Al-Shura (42): 13 - He has ordained for you...

It is known that after the Almighty magnified His revelation to Muhammad (peace be upon him) by saying:

{Thus We reveal to you and to those before you, Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.} (Al-Shura: 3)

He then detailed this in the current verse, saying:

{He has ordained for you of the religion what He enjoined upon Noah...}

The meaning is that Allah has ordained for you, O Companions of Muhammad, the same religion that He enjoined upon Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. This is the core meaning of the verse. These five prophets were singled out because they are the greatest of the prophets, possessors of great laws (Shara'i'), and leaders of numerous followers.

However, there remain several ambiguities in the wording of the verse:

1. Inconsistency in Address: The verse mentions Noah in the past tense (third person: “what He enjoined upon Noah”), mentions the Prophet (PBUH) in the second person (present tense: “and that which He revealed to you”), and mentions Abraham in the past tense (third person: “and what We enjoined upon Abraham”). What is the wisdom behind this variation?
2. Pronoun Shift: Noah (peace be upon him) is mentioned in the third person (“what He enjoined upon Noah”), while the other two are mentioned in the first person plural (“and that which We revealed to you and what We enjoined upon Abraham”).
3. Mixing Address: If we parse the verse as: "Allah has ordained for you [second person] of the religion that which We revealed to you [second person]," then the phrase “He has ordained for you” is addressing the Prophet (second person singular), while “and that which We revealed to you” is addressing the Prophet (second person singular). This seems to mix the third-person address (implied by the structure) and the second-person address in one context, which is problematic.

These difficulties require investigation, which others have not fully addressed.

In summary, the intent of the verse is that Allah has legislated for you a religion upon which the prophets agreed in its soundness.

I argue that the meaning of this "religion" must be something distinct from specific rulings and legal injunctions, as these vary and differ. Allah says:

{For every one of you We have set a law and a way.} (Al-Ma'idah: 48)

Therefore, the intended meaning must be those matters that do not differ across different laws: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day. Belief necessitates turning away from the world and toward the Hereafter, striving for noble character traits, and abstaining from base states.

It is also permissible, in my view, that the meaning of {and be not divided therein} is: Do not divide yourselves over numerous deities, as Joseph (peace be upon him) said:

{Are separate associates better or Allah, the One, the Prevailing?} (Yusuf: 39) {And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that there is no deity except Me, so worship Me.} (Al-Anbiya: 25)

Some have argued from the phrase “He has ordained for you of the religion what He enjoined upon Noah” that the Prophet (PBUH) in the beginning was sent with the law of Noah. The response is what we have already mentioned: other prophets are conjoined to Noah, indicating that the intent is adherence to the religion agreed upon by all.

The position of {the Day of Recompense} is either accusative, as a substitute for the object of “ordained” and what is conjoined to it, or nominative, as a new sentence, as if asking: What is that which is ordained? The answer is: establishing the religion.

{Grievous to the polytheists is what you call them to} means it was difficult and burdensome for them—what you call them to, which is establishing the religion of Allah based on agreement and consensus. This is evidenced by the disbelievers saying:

{Has he made the gods [only] one God? Indeed, this is a curious thing.} (Sad: 5)

Herein lie several issues:

Those who deny Qiyas (analogical reasoning) use this verse as evidence. They argue that Allah informed us that the greatest prophets agreed that establishing the religion must lead to unity and not division. Allah mentioned it as a favor to His servants that He guided them to a religion free from division and contradiction. It is known that opening the door of Qiyas leads to the greatest types of division and dispute. Experience shows that those who built their religion upon adopting Qiyas became extremely divided, with no hope of agreement until the end of time. Therefore, Qiyas must be forbidden.

This verse indicates that these laws are of two types:

1. Those that cannot be abrogated or changed; they must remain in all religions, such as affirming the goodness of truthfulness, justice, and benevolence, and affirming the ugliness of lying, oppression, and harm.
2. Those that differ according to the various laws and religions.

This verse shows that the effort of the Lawgiver in establishing the first type is stronger than in establishing the second, because adherence to the first type is crucial for acquiring the states that lead to happiness in the Hereafter.

