Eat from the good things We have provided you, and be grateful to Allah.
“Eat from the good things We have provided you, and be grateful to Allah.”
O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, consume the good things that Allah has provided and allowed for you; and be thankful to Allah, outwardly and inwardly, for the overwhelming blessings He has given you.
The plain meaning, from Al-Mukhtasar fi at-Tafsir
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَٰكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
O you who have believed, eat from the good i.e., lawful things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is indeed Him that you worship.
What does Quran 2:172 mean?
The instruction is addressed to the believers, and the verse right after it lists what is forbidden — carrion, blood, pork, what was slaughtered for other than Allah. Placing the permission first is the point: the default is the good things, and gratitude is named as the response to them. The commentators add that part of thanking Him is obeying Him, so the thanks is not only said.
Written from Al-Mukhtasar fi at-Tafsir