Tena sura inazungumzia wafuasi wa wajumbe wa zamani waliogawanyika katika madhehebu na makundi, ingawa wajumbe hao walihubiri imani moja: “Walitofautiana kwa sababu ya husuda na ushindani wa kibinafsi, baada tu ya elimu kuwafikia. Lau si neno lililokwisha kutolewa na Mola wako Mlezi, hadi muda uliowekwa [na Yeye], hukumu ingekuwa imeshatolewa baina yao. Lakini wale waliowarithi baada yao, ambao walirithishwa Kitabu cha Mwenyezi Mungu, wamo katika shaka kubwa inayotia wasiwasi kuhusu kitabu hicho.” (Aya ya 14)
Again the surah speaks of the followers of earlier messengers who divided into sects and groups although the messengers preached the same faith: “ They became divided, out of selfish rivalry, only after the knowledge had reached them. Had it not been for a decree that had already been issued by your Lord, until a term set [by Him], all would have been decided between them. As it is, those after them, who inherited the Divine book, are in grave, disquieting doubt about it.” (Verse 14)
Mgawanyiko wao haukutokana na ujinga, wala kwa sababu hawakujua chanzo kimoja kilichowaunganisha mitume wao na dini zao. Waligawanyika baada ya kupewa elimu. Mgawanyiko huu ulisababishwa na ushindani wa kibinafsi na husuda baina yao. Hivyo, hawakuwa wadhalimu kwa haki tu, bali pia kwa nafsi zao wenyewe. Hakukuwepo sababu yoyote ya kweli, inayotokana na dini ya kweli, ya mgawanyiko wao. Lau wangekuwa waaminifu kwa dini yao, wangebaki wameungana.
Their divisions did not come about as a result of ignorance, or because they did not know the single source that grouped their messengers and faiths together. They divided after knowledge was given to them. This division was caused by selfish rivalry and mutual envy. Thus, they were not only unjust to the truth but also to themselves. There was no single reason based on the true faith for their division. Had they been true to their faith, they would have remained united.
Walistahili kuadhibiwa mara moja kwa ajili ya mgawanyiko wao na upotovu wao, lakini Mwenyezi Mungu, kwa hekima yake, alikwisha kuamua kuwapa muda, hadi kikomo kilichowekwa, ambacho Yeye peke yake ndiye anayekijua: "Lau si neno lililotangulia kutoka kwa Mola wako, lingehukumiwa baina yao kwa muda uliowekwa" (Aya ya 14). Hivyo, ukweli unathibitika na uongo unaonekana katika sura yake halisi.
They deserved to be immediately taken to task in requital for their division and deviation, but God, in His wisdom, had already ordained to allow them time, up to a specified point only He knows: “Had it not been for a decree that had already been issued by your Lord, until a term set [by Him], all would have been decided between them” (Verse 14) Thus, the truth is established and falsehood is seen in its true guise.
Mambo yanakamilika katika maisha haya ya sasa, lakini hukumu inaahirishwa hadi Siku ya Kiyama. Vizazi vilivyokuja baada ya mgawanyiko uliogawa wafuasi wa kila mmoja wa wajumbe wa Mungu vilipokea imani na kitabu cha Mungu kikiwa na shaka juu ya ukweli wake. Mgawanyiko, basi, ulikuwa umeruhusu shaka na mkanganyiko kuingia, na kuwafanya watu washindwe kubaini ni lipi kati ya mafundisho na makundi mengi yalikuwa sahihi: "Hali ilivyo, wale waliokuja baada yao, waliorithi kitabu cha Mungu, wamo katika shaka kubwa inayoleta wasiwasi juu yake." (Aya ya 14)
Matters are settled in this present life, but judgement is deferred until the Day of Resurrection. The generations that came after the division that split the followers of every one of God’s messengers received the faith and the Divine book uncertain of its truth. Division, then, had allowed doubt and confusion to creep in, making people unable to determine which of the numerous doctrines and groups was right: “As it is, those after them, who inherited the Divine book, are in grave, disquieting doubt about it.” (Verse 14)
Iman لا يُؤخذ بهذه الطريقة — no, the translation must be in Swahili:
Imani haiwezi kuchukuliwa kwa namna hii. Imani ni jiwe imara ambalo muumini husimama juu yake, akihakikisha kwamba anabaki thabiti katika imani zake, hata dunia yote inayomzunguka inapotikisika vikali. Imani ni nyota yake ya kuongoza inayomhakikishia njia yake wakati nguvu mbalimbali zinapojaribu kumvuta pande tofauti. Imani yenyewe inapokuwa chini ya shaka kubwa kama hiyo, hakuna kitu kinachobaki kuwa na hakika akilini mwa mtu. Hawezi kuwa na uhakika ni njia gani achukue na ni mwelekeo gani afuate. Faraja haipatikani tena kwake. Mungu aliteremsha imani ya kimungu ili wale wanaoifuata wajue njia inayowaongoza kwake na inayohakikisha radhi yake. Nao, kwa upande wao, waweze kuwaongoza watu wengine katika njia iliyo sahihi, bila kuathiriwa na shaka wala kutokuwa na uhakika. Lakini pale wao wenyewe wanapozama katika shaka, hawawezi kumwongoza yeyote popote.
Faith cannot be taken in this way. Faith is the solid rock on which a believer stands ensuring that he remains steadfast in his beliefs, even when the whole world around him is shaking hard. Faith is his guiding star that assures him of his way when different forces try to pull him in opposite directions. When faith itself becomes subject to such strong doubts, nothing remains certain in man’s mind. He cannot be sure which way to take and which course to follow. Reassurance is no longer available to him. God revealed the Divine faith so that those who follow it would know the way that leads them to Him and ensures His pleasure. In turn, they too would be able to lead other people along the right way, unaffected by doubt or uncertainty. When they themselves become immersed in doubt, however, they cannot lead anyone anywhere.
