Faaqim wajhaka liddeeni haneefan fitrata Allahi allatee fatara annasa AAalayha la tabdeela (surah Rum: 30)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(30:30) (O Prophet and his followers), *42 turn your face singlemindedly *43 to the true Faith *44 and adhere to the true nature on which Allah has created human beings. *45 The mould fashioned by Allah cannot be altered. *46 That is the True, Straight Faith, *47 although most people do not know.

Fa aqim wajhaka liddeeni Haneefaa; fitratal laahil latee fataran naasa `alaihaa; laa taabdeela likhalqil laah; zaalikad deenul qaiyimu wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya`lamoon

*42) This "so" implies that when the reality has become clear to you, and you have come to know that none but Allah is the Creator and Master and Sovereign of this universe and of man himself, then inevitably your conduct should be such as indicated in this verse.
*43) "Set your face. .truly": "Do not turn your face to any other direction after you have .adopted this way of life. ' Then you should think like a Muslim and your likes and dislikes should be of a Muslim. Your values and standards should be the ones set by Islam and your character and conduct should bear the stamp of lslam, and the affairs of your individual and collective life should be ordered according to the way taught by Islam."
*44) "This Faith": the Faith that the Qur'an presents, in which none but Allah is worthy of worship and obedience, in which none can be held as an associate of Allah in His Divinity, in His attributes and His powers and rights, in which man by his own free will chooses to order his life in accordance with the Guidance and Law of Allah.
*45) That is, "All human beings have been created on the nature that none but One Allah is their Creator and Lord and Deity. You should be steadfast on this nature. If you adopt the attitude of independence, you will be following a way opposed to your nature, and if you serve and worship another besides Allah, then also you will be working against your nature." This subject has been explained by the Holy Prophet in a number of Ahadith, According to Bukhari and Muslim,the Holy Prophet said: "Every child who is born, is born on we human nature; it is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian, etc. afterwards. Its example is of an animal which gives birth to complete and sound young ones - none is born with torn and cut off ears-but the mushriks tear their ears afterwards on account of their superstitions of ignorance."
According to another Hadith reported in Musnad Ahmad and Nasa'i, the Muslims in a war killed even the children of the enemy. When the Holy Prophet came to know of it, he became very angry, and said: "What has happened to the people that they have transgressed the limits and killed even the children?" A man said, "Sir, were they not the children of the Mushriks?" The Holy Prophet replied: "Even the best of your people are the children of the mushriks!"Then he said: "Every living being is born on we nature: then when he becomes able to speak, his parents turn him into a Jew or a Christian."
In another Hadith which has been reported by lmam Ahmad on the authority of 'Ayad bin Himar-ul-Mujashi'i, it has been related that one day the Holy Prophet said during an address: "My Lord says: I had created aII My servants on true Faith; then the satans came and led them astray from their Faith, and made unlawful what I had made lawful for them, and commanded them to associate with Me those for whom I have seat down no authority'."
*46) That is, "God has made man His servant and created him only for his own service. This natural disposition of man cannot be altered, howe ver hard one may try. Neither can man effect a change in his position of a servant, nor can anything other than God become his God in the real sense. Man may make for himself as many gods as he may please, but the fact remains that he is the servant of none but One God alone. Man by his own folly and ignorance may regard anyone as holder of Divine attributes and powers and take any one as the maker and un-maker of his destiny, but the fact of the matter is that neither does anyone other than AIIah possess Divine attributes nor His authority, nor has anyone else the power to make or mat the destiny of man."
Another translation of this verse can be: "Do not effect any alteration in the Nature trade by Allah." That is, it is not right to corrupt and spoil the Nature on which Allah has created man.
*47) "Right and true Faith": To remain steadfast on one's true Nature.