Transliteration:( Kaanan naasu ummatanw waahidatan fab'asal laahun Nabiyyeena mubashshireena wa munzireena wa anzala ma'ahumul kitaaba bilhaqqi liyahkuma bainan naasi feemakh talafoo feeh; wa makh talafa feehi 'illallazeena ootoohu mim ba'di maa jaaa'athumul baiyinaatu baghyam bainahum fahadal laahul lazeena aamanoo limakh talafoo feehi minal haqqi bi iznih; wallaahu yahdee mai yashaaa'u ilaa Siraatim Mustaqeem )
493. Hazrat Imam Hassan (on whom be peace) says that once there came a period when the Light of Prophethood had disappeared from this world and all the people had become non-believers. Then Allah out of His infinite Mercy sent Prophets for the guidance of man (Tafseer Kabeer). This verse could also mean from the period of Hazrat Adam up to Hazrat Nuh people remained believers. Then differences of beliefs began to creep into them, i.e. some remained believers, others became non-believers. As a result of this Allah sent Prophets to bring the people on the path of guidance.
494. From this we learn that any unity which is based on religious misconceptions should be abolished. If people are united on sin and wickedness, unbelief and polytheism, it should be abolished because this is not a healthy order. Any order that is established should be on the principles of good, disciplined order
495. In this verse the word "with them" is used and not upon them so that it should be understood that every Prophet was not given a new Book. On some Prophets new Books were revealed while others propagated the message of curlier Books. It should be remembered that only Four Books were revealed, while the revealed scrolls totalled 110. Hazrat Adam was given 10. Hazrat Sheeth was given 50 scrolls; Hazrat Idrees was given 10 Hazrat Musa given 10 and Hazrat Ebrahim was given 10.
496. The uneducated people accepted and acted upon the teachings of the Prophets, but it was the educated group who rejected the Prophets of Allah, just because they felt that this would lessen their authority, dignity and wealth. Thus, the educated group continued to oppose the Prophets of Allah. In this verse there is solace for the Holy Prophetit if the general learned group of the Yahud are bent on opposing you, do Oh My Beloved Prophet not feel disheartened because they have beendoing this to My earlier Prophets too.
497. From this we learn that the quarrelsome people are those who are on the path of falsehood. The truly guided Ulama cannot be regarded as disputers or quarrelsome. In the fight between the police and the criminals, the police cannot be termed as quarrelsome, it is the criminals who are disturbing the order. Furthermore, we learn that if Divine Guidance cannot provide assistance then mere knowledge becomes a means of dissent and quarrel. If knowledge is Divine, inspired it becomes the source of dispelling dissension. Sometimes knowledge, too, becomes the means of heresy e.g. the knowledge of the devil. Says Allah Almighty “Allah led him astray in spite of his knowledge†(S45 V23).
498. From this verse we understand that true Guidance is obtained only from the Grace of Allah-This is not dependent on knowledge, creed nationality being descendants of Prophets etc.
The tafsir of Surah Baqarah verse 212 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Baqarah ayat 211 which provides the complete commentary from verse 211 through 212.
230. When ignorant people attempt to trace the history of ‘religion’ they tend to the view that man began his life in the darkness of polytheisrn and that in the course of time, corresponding to man’s progress, this darkness gradually receded and light increased till man arrived at monotheism.
The Qur’anic version, however, proclaims that man began his life in full light of the Truth. God revealed this Truth to the very first man He created, one to whom He intimated the right way of life for man. Thereafter the human race remained on the Right Way for some time and lived as one community. Later, however, people invented deviating ways. This did not happen because Truth had not been communicated to them. The cause was rather that some people wilfully sought to acquire privileges, benefits and advantages beyond their legitimate limits, and thus subjected others to injustices. It was in order to enable people to overcome this corruption that God sent His Prophets. These Prophets were not sent to found separate religions in their own names and bring new religious communities into existence. Rather the purpose of the Prophets was to illuminate before people the Truth which they had allowed to be lost, and once again make them into one community.
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