Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 159

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Surely, those who have made divisions in their religion and turned into factions, you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with Allah alone; then He will tell them what they have been doing.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Indeed, you ˹O Prophet˺ are not responsible whatsoever for those who have divided their faith and split into sects. Their judgment rests only with Allah. And He will inform them of what they used to do.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Those who have made divisions in their religion and turned into factions, you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with Allah alone; He will inform them of what they used to do.

A. J. Arberry

Those who have made divisions in their religion and become sects, thou art not of them in anything; their affair is unto God, then He will tell them what they have been doing.

Abdul Haleem

As for those who have divided their religion and broken up into factions, have nothing to do with them [Prophet]. Their case rests with God: in time He will tell them about their deeds.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Verily those who have split their religion and become sects, thou art not amongst them in aught: their affair is only with Allah. Then He will declare unto them that which they were wont to do.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least; their affair is with Allah; He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did.

Abul Ala Maududi

Surely you have nothing to do with those who have made divisions in their religion and become factions. Their matter is with Allah and He will indeed tell them (in time) what they have been doing.

Ahmed Ali

As for those who have created schisms in their order, and formed different sects, you have no concern with them. Their affair is with God. He will tell them the truth of what they were doing.

Ahmed Raza Khan

You (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) have no concern with those who divided their religion and became several groups; their case is only with Allah – He will then inform them of what they used to do.

Ali Quli Qarai

Indeed those who split up their religion and became sects, you will not have anything to do with them. Their matter rests only with Allah; then He will inform them concerning what they used to do.

Ali Ünal

Those who have made divisions in their Religion (whereas they must accept it in its totality), and have been divided into different parties – you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with God, and then He will make them understand what they were doing.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Verily, those who have caused a split in their religion and became (divided into) sects you have no concern whatsoever with them. Their case will come before Allâh, then He will (judge it) and will fully inform them of what they have been doing.

English Literal

That those who separated (divided) their religion, and were groups/parties , you are not from them in a thing, but their matter/affair (is) to God, then He informs them with what they were making/doing.

Faridul Haque

You (O dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him) have no concern with those who divided their religion and became several groups; their case is only with Allah - He will then inform them of what they used to do.

Hamid S. Aziz

Verily, those who divided their religion and became sectarians, you have no concern with them. Their affair is in the hands of Allah, He will then inform them of that which they used to do.

Hilali & Khan

Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad SAW) have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

They wait not aught but that the angels should come to them, or that thy Lord should come, or that some of the signs of thy Lord should come. On the day when some of the signs of thy Lord come, its faith will not profit a soul which believed not before, nor earned good through its faith. Say: Wait; we too are waiting.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Surely they who divided their religion into parts and became sects, you have no concern with them; their affair is only with Allah, then He will inform them of what they did.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Lo! As for those who sunder their religion and become schismatics, no concern at all hast thou with them. Their case will go to Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do.

Muhammad Sarwar

Some of those who have divided their religion into different sects are not your concern. Their affairs are in the hands of God Who will show them all that they have done.

Qaribullah & Darwish

You have nothing to do with those who have made divisions in their religion and become sects. Their affair is with Allah and He will inform them of what they have done.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no concern with them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do.

Wahiduddin Khan

Have nothing to do with those who have split up their religion into sects. Their case rests with God; He will tell them about what they used to do.

Talal Itani

As for those who divided their religion and became sects—you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with God; then He will inform them of what they used to do.

Tafsir jalalayn

Those who have sundered their religion, by being at variance over it, accepting some [aspects] of it and rejecting others, and have become differing parties, sects with regard to such [matters] (a variant reading [for farraq, `they have sundered'] has fraq, meaning that they have abandoned the religion to which they were enjoined, and they are the Jews and the Christians), you have no concern with them at all, in other words, do not be concerned with them. Their case will go to God -- He will take charge of it -- then He will inform them, in the Hereafter, of what they used to do, and requite them for it; this was abrogated by the `sword' verse [Q. 9;5].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Criticizing Division in the Religion

Allah says;

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُواْ دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُواْ شِيَعًا لَّسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ

Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no concern with them in the least.

Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and As-Suddi said that;

this Ayah was revealed about the Jews and Christians.

Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas commented,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُواْ دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُواْ شِيَعًا
(Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects...),

"Before Muhammad was sent, the Jews and Christians disputed and divided into sects. When Muhammad was sent, Allah revealed to him,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُواْ دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُواْ شِيَعًا لَّسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ
(Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no concern with them in the least).

It is apparent that this Ayah refers to all those who defy the religion of Allah, or revert from it. Allah sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth so that He makes it victorious and dominant above all religions. His Law is one and does not contain any contradiction or incongruity. Therefore, those who dispute in the religion,
وَكَانُواْ شِيَعًا
(...and break up into sects), religious sects, just like those who follow the various sects, desires and misguidance - then Allah has purified His Messenger from their ways.

In a similar Ayah, Allah said,

شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الِدِينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحاً وَالَّذِى أَوْحَيْنَأ إِلَيْكَ

He (Allah) has ordained for you the same religion which He ordained for Nuh, and that which We have revealed to you. (42;13)

A Hadith reads,

نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرُ الاَْنْبِيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّتٍ دِينُنَا وَاحِد

We, the Prophets, are half brothers but have one religion.

This, indeed, is the straight path which the Messengers have brought and which commands worshipping Allah alone without partners and adhering to the Law of the last Messenger whom Allah sent. All other paths are types of misguidance, ignorance, sheer opinion and desires; and as such, the Messengers are free from them. Allah said here,
لَّسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ
(You have no concern with them in the least...).

Allah's statement,

إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُمْ إِلَى اللّهِ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّيُهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفْعَلُونَ



Their affair is only with Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do.

is similar to His statement,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَالَّذِينَ هَادُواْ وَالصَّـبِيِينَ وَالنَّصَـرَى وَالْمَجُوسَ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيـمَةِ

Verily, those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Majus, and those who worship others besides Allah; truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. (22;17