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Ayah
Word by Word
وَمَا
And not
تَفَرَّقُوٓاْ
they became divided
إِلَّا
until
مِنۢ
after
بَعۡدِ
after
مَا
[what]
جَآءَهُمُ
came to them
ٱلۡعِلۡمُ
the knowledge
بَغۡيَۢا
(out of) rivalry
بَيۡنَهُمۡۚ
among them
وَلَوۡلَا
And if not
كَلِمَةٞ
(for) a word
سَبَقَتۡ
(that) preceded
مِن
from
رَّبِّكَ
your Lord
إِلَىٰٓ
for
أَجَلٖ
a term
مُّسَمّٗى
specified
لَّقُضِيَ
surely, it (would have) been settled
بَيۡنَهُمۡۚ
between them
وَإِنَّ
And indeed
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
أُورِثُواْ
were made to inherit
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
the Book
مِنۢ
after them
بَعۡدِهِمۡ
after them
لَفِي
(are) surely in
شَكّٖ
doubt
مِّنۡهُ
concerning it
مُرِيبٖ
disquieting
وَمَا
And not
تَفَرَّقُوٓاْ
they became divided
إِلَّا
until
مِنۢ
after
بَعۡدِ
after
مَا
[what]
جَآءَهُمُ
came to them
ٱلۡعِلۡمُ
the knowledge
بَغۡيَۢا
(out of) rivalry
بَيۡنَهُمۡۚ
among them
وَلَوۡلَا
And if not
كَلِمَةٞ
(for) a word
سَبَقَتۡ
(that) preceded
مِن
from
رَّبِّكَ
your Lord
إِلَىٰٓ
for
أَجَلٖ
a term
مُّسَمّٗى
specified
لَّقُضِيَ
surely, it (would have) been settled
بَيۡنَهُمۡۚ
between them
وَإِنَّ
And indeed
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
أُورِثُواْ
were made to inherit
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
the Book
مِنۢ
after them
بَعۡدِهِمۡ
after them
لَفِي
(are) surely in
شَكّٖ
doubt
مِّنۡهُ
concerning it
مُرِيبٖ
disquieting
Translation
And they did not become divided until after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And if not for a word1 that preceded from your Lord [postponing the penalty] until a specified time, it would have been concluded between them. And indeed, those who were granted inheritance of the Scripture after them are, concerning it, in disquieting doubt.
Footnotes
1 - Decree. See footnote to 10:19.
Tafsir
And they did not become divided, that is, the adherents of the [monotheistic] religions [did not become divided] in religion - so that some affirmed the Oneness [of God], while others rejected it - except after the knowledge, of His Oneness, had come to them, out of [jealous] rivalry, on the part of the disbelievers, among themselves. And were it not for a Word that preceded from your Lord, to defer requital [of them], until an appointed term, [until] the Day of Resurrection, it would have [already] been judged between them, to chastise the disbelievers in this world. And indeed those who were made heirs to the Scripture after them, namely, the Jews and the Christians, are truly in grave doubt concerning him, Muhammad may peace and salutation be upon him.
Allah is the Protector, Ruler and Creator
Allah says,
أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاء
فَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْوَلِيُّ وَهُوَ يُحْيِي المَوْتَى
وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Or have they taken protecting friends besides Him? But Allah --- He Alone is the protector. And He Who gives life to the dead, and He is Able to do all things.
Here Allah denounces the idolators for taking other gods instead of Allah, and declares that He is the True God, and it is not right to worship anyone except Him Alone. He is the One Who is able to bring the dead back to life and He is Able to do all things.
Then He says
وَمَا اخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِيهِ مِن شَيْءٍ فَحُكْمُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ
And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allah.
means, in whatever issue you differ. This is general in meaning and applies to all things.
فَحُكْمُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ
the decision thereof is with Allah.
means, He is the Judge of that, according to His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet.
This is like the Ayah:
فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger. (4:59)
ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبِّي
Such is Allah, my Lord,
means, (He is) the Judge of all things.
عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ
in Whom I put my trust, and to Him I turn in repentance.
means, `I refer all matters to Him.
فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاْاَرْضِ
The Creator of the heavens and the earth.
means, the Maker of them both and everything in between.
جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا
He has made for you mates from yourselves,
means, of your own kind. As a blessing and a favor from Him, He has made your kind male and female.
وَمِنَ الاَْنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا
and for the cattle (also) mates.
means, and He has created for you eight pairs of cattle.
يَذْرَوُكُمْ فِيهِ
By this means He creates you.
means, in this manner He creates you, male and female, generation after generation of men and cattle.
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ
There is nothing like Him,
means, there is nothing like the Creator of these pairs, for He is the Unique, the Self-Sufficient Master, Who has no peer or equal.
وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.
لَهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضِ
To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth.
We have already discussed the interpretation of this phrase in Surah Az-Zumar (39:63), the conclusion of which is that He is the One Who is controlling and governing them.
يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيَقْدِرُ
He expands provision for whom He wills, and straitens.
means, He gives plentiful provision to whomsoever He wills and He reduces it for whomsoever He wills, and He is perfectly Wise and Just.
إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Verily, He is the All-Knower of everything.