The statement {Establish the religion and be not divided therein} implies that achieving agreement is desirable according to both religious law and reason. Its benefits are manifold:

1. Souls have effects; when souls align and agree on one thing, their influence is strengthened.
2. When they agree, each one assists the others in achieving that specific goal. A multitude of helpers ensures the goal is reached. If they disagree, they quarrel and dispute, weakening the effort, and the goal is not achieved.
3. Disagreement is contrary to the welfare of the world, as it leads to chaos, bloodshed, looting, and pillaging. For this reason, Allah commanded in this verse the establishment of religion in a way that does not lead to division, and in another verse He said: {and do not dispute, lest you lose courage.} (Al-Anfal: 46).

Then the Almighty said: {Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him].}

There are two interpretations:

1. After guiding the Ummah of Muhammad (PBUH) to adhere to the agreed-upon religion, Allah guided them to this good because He chose and selected them, granting them special mercy and honor.
2. The reason the prophets found it difficult for people to accept their call was arrogance and pride. Allah clarifies that He singles out whom He wills for prophethood, and obedience to them is obligatory. Lineage, ancestry, or wealth are irrelevant; everyone is equal in the obligation to follow the messengers chosen by Allah.

The derivation of the word Ijtibā’ (choosing/selecting) implies gathering and uniting. From it comes jaba al-kharaj (collecting the tax) and jaba al-ma’ (gathering water in the basin). Thus, {Allah chooses for Himself} means He gathers them to Himself and draws them near with the closeness of honor and mercy. {whom He wills} is like His saying: {He punishes whom He wills and has mercy upon whom He wills.} (Al-Ankabut: 21).

Then He said: {and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him]}. This is as reported in the tradition: (Whoever approaches Me by a handspan, I approach him by a cubit; and whoever comes to Me walking, I come to him running). Meaning, whoever turns to Him with obedience, I turn to him with My guidance and direction by opening his breast and making his affair easy.

When Allah clarified that He commanded all prophets and nations to adhere to the agreed-upon religion, one might ask: Why then do we find them divided? Allah answers them by saying: {And they were not divided except after knowledge had come to them, out of mutual envy among themselves.}

This means they did not divide except after they knew that division was misguidance, but they did it out of envy and seeking preeminence. Their innate zeal and natural pride led each faction to adopt a doctrine, call people to it, and denounce what was contrary to it, seeking fame and leadership. This became the cause of disagreement.

Then Allah informed that they deserved punishment for this action, but He delayed that punishment because every punishment has a specified term, either by His sheer Will (as we hold) or because He knew that delaying it was better for rectification (as the Mu'tazila hold). This is the meaning of: {And if it were not for a word that had preceded from your Lord until an appointed term, it would have been judged between them.} This appointed term could be in this world or in the Hereafter.

There is a difference of opinion regarding who is intended by this description. The majority say they are the Jews and Christians, supported by the verse in Al 'Imran: {And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them, out of mutual envy among themselves.} (Al 'Imran: 19), and in Surah Al-Bayyinah: {And those who were given the Scripture did not divide until after the clear proof had come to them.} (Al-Bayyinah: 4). Also, the phrase “after knowledge had come to them” is fitting for the People of the Book.

Others say they are the Arabs, but this is false for the reasons mentioned. This is because the verse following this one, {And indeed, those who were granted the Scripture after them...} does not fit the Arabs, as those granted the Scripture after them are the People of the Book who were alive during the time of the Messenger (PBUH), who were {in a state of doubt} concerning their Book, not truly believing in it.

Then He said: {So invite [them to the religion], and be steadfast as you have been commanded,} meaning: Because of that division and the many differences that arose in religion, invite them to unity upon the pure monotheistic faith (al-milla al-hanifiyyah), and remain steadfast upon it and upon inviting others to it, just as Allah commanded you. Do not follow their differing, false desires.

{And say, "I believe in what Allah has sent down of the Book,"} meaning: I believe in every Book proven to be sent down by Allah, because the divided ones believed in some and disbelieved in others. This is similar to His saying: {“We believe in some and disbelieve in others,”... “Those are the disbelievers in truth.”} (An-Nisa: 151).

