Surah 10, Yunus, Mecca 51

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Translation: 

وَمَا كَانَ النَّاسُ إِلاَّ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَاخْتَلَفُواْ...   

10: 19.  Mankind was but one nation, but differed (later).

...وَلَوْلاَ كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ فِيمَا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿١٩﴾  

Had it not been for a word that went forth before from thy Lord, their differences would have been settled between them.

Transliteration Wa ma_ ka_nan na_su illa_ ummataw wa_hidatan fa-khtalafu_, wa lau la_ kalimatun sabaqat mir rabbika laqudiya bainahum fima_ fihi yakhtalifu_n(a).

وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ...   

10: 20.  They say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?"

...فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا الْغَيْبُ لِلّهِ فَانْتَظِرُواْ إِنِّي مَعَكُم مِّنَ الْمُنتَظِرِينَ ﴿٢٠﴾  

Say:

"The Unseen is only for God (to know). Then wait ye: I too will wait with you."

Transliteration Wa yaqu_lu_na lau la_ unzila 'alaihi a_yatum mir rabbih(i), faqul innamal gaibu lilla_hi fantaziru_, inni ma'akum minal muntazirin(a).

Other Translations:

Pickthall

10: 19

Mankind were but one community; then they differed; and had it not been for a word that had already gone forth from thy Lord, it had been judged between them in respect of that wherein they differ.

10: 20

And they will say: If only a portent were sent down upon him from his Lord! Then say (O Muhammad): The Unseen belongeth to Allah. So wait! Lo, I am waiting with you.

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Ali’s Comments

1406. Cf. 2:213.

All mankind was created one, and Allah's Message to mankind is in essence one, the Message of Unity and Truth.

But as selfishness and egotism got hold of man, certain differences sprang up between individuals, races, and nations, and in His infinite Mercy He sent them messengers and messages to suit their varying mentality, to test them by His gifts, and stir them up to emulation in virtue and piety (5:48).

1407. Cf. 6:115. 9:40, and 4:171.

"Word" is the Decree of Allah, the expression of His Universal Will or Wisdom in a particular case.

When men began to diverge from one another (see last note). Allah made their very differences subserve the higher ends by increasing their emulation in virtue and piety, and thus pointing back to the ultimate Unity and Reality. (R).

1408. Their demand for a Sign is disingenuous. All nature and revelation furnishes them with incontestable Signs. What they want is the Book of the Unseen opened out to them like the physical leaves of a book. But they forget that a physical Book is on a wholly different plane from Allah's Mysteries, and that their physical natures cannot apprehend the mysteries.

They must wait. Truth will also wait. But the waiting in the two cases is in quite different senses. Cf. 6:158 and 9:52.