Surah shura ayat 14 Tafsir Quran 42:14

﴿وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوا إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى لَّقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مُرِيبٍ﴾
[ الشورى: 14]

42:14 And they did not become divided until after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And if not for a word 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.

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 (s).

Yet they only became divided into sects and factions, through envy and enmity, each with a belief cherished in their minds after their acquaintance with facts and intellectual perception of the truth. And had it not been for Allahs word proclaimed beforehand to put punishment in respite to a determined point of time, their Hereafter would have been planted in the now. And now your contemporaries, the successors who have inherited the Book AL-Tawrah (the Torah) are in perplexity about it on account of its present Intricate character

The Religion of the Messengers is One Allah says to this Ummah: شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الِدِينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحاً وَالَّذِى أَوْحَيْنَآ 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 .
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 Surat 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: وَمَآ 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 الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّاتٍ، 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 أَقِيمُواْ الدِّينَ وَلاَ تَتَفَرَّقُواْ 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.
t 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 يَجْتَبِى إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى 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 تَفَرَّقُواْاللَّهِ إِلاَّ مَنبَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ 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. وَلَوْلاَ 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. وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُواْ الْكِتَـبَ 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. لَفِى 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.

(42:14) They did not split up except after knowledge had come to them, *22 and then only because they wished to commit excesses against each other. *23 Had your Lord not already decreed that judgement would be made later at an appointed time, the matter between them would surely have been decided once and for all. *24 Indeed those who were later made the heirs of the Book are in disquieting doubt about it. *25

And they did not become divided until meaning

*22) That is, " The divisions were created not because Allah had fAlled to send the Prophets and the Books, and therefore, the people could not know the Right Way and so invented their own separate religions, sects, schools of thought and systems of life, but divisions appeared after knowledge had come to them from Allah.
Therefore, Allah is not responsible for it, but the people who abandoned the clear principles of religion and commands of the Shari'ah and created their own creeds and religions arc themselves responsible for it. "
*23) That is, " The motive for creating the divisions was not good, but they resulted from the desire for ostentation, love of an independent entity, mutual rivalry and stubbornness, the urge to humiliate and defeat one another, and greed for worldly wealth and position.
When the clever and ambitious saw that if the godly people followed the true religion honestly, there would only be One God before whom the people would bow, there would be one Messenger whom they would acknowledge as.
their guide and leader, there would be one Book which they would turn to and there would be a clearly defined creed and code of life which they would be following.
In such a system there could be no place of distinction for themselves, on the strength of which they could have their own leadership flourish so that the people should rally round them, and bow to them and also make rich offerings to them.
This was the real cause which became the motive of the invention of new creeds and philosophies, new ways and rites of worship and new systems of life, and diverted a large part of humanity from the highway of Divine Religion and misled them into blind alleys.
Then the mutual disputes of the factions and their religious, economic and political conflicts gave rise to intense bitterness, which in turn led to bloodshed and violence among humanity.
"
*24) That is, all such people who were guilty of inventing false systems and followed them would have been annihilated in the world itself by a torment, and only the righteous ones allowed to survive, which should have indicated as to who was a follower of the Truth and who of falsehood in the sight of Allah.
But Allah has deferred this plain decisions till Resurrection, for after such a decision in the world, the trial of mankind becomes meaningless.

*25) It means: After the passage of the time of every Prophet and his closest followers when the Divine Book reached the later generations, they did not receive it with faith and conviction but were involved in doubts and suspicions and confusions about it.
There were many causes for this state of affairs, which can be easily understood by a study of the case of the Torah and the Gospel.
The earlier generations have not conveyed both these Books to the later generations well preserved in their original state and in their original words and language.
They mixed up the Divine Word in them with the human word in the form of their commentary, history, verbal traditions and juristic hair-splitting.
They made their translations prevail until the original was lost and only the translations remained.
Their historical authenticity also was ruined; so much so that nobody now can say with certainty that the Book in his hand is the same that the world had once received through the Prophet Moses or the Prophet Jesus.
Then their elders in the different periods of history initiated such discussions on religion, divinity, philosophy, law, physics, psychology and sociology and invented such systems of thought that the people were lost in them and it became impossible for them to decide as to which was the straight highway of the Truth among the countless crooked ways.
And since the Divine Book did not exist in its original, reliable state.
they could neither turn to any authority that could help them to distinguish the truth from falshood.

 

The Religion of the Messengers is One Allah says to this Ummah: شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الِدِينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحاً وَالَّذِى أَوْحَيْنَآ 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 .
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 Surat 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: وَمَآ 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 الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّاتٍ، 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 أَقِيمُواْ الدِّينَ وَلاَ تَتَفَرَّقُواْ 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.
t 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 يَجْتَبِى إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى 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 تَفَرَّقُواْاللَّهِ إِلاَّ مَنبَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ 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. وَلَوْلاَ 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. وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُواْ الْكِتَـبَ 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. لَفِى 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.

( And they were not divided ) i.e. the Jews and Christians about Muhammad ( pbuh ) the Qur’an and Islam ( until after the knowledge ) until after the exposition which is in their Scripture about the attributes and description of Muhammad ( pbuh ) ( came unto them, through rivalry among themselves ) out of resentful envy, they disbelieved in Muhammad ( pbuh ); ( and had it not been for a Word ) to delay the punishment of this nation ( that had already gone forth from your Lord ) had already been ordained by your Lord ( for an appointed term ) until an appointed time, ( it surely had been judged between them ) He would have already destroyed the Jews and Christians. ( And those who were made to inherit the Scripture ) and those who were given the Torah ( after them ) after the messengers; and it is also said: after the generations of old ( are verily in hopeless doubt concerning it ) concerning the Torah; and it is also said that this means: concerning the Qur’an.

And they divided not till after knowledge had come to them, through selfish transgression between themselves. And had it not been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord for an appointed term, the matter would have been settled between them. And verily, those who were made to inherit the Scripture [i.e. the Taurah (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] after them (i.e. Jews and Christians) are in grave doubt concerning it (i.e. Allah's true religion Islam or the Quran).

Page 484 English transliteration