Surah Ash-Shura: Verse 14 - وما تفرقوا إلا من بعد... - English

Tafsir of Verse 14, Surah Ash-Shura

وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوٓا۟ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى لَّقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُورِثُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مُرِيبٍ ﴿14﴾

Display verse 14, Surah Ash-Shura in the Quran

English Translation

And they did not become divided until after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And if not for a word that preceded from your Lord [postponing the penalty] until a specified time, it would have been concluded between them. And indeed, those who were granted inheritance of the Scripture after them are, concerning it, in disquieting doubt. (14)

English Transliteration

Wama tafarraqoo illa min baAAdi ma jaahumu alAAilmu baghyan baynahum walawla kalimatun sabaqat min rabbika ila ajalin musamman laqudiya baynahum wainna allatheena oorithoo alkitaba min baAAdihim lafee shakkin minhu mureebin (14)

Tafsir of Verse 14

They scattered not, save after knowledge had come to them, being insolent one to another; and but for a Word that preceded from thy Lord until a stated term, it had been decided between them. But those to whom the Book has been given as an inheritance after them, behold, they are in doubt of it disquieting. (14)

And they became divided only after Knowledge reached them,- through selfish envy as between themselves. Had it not been for a Word that went forth before from thy Lord, (tending) to a Term appointed, the matter would have been settled between them: But truly those who have inherited the Book after them are in suspicious (disquieting) doubt concerning it. (14)

وَمَا تَفَرَّ‌قُوا إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ (And they were not divided, in jealousy with each other, but after knowledge had come to them - 42:14). Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has explained that the pronoun ` they' in this sentence refers to the Quraysh of Makkah, and thus he has taken the verse to mean that the aversion of the infidels of Quraysh to the straight path was in itself a matter of utter ignorance, but on top of it they did so even after knowledge had been imparted by Allah. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has held the coming of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who was the source of all Divine knowledge, to be the imparting of knowledge by Allah. Some scholars, however, have referred the pronoun ` they' towards the past ummahs, and held the meaning to be that the people of the bygone ummahs created dissension in the true faith of their respective prophets, and adopted separate ways despite their having received the knowledge of the straight path from then prophets (علیہم السلام) .

Be that as it may, the pagans of Makkah and the infidels of the early ages, both demanded that their prophets should also follow the misguidance they themselves had adopted. Therefore the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been addressed in the following verse as follows:

(14)

Verse 14 - Surah Ash-Shura: (وما تفرقوا إلا من بعد ما جاءهم العلم بغيا بينهم ۚ ولولا كلمة سبقت من ربك إلى أجل مسمى لقضي...) - English

Surah Ash-Shura: Verse 14 - وما تفرقوا إلا من بعد... - English

Tafsir of Verse 14, Surah Ash-Shura

English Translation

English Transliteration

Tafsir of Verse 14

Arberry - A. J. Arberry

Yusuf Ali - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Maarif-ul-Quran - Mufti Muhammad Shafi