Then He said: {And I am commanded to be just among you.} This means in judgment when you dispute and seek arbitration from me. Al-Qaffal said its meaning is that my Lord commanded me not to differentiate between myself and you by commanding you to do what I do not practice, or by opposing you by doing what I have forbidden you from. Rather, I treat you and myself equally, and I treat your elders and your juniors equally regarding the judgment of Allah.

Then He said: {Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. There is no argument between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is the [final] destination.}

The meaning is that the God of all is One, and each person is responsible for their own deeds. Therefore, everyone must occupy themselves in this world with their own affairs, for Allah will gather everyone on the Day of Resurrection and recompense them for their actions. The intent here is mutual disengagement and each person focusing on their own duty.

If it is asked: How is this disengagement compatible with what was done to them—killing, destroying homes, cutting down palm trees, and expulsion? We reply: This disengagement was conditional upon their acceptance of the religion agreed upon by all prophets, which includes monotheism, abandoning idol worship, acknowledging the prophethood of the messengers, and affirming resurrection and the Hour. When they did not accept this religion, the condition was lost, and consequently, the conditioned result was lost.

Know that the intent of {There is no argument between us and you} is not the prohibition of engaging in debate that resembles their argumentation. Evidence for this includes:

1. This statement is mentioned in the context of argumentation. If the intent of the verse were to prohibit argumentation itself, it would imply that argumentation is inherently forbidden, which is contradictory.
2. Without evidence (adillah), the imposition of religious duty (taklif) would not be appropriate.
3. Evidence yields knowledge, and knowledge cannot be forbidden. Rather, the meaning is that the people already knew through evidence the truthfulness of Muhammad (PBUH), but they abandoned belief out of envy and obstinacy. Thus, Allah clarifies that there is no need to argue with them further because they already know the truth through evidence.

What strengthens our view that argumentation is not forbidden is His saying: {And debate with them in the best way} (An-Nahl: 125), {Invite to the way of your Lord...} (An-Nahl: 125), {And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best} (Al-'Ankabut: 46), {They said, "O Noah, you have argued with us and argued with us much"} (Hud: 32), and {And that was Our argument which We gave Abraham against his people.} (Al-An'am: 83).

Then He said: {And those who argue concerning Allah after He has been responded to—their argument is invalid.} Meaning, those who dispute concerning His religion after people have responded to that religion—their argument is baseless. This dispute is when the Jews said: Do you not say that adhering to the agreed-upon principles is better than adhering to the disputed ones? The prophethood of Moses and the truthfulness of the Torah are known by consensus, but the prophethood of Muhammad is not agreed upon. If you base your argument on this verse on the priority of the agreed-upon, then adherence to Judaism should be prioritized.

Allah clarifies that this argument is {invalid} (i.e., false and corrupt) because the Jews agreed that belief in Moses was obligatory only upon the appearance of miracles confirming his claims. Here, miracles appeared confirming the claims of Muhammad (PBUH). The Jews witnessed those miracles. If the appearance of a miracle indicates truthfulness, then they must acknowledge the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). If a miracle does not indicate truthfulness, then they must not acknowledge the prophethood of Moses either. Acknowledging Moses' prophethood while insisting on denying Muhammad's, despite both having miracles, is contradictory.

When Allah established these proofs, He warned the deniers of the punishment of the Hereafter, saying: {Allah is the One who sent down the Book in truth and the Balance. And what will make you know? Perhaps the Hour is near.}

The meaning is that Allah sent down the Book containing various proofs and clear signs, and He sent down the Balance (al-Mizan), which is the criterion that is the straight standard of justice. They do not know when the Hour will suddenly befall them. Since this is the case, the intelligent person must strive hard in contemplation and deduction, abandoning the path of the ignorant and the imitators.

