وَلَقَدْ بَوَّأْنَا بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ مُبَوَّأَ صِدْقٍ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ فَمَا ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَقْضِى بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فِيمَا كَانُوا۟ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ 93
Translations
And We had certainly settled the Children of Israel in an agreeable settlement and provided them with good things. And they did not differ until [after] knowledge had come to them. Indeed, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ.
Transliteration
Wa-laqad bawwa'nā banī Isrā'īla mubawwa'a sidqin wa-razaqnāhum min al-ṭayyibāt fa-mā ikhtarafū ḥattā jā'ahum al-'ilm. Inna rabbaka yaqdī baynahum yawm al-qiyāmah fīmā kānū fīhi yakhtalifūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah reminds the Children of Israel of Allah's blessings upon them—establishing them in a land of truth and providing them with pure sustenance—yet they fell into disagreement and divided despite these favors. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this refers to their divisions regarding the Torah and the message of the prophets. Allah assures that on the Day of Judgment, He will judge between them regarding all their disputes, settling matters with perfect justice.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Yunus within a broader passage addressing the historical fate of the Children of Israel and their repeated disobedience despite divine guidance. The context emphasizes how receiving blessings and knowledge does not guarantee unity if people choose discord. This serves as a reminder to the early Muslims about the consequences of schism and disagreement.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim (1718): The Prophet ﷺ warned against divisions, stating 'My ummah will not unite upon misguidance.' Additionally, Sunan Ibn Majah contains hadiths about the 73 sects that will emerge from the Muslim community, reflecting the universal principle that disagreement stems from rejecting clear knowledge.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that material and spiritual blessings alone do not prevent division—only sincere adherence to divine knowledge and unity of purpose can. For modern believers, it is a warning that prosperity and access to Islamic knowledge require humility and consensus-seeking to avoid the destructive path of sectarianism.
Related Ayahs
وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ مَكَانَكُمْ أَنتُمْ وَشُرَكَآؤُكُمْ ۚ فَزَيَّلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ وَقَالَ شُرَكَآؤُهُم مَّا كُنتُمْ إِيَّانَا تَعْبُدُونَ
And [mention, O Muḥammad], the Day We will gather them all together - then We will say to those who associated others with Allāh, "[Remain in] your place, you and your 'partners.'" Then We will separate them, and their "partners" will say, "You did not used to worship us,
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ يَتَّقُونَ
Those who believed and were fearing Allāh.
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ فَجَعَلْتُم مِّنْهُ حَرَامًا وَحَلَـٰلًا قُلْ ءَآللَّهُ أَذِنَ لَكُمْ ۖ أَمْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَفْتَرُونَ
Say, "Have you seen what Allāh has sent down to you of provision of which you have made [some] lawful and [some] unlawful?" Say, "Has Allāh permitted you [to do so], or do you invent [something] about Allāh?"
وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ وَأَخِيهِ أَن تَبَوَّءَا لِقَوْمِكُمَا بِمِصْرَ بُيُوتًا وَٱجْعَلُوا۟ بُيُوتَكُمْ قِبْلَةً وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And We inspired to Moses and his brother, "Settle your people in Egypt in houses and make your houses [facing the] qiblah and establish prayer and give good tidings to the believers."