walaw shāa l-lahu lajaʿalahum ummatan wāḥidatan walākin yud'khilu man yashāu fī raḥmatihi wal-ẓālimūna mā lahum min waliyyin walā naṣīrin
Translation
And if Allāh willed, He could have made them [of] one religion, but He admits whom He wills1409 into His mercy. And the wrongdoers have not any protector or helper.
Notes
[1409] i.e., those who desire His guidance and His acceptance of them.
Verse 8 of Surah Ash-Shuraa (42:8), a Meccan surah, is in juz 25, on page 483 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 8
Al-Mukhtasar
If Allah willed to make them one nation on the religion of Islam He would have done so and entered them all into Paradise. But, His wisdom demanded that He enters whoever He wills into Islam and then enters him into Paradise. Those who wrong themselves by disbelief and sins, will have no one to protect them and no helper to rescue them from Allah’s punishment.
If Allah had willed, He would have made all of them a single community, but He admits to His mercy whom He wills6, and the wrongdoers will have no protector or helper.
Notes
[6] i.e., those of His slaves who desire His guidance and His acceptance of them.
And if Allâh had willed, He could have made them one nation, but He admits whom He wills to His Mercy. And the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) will have neither a Walî (protector or guardian) nor a helper.
Had Allah willed, He could have made them one community, but Allah bringeth whom He will into His mercy. And the wrong-doers have no friend nor helper.
If Allah had so willed, He could have made them a single people; but He admits whom He will to His Mercy; and the Wrong-doers will have no protector nor helper.
And if Allah had pleased He would surely have made them a single community, but He makes whom He pleases enter into His mercy, and the unjust it is that shall have no guardian or helper.
And if Allah had (so) decided, He would indeed have made them one nation; but He causes whomever He decides to enter into His mercy, and the unjust ones will in no way have any patron or any ready vindicator.
Indeed, to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; He gives life and causes death. And you have not besides Allāh any protector or any helper.
And never will the Jews and the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allāh is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allāh no protector or helper.