When the Messenger warned them about the coming of the Hour and emphasized it frequently, and they saw no sign of it, they mockingly asked: When will the Hour be? We wish it would come so that it becomes clear to us whether the truth is what we hold or what Muhammad and his companions hold. To refute this doubt, Allah said: {Those who hasten it are eager for it, while those who do not believe in it are in fear of it.}

The meaning is that they are eager for it only because they know that repentance ceases at that time. As for the denier of the Resurrection, he does not experience this fear.

Then He said: {Indeed, those who dispute concerning the Hour are in far error.} Al-Mumārūn means those who engage in wrangling and contention. Al-Zajjaj said: Those whom doubt and suspicion enter regarding the occurrence of the Hour, so they dispute and deny it. {are in far error} because exacting the right of the oppressed from the oppressor is obligatory in justice. If the Resurrection did not occur, it would imply that injustice is attributed to Allah, which is the greatest impossibility. Therefore, denying the Resurrection is far error.

Then He said: {Allah is subtle with His servants,} meaning He is extremely kind to them. The mention of this here is appropriate because He sent down the Book containing these subtle proofs, which is an act of Allah's kindness to His servants. Furthermore, the divided ones deserved severe punishment, yet Allah delayed that punishment, which is also an act of Allah's kindness. Since the greatest benefits being delivered to them and the greatest harms being averted from them were just mentioned, it is appropriate to mention this here. Then He said: {He provides for whom He wills.}

This means the basis of kindness and bounty is general for all servants: providing life, intellect, understanding, giving what is necessary for sustenance, and averting most afflictions and calamities. As for the degrees of giving and joy, they vary and differ.

Then He said: {He is the All-Powerful}—meaning, capable of all that He wills—{the All-Mighty}—meaning, He cannot be overpowered or resisted.

Translation and Commentary:

{Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter - We increase for him in his harvest.} If someone intends the reward of the Hereafter through their actions, We increase their reward in that harvest.

{And whoever desires the harvest of this world - We give him thereof, but he will have no share in the Hereafter.} Whoever seeks only worldly gain through their actions, We grant them some of it, but they will have no portion of the reward in the Hereafter.

{Or do they have partners who have ordained for them of the religion that for which Allah has not given permission?} This refers to the division mentioned earlier. Do they have associate deities who legislated for them religious practices that Allah did not authorize? This is a refutation of their innovation.

{And were it not for a decisive word, it would have been judged between them.} If not for the decree of respite until a specified term, judgment would have been passed between them immediately (with punishment).

{And indeed, the wrongdoers will have a painful punishment.} This is the consequence awaiting them.

{You see the wrongdoers fearful of what they have earned, and it will befall them.} You see the oppressors fearful of their deeds, and the punishment they earned will certainly strike them.

{And those who believe and do righteous deeds will be in the gardens of Paradise; they will have whatever they wish from their Lord. That is the great bounty.} The believers who act rightly will be in the gardens of Paradise, receiving whatever they desire from their Lord—this is the immense favor.

{That is what Allah gives good tidings of to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds.} This is the glad tidings Allah gives to His believing and righteous servants.

{Say, "I ask of you no reward for this except the love of [my] relatives."} Say: I do not ask you for any payment for delivering this message, except the affection due to my kin (Ahl al-Bayt).

{And whoever earns a good deed, We increase for him in goodness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Appreciative.} Whoever performs a good deed, We increase its reward for him. Allah is Forgiving of sins and Appreciative of small good deeds.

{Or do they say, "He has invented a lie about Allah"?} Do they claim that Muhammad fabricated this message against Allah?

{If Allah wills, He could seal over your heart.} If Allah had willed, He could have sealed your heart so you would be unable to speak or convey the message.

{And Allah abolishes falsehood and establishes the truth by His words. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.} Allah erases falsehood and confirms the truth through His decree and words. He knows the innermost secrets of the hearts.

{And He is the one who accepts the repentance of His servants and pardons the evil deeds and knows what you do.} He accepts the turning back of His servants, forgives their sins, and knows all their actions.

{And He responds to those who believe and do righteous deeds and increases them of His bounty, while the disbelievers will have a severe punishment.} He answers the prayers of the believers who act rightly and grants them more from His grace, whereas the disbelievers have a harsh punishment awaiting them.