Today, I have completed your religion (5:3)

In the second half of Sura 5 verse 3, a statement reads,

“Today, I have completed your religion, perfected My blessing upon you, and I have decreed Submission as the religion for you.”

Below is the complete verse.

[5:3] Prohibited for you are animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of pigs,* and animals dedicated to other than GOD. (Animals that die of themselves include those) strangled, struck with an object, fallen from a height, gored, attacked by a wild animal—unless you save your animal before it dies—and animals sacrificed on altars. Also prohibited is dividing the meat through a game of chance; this is an abomination. Today, the disbelievers have given up concerning (the eradication of) your religion; do not fear them and fear Me instead. Today, I have completed your religion, perfected My blessing upon you, and I have decreed Submission as the religion for you. If one is forced by famine (to eat prohibited food), without being deliberately sinful, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful.

 حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةُ وَٱلدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَٱلْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَٱلْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَٱلنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَآ أَكَلَ ٱلسَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى ٱلنُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا۟ بِٱلْأَزْلَـٰمِ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ ٱلْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًا فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ فِى مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Here is a word by word breakdown of this portion of the verse:

40	l-yawma	ٱلْيَوْمَ	Today
41	akmaltu	أَكْمَلْتُ	I perfected / completed
42	lakum	لَكُمْ	for you [all]
43	dīnakum	دِينَكُمْ	your religion
44	wa-atmamtu	وَأَتْمَمْتُ	and I perfected / completed
45	ʿalaykum	عَلَيْكُمْ	upon you [all]
46	niʿ’matī	نِعْمَتِى	My favors / blessings
47	waraḍītu	وَرَضِيتُ	and I approved
48	lakumu	لَكُمُ	for you [all]
49	l-is’lāma	ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ	[the] Submission
50	dīnan	دِينًا	(as) a religion.

Sunnis often claim that this statement indicates that this was the last verse revealed to the prophet, except such a narration goes against their Hadith narrations. But Hadith aside, is such an interpretation even valid according to the Quran?

In the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, there is an iconic scene regarding the final chess match between the young chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin and his rival Jonathan Poe. As the match progresses, the game reaches a critical point where it appears evenly matched, with both players having a chance at victory. However, in a pivotal moment, Josh pauses and reflects, visualizing the chessboard and contemplating his next moves.

Through his visualization, Josh realizes that he has already won the game. He sees that the combination of moves he can make will inevitably lead to a checkmate against Jonathan, regardless of how Jonathan responds. Recognizing his imminent victory, Josh extends a gesture of sportsmanship to Jonathan. He quietly offers Jonathan a draw, informing him he already lost, but he doesn’t know it. Oblivious to the inevitability of his outcome, Jonathan declines the draw, thinking he has the upper hand, only having to admit defeat when the moves actually play to fruition.

I want to demonstrate with the above example that something can be completed and perfected even before we see the outcome. So when God says, “Today I have completed your religion,” the mistake we make is thinking that this means that everything God has decreed has already come to fruition.

An awesome example of this can be seen in Sura 8 where God shows that He has already arranged the chessboard accordingly such that it is just a matter of time before the inevitable happens.

[8:42] Recall that you were on this side of the valley, while they were on the other side. Then their caravan had to move to lower ground. Had you planned it this way, you could not have done it. But GOD was to carry out a predetermined matter, whereby those destined to be annihilated were annihilated for an obvious reason, and those destined to be saved were saved for an obvious reason. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.

 إِذْ أَنتُم بِٱلْعُدْوَةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَهُم بِٱلْعُدْوَةِ ٱلْقُصْوَىٰ وَٱلرَّكْبُ أَسْفَلَ مِنكُمْ وَلَوْ تَوَاعَدتُّمْ لَٱخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِى ٱلْمِيعَـٰدِ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَقْضِىَ ٱللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا لِّيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَنۢ بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحْيَىٰ مَنْ حَىَّ عَنۢ بَيِّنَةٍ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَسَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Additionally, we have examples in the Quran specifically where the word complete is used but in a way that is clearly distinct from its temporal fulfillment.

In Sura 6, Livestock, the Quran indicates that it is complete, yet when this verse came down, the entire Quran had not yet been revealed to mankind.

[6:115] The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.

 وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

1	watammat	وَتَمَّتْ	And [it is] fulfilled / completed
2	kalimatu	كَلِمَتُ	(the) word
3	rabbika	رَبِّكَ	(of) your Lord
4	ṣid’qan	صِدْقًا	(in) truth
5	waʿadlan	وَعَدْلًا	and justice.

In the verses in Sura 12, Joseph, we see Jacob makes the following statement regarding the blessings God has bestowed upon Joseph.

[12:6] “Your Lord has thus blessed you, and has given you good news through your dream. He has perfected His blessings upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He did for your ancestors Abraham and Isaac before that. Your Lord is Omniscient, Most Wise.”

 وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَجْتَبِيكَ رَبُّكَ وَيُعَلِّمُكَ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ وَيُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰٓ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ كَمَآ أَتَمَّهَا عَلَىٰٓ أَبَوَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

8	wayutimmu	وَيُتِمُّ	and He completes
9	niʿ’matahu	نِعْمَتَهُۥ	His favors / blessings
10	ʿalayka	عَلَيْكَ	upon you
11	waʿalā	وَعَلَىٰٓ	and upon
12	āli	ءَالِ	(the) family (of)
13	yaʿqūba	يَعْقُوبَ	Jacob
14	kamā	كَمَآ	as
15	atammahā	أَتَمَّهَا	He completed it
16	ʿalā	عَلَىٰٓ	upon
17	abawayka	أَبَوَيْكَ	your two forefathers / ancestors
18	min	مِن	from
19	qablu	قَبْلُ	before –
20	ib’rāhīma	إِبْرَٰهِيمَ	Abraham
21	wa-is’ḥāqa	وَإِسْحَـٰقَ	and Isaac.

Remember that Joseph is only a youth when Jacob tells him this, yet it states that God completes His favor upon him even at this stage.

From this, my understanding is when God has decreed anything, it is as good as done, even if we do not see the outcome of the decree temporally.

[12:68] When they went (to Joseph), they entered in accordance with their father’s instructions. Although this could not change anything decreed by GOD, Jacob had a private reason for asking them to do this. For he possessed certain knowledge that we taught him, but most people do not know.

We also see lessons of this echoed in the original verse 6:115 when it states that nothing can change God’s words, as well as the following example from Jacob showing that nothing can change what God has decreed.

 وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُم مَّا كَانَ يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةً فِى نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَىٰهَا وَإِنَّهُۥ لَذُو عِلْمٍ لِّمَا عَلَّمْنَـٰهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

So when God says something is completed, it does not necessarily mean that we can see the final outcome at that moment, but we can rest assured that whatever God states is absolutely sure to be.

[16:40] To have anything done, we simply say to it, “Be,” and it is.

 إِنَّمَا قَوْلُنَا لِشَىْءٍ إِذَآ أَرَدْنَـٰهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