(67–70) “For every community We appointed a rite of worship for them to observe. So do not let them dispute with you concerning the matter, but call to your Lord. You are indeed upon straight guidance. If they argue with you, say, ‘Allah knows best what you do. Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which you used to differ. Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and the earth? Indeed, it is all in a Record. That is certainly easy for Allah.’”
The Exalted informs us that He has appointed for every community “a rite of worship”—that is, a place and manner of worship. These may differ in some respects, though they all accord in justice and wisdom. As the Exalted says: “For each of you We prescribed a law and a clear way. Had Allah willed, He could have made you one community, but He intended to test you through what He has given you,” to the end of the verse.
“For them to observe” means that they act in accordance with it as their circumstances require. No revealed law may therefore be challenged—especially not by the unlettered people of polytheism and manifest ignorance. Once the Messenger’s mission has been established by its proofs, everything he brought must be received with acceptance and submission, and all objections must be abandoned.
Hence He says, “So do not let them dispute with you concerning the matter.” That is, do not let those who reject you dispute with you and object to parts of what you have brought them on the basis of their corrupt reasoning. An example is their objection to the permissibility of carrion, based on their false analogy: “You eat what you yourselves slaughter, yet you do not eat what Allah kills.” Another is their assertion, “Trade is only like usury,” along with similar objections. Their individual objections do not require separate answers when they reject the very foundation of the Messenger’s mission, nor should each one be debated and contested in isolation. Rather, every situation calls for an appropriate response.
If a person who raises such an objection while denying the Messenger’s mission claims that he seeks guidance through debate, he should be told: “Our discussion with you must first concern whether the Messenger’s mission is established.” Otherwise, restricting the discussion to such objections proves that his purpose is merely obstinacy and the demand for what cannot be answered.
Allah therefore commanded His Messenger to call to his Lord with wisdom and gracious exhortation and to continue doing so, regardless of whether objectors raise objections. Nothing should deter him from calling others, for “you are indeed upon straight guidance”—guidance that is balanced, leads to the intended goal, and encompasses both knowledge of the truth and acting upon it. You are therefore confident in your cause and certain of your religion. This requires you to remain steadfast and proceed with what your Lord has commanded. You are not following something doubtful or a fabricated tale, such that you should defer to people, their desires and opinions, or allow their objections to halt you. This resembles the saying of the Exalted: “So put your trust in Allah, for you are indeed upon the manifest truth.”
Moreover, His statement, “You are indeed upon straight guidance,” indicates how objections to individual rulings of the revealed law may be answered through sound reason. Guidance describes everything the Messenger brought, and guidance is that by which one is rightly guided, encompassing matters of both fundamentals and subsidiary rulings. These are matters whose goodness, justice, and wisdom can be recognized by reason and sound natural disposition. This becomes evident by carefully considering the details of what has been commanded and prohibited.
Allah therefore commanded him to turn away from debating them in this situation, saying: “If they argue with you, say, ‘Allah knows best what you do.’” That is, He knows your aims and intentions and will recompense you for them on the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will judge between you concerning that over which you used to differ. Whoever follows the straight path will be among the people of bliss, while whoever strays from it will be among the people of Hellfire.
His perfect judgment requires that He judge with knowledge. He therefore mentions the all-encompassing nature of His knowledge and of His Record, saying: “Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and the earth?” Nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him, whether outward or inward, concealed or manifest, past or future. Allah has recorded this knowledge, which encompasses all that is in the heavens and the earth, in a Record—the Preserved Tablet. When Allah created the Pen, He said to it, “Write.” It asked, “What shall I write?” He replied, “Write all that will occur until the Day of Resurrection.”
“That is certainly easy for Allah.” Although you cannot fully comprehend how this can be, it is easy for Allah to encompass all things in His knowledge and to record them in a Book that corresponds perfectly to reality.