5:1
O ye who believe! fulfil (all) obligations. Lawful unto you (for food) are all four-footed animals, with the exceptions named: But animals of the chase are forbidden while ye are in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb: for Allah doth command according to His will and plan.
Maududi explains that the opening statements of the passage emphasize the obligation for believers to observe the limits and prohibitions established in the Qurʾān and the broader framework of divine law. According to his interpretation, this introductory statement serves as a preface to a series of legal directives outlining specific prohibitions that Muslims are required to observe. Within this context, the verse declares that all four-footed animals are lawful for consumption, except for those specifically excluded by the revealed law (Maududi).
Similarly, Abdullah Yusuf Ali notes that the exceptions mentioned in the verse are not limited solely to those explicitly listed in the Qurʾān but also include prohibitions clarified through the Sunnah of the Prophet. In this way, the Qurʾān and the Prophetic tradition together establish the complete set of guidelines governing lawful and unlawful foods in Islamic law (Yusuf Ali, 1934).