ḥalāl paired with ṭayyib
حَلَٰلًا طَيِّبًا
ḥalālan ṭayyiban — released and wholesome / lawful, wholesome
In the verses given, the roots ḥ-l-l and ṭ-y-b repeatedly appear together in statements about food, with ṭayyib naming a quality of the things and ḥ-l-l naming their status as permitted or released; the pairing is complementary rather than oppositional, and in one verse (20:81) the same root ḥ-l-l appears in a different sense.
The two roots are set side by side in several distinct constructions. In four verses the pair appears as two adjacent accusative masculine singular words, ḥalālan ṭayyiban, describing what is commanded to be eaten: (2:168), (5:88), (8:69) and (16:114). In each of these, ḥalāl is a noun and ṭayyib an adjective, both indefinite accusative, so the words function as a paired description of the food rather than as opposites. In other verses the pairing works through the verb aḥalla (form IV): wholesome things (al-ṭayyibāt) are said to have been made lawful or permissible — (4:160) uses the passive uḥillat with ṭayyibātin as its subject, (5:4) answers a question about what uḥilla with al-ṭayyibātu, (5:5) states uḥilla lakumu al-ṭayyibātu, and (5:87) forbids declaring forbidden the ṭayyibāt that Allah aḥalla. (7:157) extends the pairing to a person's action: he yuḥillu lahumu al-ṭayyibāti and makes the corrupt things (al-khabāʾith) forbidden — here ṭayyibāt stands opposite khabāʾith, while ḥ-l-l stands opposite ḥ-r-m. One verse, (20:81), contains both roots but not as a pair: ṭayyibāt names the food provided, while yaḥilla and yaḥlil refer to wrath becoming due, a different sense of the root ḥ-l-l. Across the sample, then, ṭayyib marks a quality and ḥ-l-l a status, and the two are repeatedly joined in statements about eating.
Where it occurs
- 2:168 Commands eating from the earth as ḥalālan ṭayyiban, pairing the two words as a description of the food.
- 4:160 States that wholesome things (ṭayyibāt) that had been made lawful (uḥillat) were made unlawful as a consequence of wrongdoing.
- 5:4 Answers a question about what has been made permissible (uḥilla) with the statement that the wholesome things (al-ṭayyibāt) are permissible.
- 5:5 Declares that the wholesome things (al-ṭayyibāt) have been made permitted (uḥilla), alongside further ḥ-l-l nouns (ḥillun) about food.
- 5:87 Prohibits declaring forbidden the wholesome things (ṭayyibāt) that Allah has made permissible (aḥalla).
- 5:88 Commands eating Allah's provision as ḥalālan ṭayyiban.
- 7:157 Pairs yuḥillu al-ṭayyibāt with making the corrupt things (al-khabāʾith) forbidden, setting ṭayyib against khabīth.
- 8:69 Commands eating the spoils as ḥalālan ṭayyiban.
- 16:114 Commands eating Allah's provision as ḥalālan ṭayyiban, joined with gratitude.
- 20:81 Contains both roots but not as a pair: ṭayyibāt names the food, while yaḥilla/yaḥlil concern wrath becoming due.
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