21:93 Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

وكان اللائق، الاجتماع على هذا الأمر، وعدم التفرق فيه، ولكن البغي والاعتداء، أبيا إلا الافتراق والتقطع. ولهذا قال: { وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ } أي: تفرق الأحزاب المنتسبون لاتباع الأنبياء فرقا، وتشتتوا، كل يدعي أن الحق معه، والباطل مع الفريق الآخر و { كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ } وقد علم أن المصيب منهم، من كان سالكا للدين القويم، والصراط المستقيم، مؤتما بالأنبياء وسيظهر هذا، إذا انكشف الغطاء، وبرح الخفاء، وحشر الله الناس لفصل القضاء، فحينئذ يتبين الصادق من الكاذب، ولهذا قال: { كُلٌّ } من الفرق المتفرقة وغيرهم { إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ } أي: فنجازيهم أتم الجزاء

وقوله " وتقطعوا أمرهم بينهم " أي اختلف الأمم على رسلها فمن بين مصدق لهم ومكذب ولهذا قال "وكل إلينا راجعون " أي يوم القيامة فيجازى كل بحسب عمله إن خيرا فخير وإن شرا فشر.

Mankind is One Ummah

إِنَّ هَـذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً

(Truly, this, your Ummah is one,) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "Your religion is one religion." Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "In this Ayah, Allah explains to them what they should avoid and what they should do." Then He said:

إِنَّ هَـذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً

(Truly, this, your Ummah is one religion,) "Meaning, your path is one path. Certainly this is your Shari`ah (Divine Law) which I have clearly explained you." So Allah says:

وَأَنَاْ رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ

(and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me.) This is like the Ayah:

يأَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُواْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَـتِ وَاعْمَلُواْ صَـلِحاً

(O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibat (good things) and do righteous deeds.) Until His saying,

وَأَنَاْ رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ

(And I am your Lord, so have Taqwa of Me.) 23:51-52 The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّاتٍ دِينُنَا وَاحِد»

(We Prophets are brothers from different mothers and our religion is one.) What is meant here is that they all worshipped Allah Alone with no partner or associate, although the Laws of each Messenger may have differed, as Allah says:

لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَـجاً

(To each among you, We have prescribed a Law and a clear way) 5:48

وَتَقَطَّعُواْ أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ

(But they have broken up and differed in their religion among themselves.) meaning, the nations were divided over their Messengers; some of them believed in them and some rejected them. Allah says:

كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَجِعُونَ

((And) they all shall return to Us.) meaning, `on the Day of Resurrection, when We will requite each person according to his deeds. If they are good, then he will be rewarded and if they are evil then he will be punished.' Allah says:

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّـلِحَـتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ

(So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer,) meaning, his heart believes and his deeds are righteous.

فَلاَ كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ

(his efforts will not be rejected. ) This is like the Ayah:

إِنَّا لاَ نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلاً

(certainly We shall not make the reward of anyone who does his deeds in the most perfect manner to be lost.) 18:30 which means, his efforts will not be wasted; they will be appreciated and not even a speck of dust's weight of injustice will be done. Allah says:

وَإِنَّا لَهُ كَـتِبُونَ

(Verily, We record it for him.) means, all his deeds are recorded and nothing of them at all is lost.

But they that is to say some of those being addressed fragmented their affair among themselves that is they became divided in the matter of their religion and at variance over it — these are the different sects of the Jews and the Christians. God exalted be He says All shall return to Us and We will requite each according to his deeds.

Commentary

So far the Surah deals with the stories of the prophets and several basic as well as minor principles relevant to those stories. The basic beliefs such as Oneness of God, prophethood and the day of Resurrection are common to all prophets and are the foundation of their invitation to the people to follow the True Faith.