42:13 Ash-Shura (Consultation)

هذه أكبر منة أنعم الله بها على عباده، أن شرع لهم من الدين خير الأديان وأفضلها، وأزكاها وأطهرها، دين الإسلام، الذي شرعه الله للمصطفين المختارين من عباده، بل شرعه الله لخيار الخيار، وصفوة الصفوة، وهم أولو العزم من المرسلين المذكورون في هذه الآية، أعلى الخلق درجة، وأكملهم من كل وجه، فالدين الذي شرعه الله لهم، لا بد أن يكون مناسبا لأحوالهم، موافقا لكمالهم، بل إنما كملهم الله واصطفاهم، بسبب قيامهم به، فلولا الدين الإسلامي، ما ارتفع أحد من الخلق، فهو روح السعادة، وقطب رحى الكمال، وهو ما تضمنه هذا الكتاب الكريم، ودعا إليه من التوحيد والأعمال والأخلاق والآداب.ولهذا قال: { أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ } أي: أمركم أن تقيموا جميع شرائع الدين أصوله وفروعه، تقيمونه بأنفسكم، وتجتهدون في إقامته على غيركم، وتعاونون على البر والتقوى ولا تعاونون على الإثم والعدوان. { وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ } أي: ليحصل منكم الاتفاق على أصول الدين وفروعه، واحرصوا على أن لا تفرقكم المسائل وتحزبكم أحزابا، وتكونون شيعا يعادي بعضكم بعضا مع اتفاقكم على أصل دينكم.ومن أنواع الاجتماع على الدين وعدم التفرق فيه، ما أمر به الشارع من الاجتماعات العامة، كاجتماع الحج والأعياد، والجمع والصلوات الخمس والجهاد، وغير ذلك من العبادات التي لا تتم ولا تكمل إلا بالاجتماع لها وعدم التفرق.{ كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ } أي: شق عليهم غاية المشقة، حيث دعوتهم إلى الإخلاص للّه وحده، كما قال عنهم: { وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ } وقولهم: { أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ } { اللَّهُ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ } أي يختار من خليقته من يعلم أنه يصلح للاجتباء لرسالته وولايته ومنه أن اجتبى هذه الأمة وفضلها على سائر الأمم، واختار لها أفضل الأديان وخيرها.{ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يُنِيبُ } هذا السبب الذي من العبد، يتوصل به إلى هداية الله تعالى، وهو إنابته لربه، وانجذاب دواعي قلبه إليه، وكونه قاصدا وجهه، فحسن مقصد العبد مع اجتهاده في طلب الهداية، من أسباب التيسير لها، كما قال تعالى: { يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ } وفي هذه الآية، أن الله { يَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يُنِيبُ } مع قوله: { وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ } مع العلم بأحوال الصحابة رضي الله عنهم، وشدة إنابتهم، دليل على أن قولهم حجة، خصوصا الخلفاء الراشدين، رضي الله عنهم أجمعين.

يقول تعالى لهذه الأمة "شرع لكم من الدين ما وصى به نوحا والذي أوحينا إليك" فذكر أول الرسل بعد آدم عليه السلام وهو نوح عليه السلام وآخرهم وهو محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم ذكر من بين ذلك من أولي العزم وهو إبراهيم وموسى وعيسى ابن مريم وهذه الآية انتظمت ذكر الخمسة كما اشتملت آية الأحزاب عليهم في قوله تبارك وتعالى "وإذ أخذنا من النبيين ميثاقهم ومنك ومن نوح وإبراهيم وموسى وعيسى ابن مريم" الآية والدين الذي جاءت به الرسل كلهم هو عبادة الله وحده لا شريك له كما قال عز وجل "وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول إلا نوحي إليه أنه لا إله إلا أنا فاعبدون". وفي الحديث "نحن معشر الأنبياء أولاد علات ديننا واحد" أي القدر المشترك بينهم هو عبادة الله وحده لا شريك له وإن اختلفت شرائعهم ومناهجهم كقوله جل جلاله "لكل جعلنا منكم شرعة ومنهاجا" ولهذا قال تعالى ههنا "أن أقيموا الدين ولا تتفرقوا فيه" أي أوصى الله تعالى جميع الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام بالائتلاف والجماعة ونهاهم عن الافتراق والاختلاف. وقوله عز وجل "كبر على المشركين ما تدعوهم إليه" أي شق عليهم وأنكروا ما تدعوهم إليه يا محمد من التوحيد. ثم قال جل جلاله "الله يجتبي إليه من يشاء ويهدي إليه من ينيب" أي هو الذي يقدر الهداية لمن يستحقها ويكتب الضلالة على من آثرها على طريق الرشد.

