21:93

وَتَقَطَّعُوٓاْ أَمۡرَهُم بَيۡنَهُمۡۖ كُلٌّ إِلَيۡنَا رَٰجِعُونَ

WataqattaAAoo amrahum baynahum kullun ilayna rajiAAoona

And [yet] they divided their affair among themselves, [but] all to Us will return.

Word by word
  1. وَتَقَطَّعُوٓاْBut they cut off
  2. أَمۡرَهُمtheir affair
  3. بَيۡنَهُمۡۖamong themselves
  4. كُلٌّall
  5. إِلَيۡنَاto Us
  6. رَٰجِعُونَ(will) return
Al-Anbya · 21:93Makkah

People split apart, but every one of them returns to Us.

Division on earth, one return to Allah


What happened
one religion
then
dividedsome believed, some rejected
all returnto Allah
What settles it
winning arguments
the returneach judged by deeds

The nations were divided over their messengers: some believed and some rejected. Allah says they all shall return to Us. On the Day of Resurrection, the tafsir says, each person will be repaid according to his own deeds.

The family WhatsApp group splits over an argument. The mosque committee divides. You spend energy proving you're right. Everyone is heading to the same return, where your own deeds are what count.

Settling who is right in every dispute matters most.

We all return to Allah. My own deeds matter more than winning the argument.

Try this

Step out of one argument today and spend that energy on a good deed.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 21:92)

Truly, this, your Ummah is one, and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me (92)But they have broken up and differed in their religion among themselves. (And) they all shall return to Us (93)So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer, his efforts will not be rejected. Verily, We record it for him (in his Book of deeds)(94)

Mankind is One Ummah

إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً

(Truly, this, your Ummah is one,) Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Sa'id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "Your religion is one religion." Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "In this Ayah, Allah explains to them what they should avoid and what they should do." Then He said:

إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً

(Truly, this, your Ummah is one religion,) "Meaning, your path is one path. Certainly this is your Shari'ah (Divine Law) which I have clearly explained you." So Allah says:

وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ

(and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me.) This is like the Ayah:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا

(O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibat (good things) and do righteous deeds.) Until His saying,

وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ

(And I am your Lord, so have Taqwa of Me.)(23:51-52) The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّاتٍ دِينُنَا وَاحِدٌ

(We Prophets are brothers from different mothers and our religion is one.) What is meant here is that they all worshipped Allah Alone with no partner or associate, although the Laws of each Messenger may have differed, as Allah says:

لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا

(To each among you, We have prescribed a Law and a clear way)(5:48)

وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ

(But they have broken up and differed in their religion among themselves.) meaning, the nations were divided over their Messengers; some of them believed in them and some rejected them. Allah says:

كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ

((And) they all shall return to Us.) meaning, 'on the Day of Resurrection, when We will requite each person according to his deeds. If they are good, then he will be rewarded and if they are evil then he will be punished.' Allah says:

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ

(So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer,) meaning, his heart believes and his deeds are righteous.

فَلَا كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ 

(his efforts will not be rejected.) This is like the Ayah:

إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا

(certainly We shall not make the reward of anyone who does his deeds in the most perfect manner to be lost.)(18:30) which means, his efforts will not be wasted; they will be appreciated and not even a speck of dust's weight of injustice will be done. Allah says:

وَإِنَّا لَهُ كَاتِبُونَ

(Verily, We record it for him.) means, all his deeds are recorded and nothing of them at all is lost.