The Religion of the Messengers is One
Allah says to this Ummah:
شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ
He (Allah) has ordained for you the same religion which He ordained for Nuh, and that which We have revealed to you,
Allah mentions the first Messenger who was sent after Adam, that is, Nuh, peace be upon them, and the last of them is Muhammad.
وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى
and that which We ordained for Ibrahim, Musa and Isa,
Then He mentions those who came in between them who were the Messengers of strong will, namely Ibrahim, Musa and Isa bin Maryam. This Ayah mentions all five, just as they are also mentioned in the Ayah in Surah Al-Ahzab, where Allah says:
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ النَّبِيِّيْنَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ وَمِنْكَ وَمِن نُّوحٍ وَإِبْرَهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ
And (remember) when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you, and from Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and Isa son of Maryam. (33:7)
The Message which all the Messengers brought was to worship Allah Alone, with no partner or associate, as Allah says:
وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِى إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنَاْ فَاعْبُدُونِ
And We did not send any Messenger before you but We revealed to him (saying):None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me. (21:25).
And according to a Hadith (the Prophet said):
نَحْنُ مَعْشَرَ الاَْنْبِيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّتٍ دِينُنَا وَاحِد
We Prophets are brothers and our religion is one.
In other words, the common bond between them is that Allah Alone is to be worshipped, with no partner or associate, even though their laws and ways may differ, as Allah says.
لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَـجاً
To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way. (5:48)
Allah says here:
أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ
saying you should establish religion and make no divisions in it.
meaning, Allah enjoined all the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all) to be as one and He forbade them to differ and be divided.
كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ
Intolerable for the idolators is that to which you call them.
means, `it is too much for them to bear, and they hate that to which you call them, O Muhammad, i.e., Tawhid.'
اللَّهُ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَاء وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يُنِيبُ
Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills, and guides unto Himself who turns to Him in repentance.
means, He is the One Who decrees guidance for those who deserve it, and decrees misguidance for those who prefer it to the right path.
Allah says here
وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوا إِلاَّ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ الْعِلْمُ
And they divided not till after knowledge had come to them,
means, their opposition to the truth arose after it had come to them and proof had been established against them. Nothing made them resist in this manner except their transgression and stubbornness.
بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ
وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى
And had it not been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord for an appointed term,
means, were it not for the fact that Allah had already decreed that He would delay the reckoning of His servants until the Day of Resurrection, the punishment would have been hastened for them in this world.
لَّقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ
the matter would have been settled between them.
وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ
And verily, those who were made to inherit the Scripture after them,
means, the later generation which came after the earlier generation which had rejected the truth.
لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مُرِيبٍ
are in grave doubt concerning it.
means, they do not have any firm conviction in matters of religion; they merely imitate their forefathers, without any evidence or proof. So they are very confused and doubtful
This Ayah includes ten separate and independent ideas, each of which is a ruling on its own.
They (the scholars) said that there is nothing else like it in the Qur'an, apart from Ayat Al-Kursi (2:255), which also includes ten ideas.
فَلِذَلِكَ فَادْعُ
So unto this then invite (people),
means, `so call people to this which We have revealed to you and which We enjoined upon all the Prophets before you,' the Prophets of major ways (of Shariah) that were followed, such as the Messengers of strong will, and others.
وَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ
and stand firm as you are commanded,
means, `adhere firmly, you and those who follow you, to the worship of Allah as He has commanded you.'
وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءهُمْ
and follow not their desires,
means, the desires of the idolators, in the falsehoods that they have invented and fabricated by worshipping idols.
وَقُلْ امَنتُ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِن كِتَابٍ
but say:I believe in whatsoever Allah has sent down of the Book...
means, `I believe in all the Books that have been revealed from heaven to the Prophets; we do not differentiate between any of them.'
وَأُمِرْتُ لاِأَعْدِلَ بَيْنَكُمُ
and I am commanded to do justice among you.
means, when judging according to the commands of Allah.
اللَّهُ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ
Allah is our Lord and your Lord.
means, `He is the One Who is to be worshipped, and there is no true God but He. We affirm this willingly, and even though you do not do so willingly, everyone in the universe prostrates to Him obediently and willingly.'
لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ
For us our deeds and for you your deeds.
means, `we have nothing to do with you.'
This is like the Ayah:
وَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُل لِّى عَمَلِى وَلَكُمْ عَمَلُكُمْ أَنتُمْ بَرِييُونَ مِمَّأ أَعْمَلُ وَأَنَاْ بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
And if they demy you, say:For me are my deeds and for you are your deeds! You are innocent of what I do, and I am innocent of what you do! (10:41)
لَاا حُجَّةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ
There is no dispute between us and you.
Mujahid said, This means, no argument.
As-Suddi said,
This was before Ayah of the sword was revealed.
This fits the context, because this Ayah was revealed in Makkah, and Ayah of the sword (22:39-40) was revealed after the Hijrah.
اللَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا
Allah will assemble us (all), (means, on the Day of Resurrection).
This is like the Ayah:
قُلْ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا رَبُّنَا ثُمَّ يَفْتَحُ بَيْنَنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَهُوَ الْفَتَّاحُ الْعَلِيمُ
Say:Our Lord will assemble us all together, then He will judge between us with truth. And He is the Just Judge, the All-Knower of the true state of affairs. (34:26).
وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ
and to Him is the final return.
means, the final return on the Day of Reckoning.
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