophetic Hadith Qudsi: “O My servants, you cannot harm Me nor can you benefit Me.” — (Muslim)

 

I. Prohibition of Zina (Fornication & Adultery)

 

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَى إِنَّہُ کَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَآءَ سَبِیلًا  —  Al-Isra 17:32

“And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.”  —  Al-Isra 17:32

 

Note: Allah says “do not even approach” — not merely “do not commit.” This acknowledges that harm begins long before the act itself.

 

Social & Moral Harms — Confirmed by Modern Evidence

 

• 1. Destruction of the Family Unit — Illegitimate children are deprived of paternal identity, inheritance, and stable upbringing. Spousal betrayal destroys trust and creates generational cycles of trauma.

• 2. Epidemic of Fatherlessness — Fatherless children show dramatically higher rates of poverty, criminal behavior, substance abuse, and educational failure.

• 3. Disease and Public Health — The explosion of STDs is directly linked to sexual permissiveness, placing enormous burdens on healthcare systems.

• 4. Commodification of Human Beings — When sexual relations are severed from commitment, people are reduced to objects of pleasure.

• 5. Psychological Devastation — Research consistently links casual sexual relationships with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

 

وَمِنْ آیَٰتِہِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَکُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِکُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا لِّتَسْکُنُوا إِلَیْہَا وَجَعَلَ بَیْنَکُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً  —  Ar-Rum 30:21

“And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them, and He placed between you affection and mercy.”  —  Ar-Rum 30:21

 

II. Prohibition of Alcohol

 

یَٰا أَیُّہَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَیْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَٰمُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّیْطَٰنِ فَاجْتَنِبُوہُ لَعَلَّکُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ —  Al-Ma’idah 5:90

“O you who believe! Indeed, intoxicants, gambling, stone altars and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan — so avoid it, that you may be successful.”  —  Al-Ma’idah 5:90

 

This verse remarkably identifies the precise social mechanisms of harm — animosity, hatred, and spiritual disconnection — 1400 years before modern sociology.

 

Social & Community Harms

 

• 1. Family Violence and Breakdown — Alcohol is the single largest contributing factor in domestic violence, child abuse, and divorce worldwide.

• 2. Crime and Social Disorder — Alcohol is involved in the majority of violent crimes including assault, murder, rape, and road fatalities.

• 3. Economic Devastation — The global cost of alcohol abuse runs into trillions annually through lost productivity, healthcare, and criminal justice.

• 4. Health Catastrophe — Alcohol causes liver disease, heart disease, neurological damage, cancers, and fetal alcohol syndrome.

• 5. Spiritual and Moral Numbing — The Quran identifies the deepest harm: it averts you from the remembrance of Allah, causing society to lose its moral compass.

 

Prophetic Hadith: “Alcohol is the mother of all evils.”  —  (Ibn Majah)

 

III. Prohibition of Riba (Interest-Based Transactions)

 

وَأَحَلَّ اللّـہُ الْبَیْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَوَا  —  Al-Baqarah 2:275

“Allah has permitted trade and forbidden riba.”  —  Al-Baqarah 2:275

 

یَٰا أَیُّہَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللّـہَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِیَ مِنَ الرِّبَوٰا إِن کُنتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِینَ  —  Al-Baqarah 2:278

“O you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains of riba, if you should be believers. And if you do not — then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger.”  —  Al-Baqarah 2:278–279

 

No other sin in the Quran invites a declaration of war from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ — indicating the catastrophic scale of harm caused by interest-based economic systems.

 

Financial & Social Harms

 

• 1. Wealth Concentration and Inequality — Interest-based systems mathematically guarantee that wealth flows from the poor to the rich, creating permanent cycles of poverty.

• 2. Debt Slavery of Nations — Developing nations are trapped in perpetual debt to international institutions; interest payments consume budgets meant for healthcare and education.

• 3. Financial Crises — The 2008 global financial crisis, rooted in interest-based lending and speculation, devastated the poorest most severely.

• 4. Incentivizing Failure — Unlike Islamic finance’s risk-sharing model, riba allows lenders to profit even from the borrower’s ruin, incentivizing predatory lending.

• 5. Psychological Burden — Personal debt at compound interest is today one of the leading causes of depression, anxiety, and suicide globally.

 

Prophetic Hadith: “There will come a time when no one will be left who does not consume riba, and whoever does not consume it directly will be affected by its dust.”  —  (Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah)

Part Four: The Unified Wisdom — Maqasid al-Shariah

 

Islamic jurisprudence identifies five universal objectives (Maqasid al-Shariah) that all divine rulings serve to protect:

 

Maqsad (Objective)

Arabic Term

Protected By

Protection of Life

Hifz al-Nafs

Prohibitions on murder, intoxicants, self-harm

Protection of Intellect

Hifz al-Aql

Prohibition of alcohol and mind-altering substances

Protection of Lineage

Hifz al-Nasl

Prohibition of Zina and all sexual immorality

Protection of Wealth

Hifz al-Mal

Prohibition of Riba, theft, fraud, and exploitation

Protection of Religion

Hifz al-Din

Prohibition of shirk, deviation, and false legislation

 

Human Incapacity to See Long-Term Harm

 

Human beings are hardwired for short-term gratification. Neuroscience confirms we systematically underestimate future harm for present pleasure. Divine law compensates for exactly this cognitive limitation — setting firm boundaries where human willpower and foresight consistently fail.

 

The Boat Hadith — “The example of a person who observes Allah’s limits and one who violates them is like people on a boat — some on the upper deck and some below. Those below, when they need water, say: ‘Why should we trouble those above? Let us make a hole in our share.’ If those above allow them, they will all drown together.”  —  (Bukhari)

 

This hadith captures the collective nature of moral harm — individual violations of divine limits sink entire communities.

 

Conclusion: The Most Merciful Legislator

 

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰکَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَٰلَمِینَ  —  Al-Anbiya 21:107

“And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.” —  Al-Anbiya 21:107

 

The prohibitions of Islam are not the arbitrary edicts of a distant God. They are the prescriptions of Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim — the Most Merciful — who created human beings, knows their nature completely, and desires for them flourishing in this world and salvation in the next. Every prohibition is simultaneously a protection from harm we may not foresee, an elevation of human dignity above animal impulse, and a mercy from the One who gains nothing from our obedience and loses nothing from our disobedience.

 

وَاللّـہُ یَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Allah knows, and you do not know.  —  Al-Baqarah 2:216

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