Transliteration:( Wa maa kaanan naasu illaaa ummatanw waahidatan fa khtalafoo; wa law laa kalimatun sabaqat mir Rabbika laqudiya bainahum fee maa feehi yakhtalifoon )
"And mankind is but one [57] community, but they differ. And if a word from your Lord had not preceded [58], their differences would have been judged between them regarding what they differ."
This verse reflects that originally, mankind was united as one community, with everyone initially being a believer. Some interpretations suggest that during the time of Hazrat Adam (AS), all people were believers, and this unity persisted until the murder of Habeel. After the Deluge of Nooh (AS), only believers were found on earth. It is also suggested that during the time of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS), all Arabs were believers until idolatry was introduced by Umar bin Luhay. The verse can be understood in the context of human nature: every child is born with pure belief (Fitrah), and it is through choices that some remain believers while others become disbelievers.
The verse explains that the differences between people, whether in belief or practices, would have been resolved by Allah had His divine decree not already been set. This decree refers to the appointed time when Qiyamah (the Day of Judgment) will occur. Allah has already decided that the final judgment of these differences will take place in the Hereafter, and until that time, these differences will remain unresolved. The verse serves as a reminder that Allah’s plan is all-encompassing and that the ultimate judgment of mankind will occur when the time is right, as per His will.
The tafsir of Surah Yunus verse 19 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Yunus ayat 18 which provides the complete commentary from verse 18 through 19.
(10:19) Once all men were but a single community; then they disagreed (and formulated different beliefs and rites).[25] Had it not been that your Lord had already so ordained, a decisive judgement would have been made regarding their disagreements.[26]
25. See (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 213) note 230 and (Surah Al-Anaam, ayat 35) note 24.
26. The decree that Allah has ordained is that the reality that shall be kept hidden from man’s senses in order to test whether he recognizes this by using his common sense, intelligence, conscience and intuition, and if he does not, he shall be allowed to tread the wrong ways he chooses. That is why their differences about the reality are not being resolved by uncovering it today.
This thing has been stated here to remove a common misunderstanding about the diversity of religions in the world.
At that time, there was a confusion in the minds of the people (and is even today) concerning this. They said: Different people profess different religions, and the followers of each religion claim that their religion alone is the true one. How may then a seeker of truth judge which one of these is the true religion? The answer is: In the beginning all mankind had only one religion, and that was the true religion. Then people strayed away from it and invented different religions of their own with different creeds and ways. Now if you desire that Allah Himself should uncover the truth and present it to you to enable you to decide which religion is the true one, you should know that this will not be done in this life, because you are required to decide this by using your common sense and intelligence. This worldly lift is a trial to see whether or not you yourselves recognize the truth by using your common sense and intelligence.
[517]- Allāh's decree to allow time on earth for His creation or not to punish anyone before evidence has come to him.
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