{Neither their meat nor their blood reaches Allāh} – Tafsir as-Sa’di

Allah ‘azza wa jall says in the Qur’an:

ـ﴿لَن یَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاۤؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن یَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ مِنكُمۡۚ كَذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمۡ لِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمۡۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِینَ (٣٧)﴾ـ [الحج ٣٧]

It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allâh, but it is the piety from you that reaches Him. Thus We have made them subject to you that you may magnify Allāh for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings to the Muhsinūn (doers of good). [Al-Hajj 22:37]

Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahmān as-Sa‘dī (رحمه الله) (d. 1376 AH) commented:

{Neither their meat nor their blood reaches Allāh} – meaning: that the purpose of the sacrifice is not merely to slaughter (the sacrificial animal). Nothing of its meat or blood reaches Allāh, for He is Rich (free of all needs) and Worthy of all praise.
What reaches Him is sincerity (al-’Ikhlās) in the sacrifice, hoping for reward (al-Ihtisāb), and a righteous intention (an-Niyyah as-Sālihah).

Due to this, He (عز وجل) said: {But it is your piety that reaches Him}.
In this (ayat), there is exhortation and encouragement to be sincere in (performing) the sacrifice, and that the intention should be to seek the Face of Allāh (عز وجل) alone, not pride, showing off, seeking fame, or mere custom. And this applies to all acts of worship: if they are not accompanied by sincerity and the piety of Allāh, they are like a husk without a core and like a body without a soul.

{Thus, We have made them subject to you that you may magnify Allāh} – meaning: that you may glorify and exalt Him. {for His Guidance to you} – meaning: as a response to His guidance of you. For He deserves the most perfect praise, the noblest thanks, and the highest glorification.

{And give glad tidings to the Muhsinūn (doers of good)} – to the servants of Allāh that they should worship Him as if they see Him, and if they do not reach that level, then they should worship Him believing at the time of their worship that His awareness and sight encompasses them. This also includes the muhsinūn (doers of good) to the servants of Allāh in all forms of goodness, such as the benefit of wealth, knowledge, status, sincere advice, enjoining good, forbidding evil, or a kind word, and the like.

The muhsinūn (doers of good) have glad tidings from Allāh of happiness in this world and the Hereafter, and Allāh will treat them with goodness just as they excelled in worshipping Him and in their goodness to His servants.

ـ﴿هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ﴾ـ

{Is there any reward for good other than good?} [Ar-Rahmān 55:60]

ـ﴿لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ﴾ـ

{For those who have done good is the best (reward, i.e., Paradise) and even more (i.e., having the honour of glancing at the Countenance of Allah)} [Yūnus 10:26]

Source: Tafsīr al-Sa‘dī

Translated by Abu ‘Umar ‘Abdul-Hakeem

ـ﴿لَن یَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاۤؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن یَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ مِنكُمۡۚ كَذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمۡ لِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمۡۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِینَ (٣٧)﴾ـ [الحج ٣٧]

قال العلامة عبدالرحمن السعدي (رحمه الله):ـ

وقوله: ﴿لَنْ يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا﴾ أي: ليس المقصود منها ذبحها فقط. ولا ينال الله من لحومها ولا دمائها شيء، لكونه الغني الحميد، وإنما يناله الإخلاص فيها، والاحتساب، والنية الصالحة، ولهذا قال: ﴿وَلَكِنْ يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ﴾ ففي هذا حث وترغيب على الإخلاص في النحر، وأن يكون القصد وجه الله وحده، لا فخرا ولا رياء، ولا سمعة، ولا مجرد عادة، وهكذا سائر العبادات، إن لم يقترن بها الإخلاص وتقوى الله،كانت كالقشور الذي لا لب فيه، والجسد الذي لا روح فيه.ـ

﴿كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ﴾ أي: تعظموه وتجلوه، ﴿عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ﴾ أي: مقابلة لهدايته إياكم، فإنه يستحق أكمل الثناء وأجل الحمد، وأعلى التعظيم، ﴿وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ﴾ بعبادة الله بأن يعبدوا الله، كأنهم يرونه، فإن لم يصلوا إلى هذه الدرجة فليعبدوه، معتقدين وقت عبادتهم اطلاعه عليهم، ورؤيته إياهم، والمحسنين لعباد الله، بجميع وجوه الإحسان من نفع مال، أو علم، أو جاه، أو نصح، أو أمر بمعروف، أو نهي عن منكر، أو كلمة طيبة ونحو ذلك، فالمحسنون لهم البشارة من الله، بسعادة الدنيا والآخرة وسيحسن الله إليهم، كما أحسنوا في عبادته ولعباده ﴿هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ﴾ ﴿لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ﴾ـ

المصدر: [تفسير السعدي – السعدي (١٣٧٦ هـ)]