Tafsir of Al-Bayyinah 98:4

And the People of the Scripture differed not until after there came to them the Bayyinah. This is similar to Allah's statement,

وﻻ تكونوا كالذين تفرقوا واختلفوا من بعد ما جاءهم البينت وأوليك لهم عذاب عظيم

And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the Bayyinat came to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment. (3:105) This refers to the people of those divinely revealed Scriptures that were sent down to the nations that were before us. After Allah established the proofs and evidences against them, they divided and differed concerning that which Allah had intended in their Scriptures, and they had many differences. This is like what has been reported in a Hadith that has many routes of transmission,

إن اليهود اختلفوا على إحدى وسبعين فرقة

وإن النصارى اختلفوا على ثنتين وسبعين فرقة وستفترق هذه اﻻإمة على ثﻼإث وسبعين فرقة كلها في النار إﻻ واحدة

- Verily, the Jews differed until they became seventy-one sects. - And verily, the Christians differed until they became seventy-two sects. - And this Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, and all of them will be in the Fire except one. They said, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah'' He replied,

ما أنا عليه وأصحابي

(Those who are upon), what I and my Companions are upon. The Command of Allah was merely that They make their Religion solely for Him Allah says,

وما أمروا إﻻ ليعبدوا الله مخلصين له الدين

And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, making religion purely for Him alone, This is similar to Allah's statement,

وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول إﻻ نوحى إليه أنه ﻻ إله إﻻ أنا فاعبدون

And We did not send any Messenger before you but We revealed to him: La ilaha illa Ana. (21:25) Thus, Allah says,

حنفاء

Hunafa' meaning, avoiding Shirk and being truly devout to Tawhid. This is like Allah's statement,

ولقد بعثنا فى كل أمة رسوﻻ أن اعبدوا الله واجتنبوا الطغوت

And Verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and avoid the Taghut (false deities).'' (16:36) A discussion of the word Hanif has already been mentioned previously and in Surah Al-An`am, so there is no need to repeat it here.