“And hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah, and do not become divided. Remember Allah’s favour upon you: when you were enemies, He joined your hearts together, and by His favour you became brothers. You were on the brink of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His signs clear to you, so that you may be guided.” (103)
Regarding His words, Exalted is He, “And hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah”: a rope is a means by which one attains one’s goal. Faith was called a rope because it is a means by which one reaches freedom from fear.
They differed regarding its meaning here. Ibn Abbas said: “It means: hold firmly to the religion of Allah.” Ibn Mas‘ud said: “It is the community.” He also said: “Adhere to the community, for it is the rope of Allah which He has commanded you to hold fast to. What you dislike in the community and in obedience is better than what you love in division.” Mujahid and Ata’ said: “It means the covenant of Allah.” Qatadah and al-Suddi said: “It is the Quran.”
It is reported from Ibn Mas‘ud that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Indeed, this Quran is the rope of Allah. It is the clear light, the beneficial healing, a protection for whoever holds fast to it, and salvation for whoever follows it.” (2)
Muqatil ibn Hayyan said: “The rope of Allah means His command and obedience to Him.” “And do not become divided,” just as
(1) In manuscript A: “yusalu” (is joined).
(2) Al-Tirmidhi narrated it from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in Fada'il al-Quran (Virtues of the Quran), chapter: “What Has Been Reported Regarding the Virtue of the Quran,” 8:218-221. He said: “This is an uncommon hadith; we know it only through the narration of Hamzah al-Zayyat. Its chain is unknown, and there is criticism concerning the hadith of al-Harith.” It was also narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf, 10:482.
It has a corroborating narration from Muadh ibn Jabal, who said: The Messenger of Allah mentioned the tribulations and emphasized their gravity. Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is the way out of them?” He replied, “The Book of Allah: it contains the accounts of those before you...” Al-Tabarani narrated it, but its chain includes Amr ibn Waqid, who is abandoned. See Majma al-Zawa'id, 7:165.
Al-Darimi also narrated it from Abdullah ibn Masud in Fada'il al-Quran, chapter: “The Virtue of One Who Recites the Quran,” 2:431; as did al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, 1:555. Al-Hakim said: “This hadith has a sound chain, though neither of them narrated it through Salih ibn Umar.” Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said: “Salih is trustworthy, and Muslim narrated from him; however, Ibrahim ibn Muslim al-Hajri is weak.” Al-Tabarani also narrated it. Al-Haythami said, 7:164: “Its chain includes Ibrahim ibn Muslim al-Hajri, who is abandoned.” It was also narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf, 10:482-483, and by Abd al-Razzaq in al-Musannaf, 2:375, through Ibn Uyaynah from Ibrahim al-Hajri. It is cited in Kanz al-Ummal on the authority of Ibn Abi Shaybah, and Ibn Kathir likewise attributed it to Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam. See Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, 4:582.
Ibn Hajar also attributed it to al-Bazzar and Ishaq, through al-Harith. Al-Bazzar said: “We know it only through Ali, and we know of no one who narrated it from him except al-Harith.” See Ibn Hajar, al-Kafi al-Shaf, p. 29. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, after citing al-Tirmidhi’s narration, said: “Hamzah al-Zayyat was not alone in narrating it; Muhammad ibn Ishaq also narrated it from Muhammad ibn Kab al-Qurazi, from al-Harith, thus clearing Hamzah of sole responsibility for it... At most, this hadith is a statement of the Commander of the Believers, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Some mistakenly attributed it directly to the Prophet, though it is a good and sound statement. Moreover, it has a corroborating narration from Abdullah ibn Masud from the Prophet.” He then cited Abu Ubayd’s narration from him. See Fada'il al-Quran, appended to Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir, 4:582.