Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects - you, [O Muḥammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allāh; then He will inform them about what they used to do.
Verse 159 of Surah Al-An’am (6:159), a Meccan surah, is in juz 8, on page 150 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.
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Tafsir of verse 159
Al-Mukhtasar
O Messenger, have nothing to do with those Jews and Christians who divided their religion, by taking part of it and leaving out another part, and turned into various sects. You are innocent of the misguidance that they adopt. Your duty is only to warn them. Their matter is entrusted to Allah and then, on the Day of Judgement, He will tell them about what they used to do in the world and repay them for that.
Those who have made divisions in their religion and turned into factions56, you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with Allah alone; He will inform them of what they used to do.
Notes
[56] The People of the Book or others.
Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects)21, you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allâh, Who then will tell them what they used to do.
Notes
[21] (V.6:159) It is said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم recited this Verse and said: "These people are those who invent new things (Bid‘ah) in religion and the followers of the vain desires of this Muslim nation, and their repentance will not be accepted by Allâh." (TafsirAl-Qurtubi).
[It has been narrated in the Hadîth Books (At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mâjah and Abu Dâwûd) that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "The Jews and the Christians will be divided into seventy-one or seventy-two religious sects and this nation will be divided into seventy-three religious sects, - all in Hell, except one, and that one is: on which I and my Companions are today, i.e. following the Qur’ân and the Prophet’s Sunnah (legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements)"].
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.
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.
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.
Surely the ones who have caused disunity in their religion and (become) sects, you are not one of them in anything; surely their Command (i.e., the Command of Allah to them) is only to Allah; thereafter He will fully inform them of whatever they were performing.
Then do they await except that the Hour should come upon them unexpectedly? But already there have come [some of] its indications. Then how [i.e., what good] to them, when it has come, will be their remembrance?
He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and not be divided therein. Difficult for those who associate others with Allāh is that to which you invite them. Allāh chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him].
Verses with similar wording
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