Surah 42 Ash-Shura — Ayah 13
۞ شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلدِّينِ مَا وَصَّىٰ بِهِۦ نُوحًۭا وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِۦٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰٓ ۖ أَنْ أَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا۟ فِيهِ ۚ كَبُرَ عَلَى ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ ۚ ٱللَّهُ يَجْتَبِىٓ إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِىٓ إِلَيْهِ مَن يُنِيبُ
Wuxuuna idiin jideeyey xagga Diinta wuxuu u dardaarmay (Nabi) Nuux iyo kaan kuu Waxyoonay adiga iyo waxaan u dardaaranay (Nabi) Ibrahiim (Nabi) Muuse iyo (Nabi) Ciise inay oogaan Diinta aydaan kuna kala tagin dhexdiisa, waxaa ku waynaaday Gaalada waxaad ugu yeedhi, Eebaa u doorta xaggiisa Cidduu doono una hanuuniya xaggiisa cidduu hanuunin.
sharaʿa lakum mina l-dīni mā waṣṣā bihi nūḥan wa-alladhī awḥaynā ilayka wamā waṣṣaynā bihi ib'rāhīma wamūsā waʿīsā an aqīmū l-dīna walā tatafarraqū fīhi kabura ʿalā l-mush'rikīna mā tadʿūhum ilayhi l-lahu yajtabī ilayhi man yashāu wayahdī ilayhi man yunību
Word by word
- ۞ شَرَعَ sharaʿa He has ordained
- لَكُم lakum for you
- مِّنَ mina of
- ٱلدِّينِ l-dīni the religion
- مَا mā what
- وَصَّىٰ waṣṣā He enjoined
- بِهِۦ bihi upon
- نُوحًۭا nūḥan Nuh
- وَٱلَّذِىٓ wa-alladhī and that which
- أَوْحَيْنَآ awḥaynā We have revealed
- إِلَيْكَ ilayka to you
- وَمَا wamā and what
- وَصَّيْنَا waṣṣaynā We enjoined
- بِهِۦٓ bihi upon
- إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ib'rāhīma Ibrahim
- وَمُوسَىٰ wamūsā and Musa
- وَعِيسَىٰٓ ۖ waʿīsā and Isa
- أَنْ an To
- أَقِيمُوا۟ aqīmū establish
- ٱلدِّينَ l-dīna the religion
- وَلَا walā and not
- تَتَفَرَّقُوا۟ tatafarraqū be divided
- فِيهِ ۚ fīhi therein
- كَبُرَ kabura Is difficult
- عَلَى ʿalā on
- ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ l-mush'rikīna the polytheists
- مَا mā what
- تَدْعُوهُمْ tadʿūhum you call them
- إِلَيْهِ ۚ ilayhi to it
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
- يَجْتَبِىٓ yajtabī chooses
- إِلَيْهِ ilayhi for Himself
- مَن man whom
- يَشَآءُ yashāu He wills
- وَيَهْدِىٓ wayahdī and guides
- إِلَيْهِ ilayhi to Himself
- مَن man whoever
- يُنِيبُ yunību turns
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Religion of the Messengers is One
Allah says to this Ummah:
(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:
(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:
(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):
(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.
(To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way) (5:48). Allah says here:
(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
(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.'
(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;
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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.