(13) “He has ordained for you the same religion that He enjoined upon Noah, and that We have revealed to you, and that We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: establish the religion and do not become divided therein. What you call the polytheists to is grievous to them. Allah chooses for Himself whomever He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns to Him.”
This is the greatest blessing that Allah has bestowed upon His servants: He ordained for them the best, most excellent, purest, and most wholesome religion—the religion of Islam. Allah ordained it for the elect and chosen among His servants. Indeed, He ordained it for the choicest of the chosen and the elect of the elect: the messengers of firm resolve mentioned in this verse. They are the highest-ranking of creation and the most perfect in every respect. The religion Allah ordained for them must therefore be suited to their circumstances and consistent with their perfection. Indeed, it was because they upheld it that Allah perfected and chose them. Were it not for the religion of Islam, no one among creation could ever attain an elevated rank. It is the soul of felicity and the pivot upon which perfection turns. It is what this noble Book contains and calls to: monotheism, righteous deeds, morals, and proper conduct.
He therefore says, “Establish the religion.” That is, He commands you to uphold all the laws of the religion, both its fundamentals and its subsidiary rulings: uphold them yourselves, strive to establish them among others, cooperate in righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. “And do not become divided therein.” That is, you must be united upon the fundamentals and subsidiary rulings of the religion. Take care not to let particular issues divide you or split you into factions, so that you become sects hostile to one another despite agreeing upon the foundation of your religion.
Among the forms of unity upon the religion and avoidance of division are the communal gatherings prescribed by the Lawgiver, such as gathering for Hajj, the Eids, Friday congregational prayers, the five daily prayers, jihād, and other acts of worship that can neither be properly performed nor perfected without gathering together and avoiding division.
“What you call the polytheists to is grievous to them.” That is, it causes them the utmost distress when you call them to worship Allah alone with complete sincerity. Allah says concerning them, “When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter recoil with aversion; but when those besides Him are mentioned, they immediately rejoice.” They also say, “Has he made all the gods into one God? This is truly an astonishing thing!”
⦗755⦘ “Allah chooses for Himself whomever He wills.” That is, from among His creation He selects those whom He knows to be fit for His choosing, whether to bear His message or enjoy His special friendship. This includes His choosing this nation, favoring it above all other nations, and selecting for it the finest and best religion.
“And He guides to Himself whoever turns to Him.” This is the means that proceeds from the servant and by which he attains Allah Most High’s guidance: turning to his Lord, having the inclinations of his heart drawn toward Him, and seeking His countenance. Thus, when a servant’s purpose is sound and he strives to seek guidance, these are among the means by which guidance is facilitated for him. Allah Most High says, “Through it Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace.”
This verse states that Allah “guides to Himself whoever turns to Him,” while another verse says, “Follow the way of those who turn to Me.” When this is considered together with what is known of the Companions’ circumstances (may Allah be pleased with them) and the intensity with which they turned to Allah, it proves that their statements constitute authoritative evidence—especially those of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them all).