21. [al-Anbiyaa, Mecca 73]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ...

21: 92.  Verily, this Brotherhood of yours is a single Brotherhood,

C2749. Ummah: this is best translated by Brotherhood here.

"Community", "race", and "nation." and "people" are words which import other ideas and do not quite correspond to "Ummah".

"Religion" and "Way of Life" are derived meanings, which could be used in other passages, but are less appropriate here.

Our attention has been drawn to people of very different temperaments and virtues, widely different in time, race, language, surroundings, history, and work to be performed, but forming the closest brotherhood as being men and women united in the highest service of Allah. They prefigure the final and perfected Brotherhood of Islam.

... وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ ﴿٩٢﴾

and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other).

وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ...  

21: 93.  But (later generations) cut off their affair (of unity), one from another:

C2750. Allah's Message was and ever is one; and His Messengers treated it as one. It is people of narrower views who come later and trade on the earlier names, that break up the Message and the Brotherhood into jarring camps and sects.

...كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ ﴿٩٣﴾

(yet) will they all return to Us.

Others version:

(21:93]

But men have torn their unity wide asunder, 90 [forgetting that] unto Us they all are bound to return.

Arabic Source and Roman Transliteration Arabic   وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ &#x21E8 Transliteration   WataqattaAAoo amrahum baynahum kullun ilayna rajiAAoona &#x21E8

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning Muhammad Asad   But men have torn their unity wide asunder, [forgetting that] unto Us they all are bound to return. &#x21E8 M. M. Pickthall   And they have broken their religion (into fragments) among them, (yet) all are returning unto Us. &#x21E8 Shakir   And they broke their religion (into sects) between them: to Us shall all come back. &#x21E8 Yusuf Ali   But (later generations) cut off their affair (of unity), one from another: (yet) will they all return to Us. &#x21E8 Wahiduddin Khan   But they divided themselves into factions, but to Us they shall all return. &#x21E8 [Al-Muntakhab]   Yet people according to their desires and irreligious viewpoints set themselves at variance, but all shall inevitably return to Us. &#x21E8 [Progressive Muslims]   And they disputed in the matter amongst themselves. Each of them will be returned to Us.

[[ Asad’s notes - 89 After calling to mind, inverses 48-91, some of the earlier prophets, all of whom stressed the oneness and uniqueness of God, the discourse returns to that principle of oneness as it ought to be reflected in the unity of all who believe in Him. (See 23:51 ff.)

90 This is the meaning of the idiomatic phrase, taqatta'u amrahum baynahum. As Zamakhshari points out, the sudden turn of the discourse from the second person plural to the third person is indicative of God's severe disapproval - His "turning away", as it were, from those who are or were guilty of breaking the believers' unity. (See also 23:53 and the corresponding note 30.) ]]

[[ Ruby’s notes – I disagree with Asad in his interpretation that what is meant here is disunity among believers. I believe the way these few verses sequenced it definitely means those who seek division and dissentions among humanity. There is One God and one humanity, there should be unity in the fundamental ideas of living and society and the pursuit of doing the right things and purpose. The divisions are created often on the smallest of issues or relatively unimportant issues.]]

[[ See the previous verse ]]

21:92 [al-Anbiyaa, Mecca 73]

Arabic Source and Roman Transliteration Arabic   إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ &#x21E8 Transliteration   Inna hathihi ommatukum ommatan wahidatan waana rabbukum faoAAbudooni &#x21E8

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning Muhammad Asad   VERILY, [O you who believe in Me,] this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]! &#x21E8 M. M. Pickthall   Lo! this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me. &#x21E8 Shakir   Surely this Islam is your religion, one religion (only), and I am your Lord, therefore serve Me. &#x21E8 Yusuf Ali   Verily, this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other). &#x21E8 Wahiduddin Khan   This community of yours is one community and I am your Lord, so worship Me. &#x21E8 [Al-Muntakhab]   This is the religion eminently professed by all the previous Prophets, the one and only system of faith and worship established by Allah and I am Allah your Creator, therefore, worship Me and adore Me with the appropriate acts and rites. &#x21E8 [Progressive Muslims]   This is your nation, one nation, and I am your Lord so serve Me. &#x21E8 Abdel Haleem   [Messengers], this community of yours is one single community and I am your Lord, so serve Me. &#x21E8 Abdul Majid Daryabadi   Verily this community of yours is a single community, and I am your Lord; so worship Me. &#x21E8 Ahmed Ali   That this (is) your nation, one nation, and I am your Lord, so worship Me. &#x21E8 Aisha Bewley   This nation of yours is one nation and I am your Lord, so worship Me. &#x21E8 Ali Ünal   So, this community of yours (which all the Messengers and their followers have formed) is one single community of the same faith, and I am your Lord (Who creates, sustains, and protects you); so worship Me alone. &#x21E8 Ali Quli Qara'i   Indeed this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord. So worship Me. &#x21E8 Amatul Rahman Omar   (Mankind!) surely, this your religion is the one single religion (of all the Prophets), and I am your Lord, so worship Me. &#x21E8 Hamid S. Aziz   Verily, this your religion (or brotherhood) is a single religion (brotherhood); and I am your Lord, so serve Me. &#x21E8 Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   Surely this nation of yours is one nation, and I am your Lord, so worship Me. &#x21E8 Muhammad Sarwar   People, you are one nation and I am your Lord. Worship Me. &#x21E8 Muhammad Taqi Usmani   Surely, this is the fraternity of your Faith, a single Faith, and I am your Lord; so worship Me. &#x21E8 Shabbir Ahmed   Verily, O Mankind! This community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all. So, serve Me alone! (23:52). &#x21E8 Syed Vickar Ahamed   Surely, this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood (of prophets) and I am your Lord and Cherisher: Therefore worship Me (and no other). &#x21E8 Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me. &#x21E8 Farook Malik   Verily this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood and I am your only Lord, therefore worship Me Alone. &#x21E8 Dr. Munir Munshey   Listen! This human race of yours is really a single nation and I am your Lord, so worship Me exclusively! &#x21E8 Tahir-ul-Qadri Mohammad   Indeed, yourreligion is one religion, andIamyourLord, so worship Me. &#x21E8