Verse. 386

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (all food was lawful unto the children of israel) all food that is lawful for muhammad and his community today was lawful for the children of israel, the sons of jacob, (save that which israel) jacob (forbade himself) by the way of vows, ((in days) before the torah was revealed) before the revelation of the torah to moses, jacob forbade himself the meat and milk of camels. when this verse was revealed, the prophet (pbuh) asked the jews: “what did jacob forbid himself of food?” they said: “he did not forbid himself any type of food, and whatever is forbidden for us today, such as the meat of camels and other things, was already forbidden on all prophets, from adam to moses (pbut). it is only you who make such things lawful”. and they claimed those things were also forbidden in the torah. hence allah said to muhammad (pbuh): (say) to them: (produce the torah and read it (unto us)) where they are made forbidden (if ye are truthful) in your claim. but they failed to produce the torah and knew they were liars since there was nothing in the torah to substantiate their claim.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : when the jews said to the prophet, ‘you claim that you follow the creed of abraham, but abraham did not eat camel’s meat nor drink its milk’, the following was revealed: all food was lawful to the children of israel save what israel, jacob, forbade for himself, namely, camels: when he was afflicted with sciatica (‘irq al-nasā), he made a vow that if he were cured he would not eat of it again, and so it was forbidden him; before the torah was revealed, which was after the time of abraham, as it was not unlawful in his time, as they claimed. say, to them: ‘bring the torah now, and recite it, so that the truth of what you say may become clear, if you are truthful’, in what you say; they were stupified and did not bring it [the torah]. god, exalted be he, then said:

Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi

تفسير : (all food was lawful unto the children of israel…) [3:93]. said abu rawq and al-kalbi: “this was revealed when the prophet, allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘we follow the religion of abraham’. the jews responded to this by saying: ‘how can this be so when you eat the meat of camels and drink their milk’. he said: ‘that was lawful for abraham and so we make it lawful too’. the jews said: ‘everything that we take for unlawful today was unlawful to noah and abraham and so on and so forth until our time’. to refute them, allah, exalted is he, revealed (all food was lawful unto the children of israel…)”.