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ka-mā ʾanzalnā ʿalā l-muqtasimīna
like that We sent down upon those who split into bands,
— Ali Quli Qarai
15Al-ḤijrالحجرVerse 90 of 99
The Rocky Tract15. Al-Ḥijrالحجر
Al Ḥijr
The Rocky Tract
MeccanVerse 90 of 99
15Al-ḤijrالحجرVerse 90 of 99
The Rocky Tract
like that We sent down upon those who split into bands,
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Hijr – Verses 89 - 91
89. “And say: ‘Verily I am the manifest Warner’.”
90. “(We shall send them chastisement) as We sent down on the dividers.”
91. “Those who made the Qur’an into shreds.”
Similar to the case that leniency and affection with the believers and friends are necessary, being decisive against the opponents is also required, and decisiveness, threats and warnings are a necessity when one faces paganism. Allah commanded the Prophet (S) to say if he warns them Allah has asserted the fact that He will send them that kind of chastisement which was sent to ‘those who divided’, the same ones who divided the Qur’an and the Divine verses into acceptable and none acceptable parts.
The Holy Qur’an says:
“And say: ‘Verily I am the manifest Warner’.”
“(We shall send them chastisement) as We sent down on the dividers.”
They took up the Qur’an and accepted from it whatever was to their advantage and discarded whatever was to their disadvantage. But the true believers do not impose any kind of analysis, divisions or discrimination as regards the Divine commandments. The verse says:
“Those who made the Qur’an into shreds.”
There are three meanings mentioned in the commentaries for the Qur’anic term /muqtasimin/: There were some chiefs of the unbelievers who during the days of Hajj pilgrimage used to divide forces at the crossroads and entrance gates of Mecca in order to tell the travelers that a person called Muhammad (S) has got certain claims and they should not listen to him. They introduced him as a soothsayer, a sorcerer, and a lunatic. The second meaning points to those who divided the Holy Qur’an among themselves so as to produce each a simulation form of the Qur’an.
The third meaning refers to those persons who took certain parts of the Qur’an for practice while leaving the other parts as unpractical. The Arabic word /‘idin/ is either the plural of /‘idah/ in the sense of ‘quarrel and disputation’, or it is derived from the word /‘udw/ which means ‘cutting into pieces’. Incidentally, the retribution of those who divide the Holy Book in that form is the Divine punishment. A believer is the one who accepts the Qur’an in its entirely, saying that whatever has been revealed has come from the side of Allah.