Continuation of the interpretation of the verse: “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam, and those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them, out of envy, among themselves.”

Well, this is one statement. In another statement, it says: It is in every age according to its context. So the religion in the sight of Allah in the time of Musa was what Musa brought, in the time of 'Isa what 'Isa brought, and in the time of Ibrahim what Ibrahim brought. Islam is the religion in the sight of Allah. After the sending of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), there is no Islam except what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, because his Shari'ah abrogated all previous Shari'ahs. Accordingly, whoever is arrogant toward the religion of Islam that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought is not a Muslim. So the important point now is that we say: which is submission to Allah outwardly and inwardly in every age according to its context. So Islam in the time of Musa was his Shari'ah as a religion, in the time of 'Isa the Christian Shari'ah, in the time of Ibrahim the Abrahamic Shari'ah, and so on. In the time of Salih, the Shari'ah of Salih, and so forth. But now, after Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent and his religion abrogated all other religions, Islam is what is contained in the Shari'ah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This indicates that the meaning of Islam here is supported by his statement: meaning that the religion in the sight of the People of the Book was Islam. And Islam necessitates the unity of the Muslim community. But did the previous nations remain upon what their Islam necessitated? The answer is no; rather, they differed greatly and were in far division. Is this difference an excuse for them? The answer is no. For this reason, He said: meaning He gave it to them. The giving here is a legislative giving, and the giving can also be a cosmic giving. The giving by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) of wealth, health, and well-being is a cosmic giving in which the disbeliever, the believer, the wicked, and the righteous are equal. And the giving by Allah (the Exalted) of knowledge is a legislative giving, meaning that a person benefits from it in the Shari'ah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Then He says: and the proof was established against them and the straight path was made clear to them, but they differed and disputed. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this to belittle the community regarding difference, not to report it as a fact, but rather as a warning that we might be afflicted with what afflicted those who differed. For this reason, when we differed now, we split and tore apart, and every faction among us was pleased with what it had, and innovations and desires spread—not among the rulers, for the rulers did not agree to be contrary to it, nor among the scholars, for the scholars did not agree to be an imam, but rather they differed and some began to declare others misguided, and perhaps some declared others disbelievers. Well, if and why did they differ? Did they differ seeking the truth? No, rather out of arrogance and aggression, each of them wanting his word to be the uppermost, whether it agrees with the word of Allah or contradicts it. And unfortunately, this is what happens in our time and in times before, with some scholars wanting their word to be the uppermost, then they begin to curse whoever contradicts them—may Allah protect us—even if he knows in the depths of his heart that the truth is with him, but because he preceded him to the truth and presented it to the people, he envied him for that, then he became aggressive toward him. The truth is that his aggression was against himself, for what he did to himself was what he did to himself. And aggression against scholars to display the truth when they display it and clarify it is not aggression against the scholars as persons and individuals, but rather it is aggression against the Shari'ah of Allah, especially if the aggressor knows that the truth is with the one being aggressed against. As is the case with some people when they find the people of hadith, for example, and they are imitators and fanatics, they begin to disparage them greatly, and perhaps they drive them to misguidance, to innovation, and to disbelief—may Allah protect us—out of aggression. And this is among the most dangerous things for the Muslim community. It is obligatory for the person who fears his Lord to be pleased when Allah displays the truth, whether through his hands or through the hands of another. But undoubtedly, his pleasure when Allah displays it through his hands will be stronger and more intense than his pleasure when Allah displays it through the hands of another. But if Allah displays the truth through the hands of another, it is not permissible to be aggressive toward him or to strive to curse and insult him, because if he does that, he resembles whom? The Jews and the Christians. For this reason, He said: .