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.

He has prescribed for you as a religion that which He enjoined upon Noah — for he was the first of the prophets sent with a Divine Law — and that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus declaring ‘Establish religion and do not be divided in it’ this is what has been prescribed and enjoined upon those mentioned above and what has been revealed to Muhammad (s) and it is the affirmation of God’s Oneness. Dreadful is for the idolaters that to which you summon them in the way of affirming the Oneness of God. God chooses for it for the task of affirming His Oneness whomever He will and He guides to it whomever turns penitently whomever applies himself to obedience of Him.

Commentary

شَرَ‌عَ لَكُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّىٰ بِهِ نُوحًا (He has ordained for you the same religion as He had enjoined upon Nuh (علیہ السلام) -- 42:13) Allah Almighty's obvious and material blessings were stated in the previous verses. Stated from here are the inner and spiritual blessings. That is, He has blessed you with that very cogent and infallible religion which has been common between all the prophets (علیہم السلام) . Five of the prophets (علیہم السلام) have been mentioned in the verse. Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) has been mentioned first, and our Prophet ﷺ in the end, while Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in the middle, because he is the father of prophets and was accepted as a prophet even by Arabs, despite their ` kufr' and ` shirk'. Sayyidna Musa and ` Isa (علیہما السلام) have been mentioned after him, because their followers were the ones who were present when Qur'an was being revealed. These five prophets (علیہم السلام) are also the ones named in Surah Ahzab where the covenant of the prophets given to Allah is mentioned, the difference being that the last of the Prophets ﷺ has been mentioned before Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) in Surah Ahzab, whereas Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) has been mentioned before our Prophet ﷺ in the present surah. Perhaps this is to indicate that although the last of the Prophets ﷺ was born and sent as a prophet after all other prophets, yet he preceded everyone else in the originally destined (azali) distribution of prophethood and messenger-ship. This has been stated in a Hadith: ` I preceded all the other prophets in the original creation and I am last of all the prophets in being sent." (Reported by Ibn Majah, Darimi, from Bahz In Hakim, and rated as hasan=See Mishkah)

Now the question arises that the very first prophet is Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) but the mention of prophets does not commence with his name. The reason is that Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) was the first prophet to have come in this world, and although he has commonality in principles of beliefs and important features of faith, yet during his period, no ` kufr' and ` shirk' had appeared in the people. Confrontation with ` kufr' and ` shirk' commenced with Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) who is the first prophet to have faced such problems which were to be faced by later prophets, and as such Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) has been mentioned first. (Allah knows best).

أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّ‌قُوا فِيهِ (Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. - 42:13). - This is an explanation of the preceding sentence which means that the دِین ` din' (religion) which is common to all the prophets and in which all are agreed has to be established and maintained; opposing this religion or creating differences in it is not only impermissible, but also liable to a destructive end.

Establishing the دِین Din is obligatory Duty and Dissension in it is forbidden

Two orders have been given in this verse - one, ` Establish the religion' and the second, ` Be not divided therein.' which forbids dissension in religion. This sentence is preceded by the word 'an' which has been translated above as, ` by saying'. As such, this is an explanation of the word, ` ordained' occurring in the beginning. Therefore the word ` din' (religion) in this verse means the same دِین ` din' which has been common between all the prophets, and which calls for adherence to the belief in Oneness of Allah, prophethood, the life after death, and to the principles of worship as salah, fasting, hajj and zakah; it forbids theft, robbery, adultery, telling of lies, deceit, hurting others without a valid reason, breach of promise - all these have been common injunctions between all divine religions.

On the other hand, It is also proved through an unambiguous verse of the Qur'an لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْ‌عَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا (For each of you We have made a way and a method - 5:48) that there are ancillary differences in the details of the revealed laws of different prophets (علیہم السلام) . In the light of all these facts taken together, it becomes clear that the order of establishing the religion and prohibition of dissension pertains to those divine laws which have been common and consistent in the codes of all the prophets (علیہم السلام) - It is these injunctions in which creating differences is forbidden.

Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud ؓ states that one day Rasulullah ﷺ drew a straight line in front of us, and then drew other small lines on the right and left of the straight line and said that the lines on the right and left were the ways invented by devils, and each of those ways is controlled by a Shaitan (Satan) who incites people to follow that path; and then, pointing towards the straight line, he said وَاَنَّ ھٰذَا صِرَاطِی مُستقیماً فَاتَّبَعُوہُ (And this my path, straight. So follow it - 6:153.) (Ahmad, An-Nasa'i, Darimi - Mazhari)

The straight path in the above simile means the same path of true دِین din' (religion) which has been common to all the prophets (علیہم السلام) creating diversions in it is to create differences which is forbidden and an act of Shaitans (Satan). Correct ahadith strictly forbid creating differences in such injunctions which are unanimously agreed. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said من فارق الجماعۃ شبرا فقد خلع ربقۃ الاسلام من عنقہ (Ahmad, Abu Dawud) meaning that the person who moves away even one span from the general body of Muslims has taken out the neck-band of Islamic beliefs from his neck. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has stated that Rasulullah ﷺ said یَدُ اللہِ علی الجماعۃ (Tirmidhi, with rating as ` hasan) meaning that Allah's hand is upon the general body. Sayyidna Mu'adh Ibn Jabal ؓ has narrated that Rasulullah ﷺ said that for humans, Shaitan (Satan) is like a wolf after a herd of goats, catching hold of the goat which has strayed away from the herd. Therefore you should stay with the general body, and do not separate yourself. (Ahmad, as quoted by Tafsir Mazhari)

Differences in the ancillaries between leading Mujtahidin is not covered by the dissension forbidden in this verse

It is obvious from the above that differences of opinions between leading ` mujtahidin' in ancillary matters where express injunctions are not found in the Qur'an and ahadith or where there is an apparent contradiction between the nusus of the Qur'an and ahadith and where opinions are bound to differ, do not bear any relation to the forbidden dissension. Such differences have been continuing since the days of the Holy Prophet ﷺ starting with the noble companions ؓ themselves and are considered to be blessings by the jurisprudents unanimously.

Establishing دِین ` din' that has been obligated in this verse means to hold on to the rules of religion steadfastly, not to let any doubt or distrust creep into it and not to give it up in any case. (Qurtubi)

كَبُرَ‌ عَلَى الْمُشْرِ‌كِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ (Arduous for the mushriks (Polytheists) is that to which you are inviting them - 42:13). Addressing the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، the verse says, ` Your call to the belief in Oneness of Allah, which is the foundation of the true religion, seems very difficult to the polytheists, although it has been proved to be true through the consensus of all the prophets (علیہم السلام) ، because they follow their desires and the teachings of the Shaitan (Satan), and have therefore strayed from the right path, which is prohibited as mentioned above.

اللَّـهُ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يُنِيبُ (Allah chooses [ and pulls ] towards Himself anyone He wills and guides anyone who turns to Him. - 42:13). There are only two ways for one to have the straight path. One is that Allah Almighty himself selects him for the straight path of His religion and moulds his nature and inclinations accordingly, which happens in the case of prophets and His special friends. It is about them that Qur'an statesإِنَّا أَخْلَصْنَاهُم بِخَالِصَةٍ ذِكْرَ‌ى الدَّارِ‌ (We them chose for a trait of remembering the [ eternal ] Home [ in the Hereafter ] - 38:46). The Holy Qur'an has used the word, ` mukhlasin' for some particular prophets which means ` chosen'. This peculiar way of guidance has been mentioned in the first sentence of the present verse which says, اللَّـهُ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَاءُ "Allah chooses [ and pulls ] towards Himself anyone He wills." This method of instruction is exceptional and limited. The other method which is general for getting guidance is that when someone turns towards Allah and intends to follow His ` din', then Allah Almighty guides him towards His دِین ` din'. This way of guidance is referred to in the second sentence of the verse which says, وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يُنِيبُ...and guides anyone who turns to Him."

The reason why the mushriki'n (polytheists) of Makkah found it difficult to accept the invitation towards the faith in Oneness of Allah is that they did not even have the intention of understanding and following the truth.