Today we share the 159th verse of Surah Al-An'am which is highly relevant to the divisions and sectarianism seen among Muslims today.
Surah Al-An'am (6:159) – The Verse
اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ فَرَّقُوۡا دِيۡنَهُمۡ وَكَانُوۡا شِيَـعًا لَّسۡتَ مِنۡهُمۡ فِىۡ شَىۡءٍ ؕ اِنَّمَاۤ اَمۡرُهُمۡ اِلَى اللّٰهِ ثُمَّ يُنَـبِّـئُـهُمۡ بِمَا كَانُوۡا يَفۡعَلُوۡنَ
(6:159) 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.
Context and Meaning
Let us see who is being addressed?
- Allah is instructing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ not to align with those who split their religion into factions and divided themselves.
- While this originally referred to Jews and Christians who had splintered into sects, many scholars interpret it as a universal warning, also applying to Muslims if they repeat the same mistakes.
Implication of the Verse
The implication is that the straight path of God is the religion of Abraham (sws) which the Qur’ān has once again made evident to them. Its followers were a single community. If the Jews and Christians and the Idolaters of Arabia have created divisions in it and become its sects, the Prophet (sws) should leave them alone and strongly adhere to it himself. He has fulfilled his obligation; if they do not accept, then he should merely ignore them.
In fact, this is the parting point between God’s Messenger and his faith on the one hand and all other doctrines and creeds on the other. In the latter group we may include the idolaters who were divided into groups, sects, tribes and clans on the basis of the myths, traditions and disputes of jahiliyyah, the Christians and Jews with their unending disputes and rivalries which break them into quarrelling blocs and states, as well as other creeds, ideologies, theories, and regimes that may surface at any time until the Day of Judgement.
Key Messages of the Verse
1. Condemnation of Sectarianism
- The verse clearly condemns division in religion.
- "Farraqū dīnahum - فَرَّقُوۡا دِيۡنَهُمۡ" means: those who split up their religion—by inventing new beliefs, disputing core principles, or dividing the community.
- This includes forming exclusive sects, naming groups, and declaring others as outsiders.
2. The Prophet’s Disassociation:
- Allah tells Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: “You have no part in them.”
- This is serious — it means those who create sects are not following the true prophetic path.
3. Final Judgment Belongs to Allah
- That is Allah alone will judge between them.
- Although Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has been warned that he should have nothing to do with those who divide into sects, he is also cautioned not to label or condemn them, for:
- The verse discourages labeling people as irredeemable or condemned—Allah alone knows intentions and final outcomes.
- This is very important part of the verse, for many Muslims today label other sects of Muslims as infidels or Kafir for deviating from the main stream. This caution applies to such a case and they have been warned to leave the judgement to Allah to take.
Classical and Modern Tafsir Views
Scholar
Ibn Kathir
The verse warns against splitting into sects like the Jews and Christians did before Islam.
Al-Qurtubi
Sectarianism is one of the major causes of the downfall of past nations and must be aoided in the Muslim Ummah.
Sayyid Qutb
Islam is meant to unite humanity. Dividing it into rival groups undermines its very foundation.
Application to Today’s Muslim World - Applies Directly to Modern Muslim Divisions:
- Modern Reality: Qur'anic Principle Violated
- Sunni vs. Shia hostility: Unity of the Ummah
- Sects declaring each other deviant or kafir: Judgment belongs to Allah (6:159)
- Political factions using Islam for power: Corruption of faith-based unity
- Violence based on sect: Direct opposition to Islamic ethics
Surah Al-Imran (3:103) reinforces this verse: “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided…”
Practical Lessons for Muslims Today
- Don’t make labels your religion: Being Sunni, Shia, Salafi, Sufi, etc., should never outweigh being Muslim.
- Avoid takfir (declaring others non-Muslim): It is a dangerous spiritual crime.
- Focus on shared core beliefs: Like belief in Allah, the Prophet, the Qur’an, the pillars of faith and practice.
- Leave judgment to Allah: Surah 6:159 explicitly says He will judge disputes.
Final Thought
Surah Al-An'am 6:159 is a timeless warning. It reminds us that division in the name of religion is a betrayal of religion itself. The verse urges Muslims to:
- Preserve unity,
- Avoid factionalism, and
- Trust Allah with ultimate judgment.
- Unity is not optional in Islam — it is a divine command.
As the last point mentions, unity in Islam is not an option for the Muslims to exercise at will and personal accord. It is a Divine Command, which should and must never be violated. A lot of harm has already been done to Islam by dividing into various sects and schools of thoughts that have created dangerous fricitons among them all. The division into sects and creeds aside, each one freely and openly label the other sect of school of though infidel, kafir or mushrik. This is a dangerous trend that has crept into the Muslims and each year lot of lives are lost due to the hatred which is infused by the leaders ofeach sect / creed among their followers for others.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our exclusive reference page: Al-Qurʾān: Selected verses from Surah 6. Al-An'am (The Cattle) for more selected verses from this surah. Dor selected verses from other surah, refer to our Reference Page: Selected verses from Selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
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