Hali ndivyo ilivyokuwa hali ya wafuasi wa manabii waliotangulia wakati Uislamu ulipoteremshwa. Syed Abu’l Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi, msomi mashuhuri kutoka India, anaandika:
Such was the state the followers of earlier prophets were in at the time Islam was revealed. Syed Abu’l Hasan ‘All Nadwi, an eminent Indian scholar, writes:
Dini kubwa zikawa vichezeo mikononi mwa viongozi wa dini waliopotoka, ambao waliziharibu na kuzipotosha hadi zisitambulike, kiasi kwamba, lau ingewezekana wanzilishi wao kurudi katika maisha ya kimwili, wasingeweza kuzitambua.
Great religions became playthings in the hands of debased clergymen who corrupted and twisted them beyond recognition, so much so that, if it were possible for their founders to return to the physical life, they would not have recognized them.
Kutokana na uharibifu wa kimaadili wa vituo vikubwa vya ustaarabu na machafuko na misukosuko iliyoenea kila mahali, watu kote duniani walinaswa katika matatizo yao ya ndani. Hawakuwa na ujumbe wowote wa kuutoa kwa ulimwengu. Ulimwengu ulikuwa umeporomoka kutoka ndani; chemchemi zake za uhai zilikuwa zimekauka. Haukuwa na mwanga wa uongozi wa kidini wa mwenendo wa kibinafsi, wala kanuni yoyote ya kudumu na yenye mantiki ya kuendesha dola.1
As a result of the moral debasement of the great centres of civilization and general disorder and unrest, people everywhere became entangled in their internal problems. They had no message to offer to the world. The world had become hollow from within; its life-springs had dried up. It possessed neither the light of religious guidance for personal conduct, nor any abiding and rational principle for running a state.1
Aidha, J.H. Denison, mwandishi wa Ulaya, anaandika:
Additionally, J.H. Denison, a European author, writes:
Katika karne ya tano na ya sita ulimwengu uliostaarabika ulisimama kwenye ukingo wa machafuko. Tamaduni kuu za kihisia zilizokuwa zimefanya ustaarabu uwezekane, kwa kuwa zilimpa mwanadamu hisia ya umoja na heshima kwa watawala wake, zilikuwa zimeanguka, na hakuna kilichopatikana kilichofaa kuchukua nafasi yake...
In the fifth and sixth centuries the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos. The old emotional cultures that had made civilization possible, since they had given to men a sense of unity and of reverence for their rulers, had broken down, and nothing had been found adequate to take their place...
Ilionekana basi kwamba ustaarabu mkubwa ambao ulichukua miaka elfu nne kujengwa ulikuwa karibu kusambaratika, na kwamba wanadamu huenda wangerudi kwenye hali ile ya ushenzi ambapo kila kabila na kila kikundi kilipigana dhidi ya kingine, na sheria na utaratibu havikujulikana. Vikwazo vya zamani vya kikabila vilikuwa vimepoteza nguvu zake. Kwa hiyo mbinu za zamani za kifalme hazingeweza tena kufanya kazi. Vikwazo vipya vilivyoundwa na Ukristo vilikuwa vikileta mgawanyiko na uharibifu badala ya umoja na utaratibu. Ulikuwa wakati uliojaa msiba. Ustaarabu, kama mti mkubwa ambao majani yake yalienea duniani kote na matawi yake yalizaa matunda ya dhahabu ya sanaa, sayansi na fasihi, ulisimama ukiyumba, shina lake likiwa halina tena utomvu hai wa ibada na heshima, bali lililooza hadi kiini...
It seemed then that the great civilization that it had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration, and that mankind was likely to return to that condition of barbarism where every tribe and sect was against the next, and law and order were unknown. The old tribal sanctions had lost their power. Hence the old imperial methods would no longer operate. The new sanctions created by Christianity were working division and destruction instead of unity and order. It was a time fraught with tragedy. Civilization, like a gigantic tree whose foliage had overreached the world and whose branches had borne the golden fruits of art and science and literature, stood tottering, its trunk no longer alive with the flowing sap of devotion and reverence, but rotted to the core...
Ilikuwa miongoni mwa watu hawa ndipo alipozaliwa mtu ambaye angeunganisha dunia yote inayojulikana ya mashariki na kusini...
It was among these people that the man was born who was to unite the whole known world of the east and south...
Ni kwa sababu ya mgawanyiko kama huo miongoni mwa wafuasi wa mitume waliotangulia, na kwa sababu ya shaka zilizoyakumba vizazi vyao vilivyofuata, na kwa sababu uongozi wa wanadamu ulihitaji sana mtu aliyekuwa na uhakika wa njia ya kumfikia Mungu, ndipo mtume wa mwisho, Muhammad ﷺ, alitumwa kwa wanadamu wote. Mungu alimwamuru kufikisha ujumbe Wake, akishikamana nao kwa uthabiti, bila kujali imani zinazopingana zilizokuwa zikimzunguka. Alipaswa kutangaza kufufuka upya kwa dini ya Mungu iliyojumuishwa katika ujumbe mmoja ambao Mungu aliwapa mitume wote:
It is because of such divisions among the followers of earlier messengers and the doubts engulfing their subsequent generations, and because the leadership of mankind was in desperate need of someone who was certain of the way to God, that the last messenger, Muhammad, (peace be upon him), was sent to all mankind. God commanded him to deliver His message, holding firm to it, paying no heed to the conflicting creeds around him. He was to announce the rebirth of the Divine faith embodied in the one message that God gave to all prophets:
Basi, waite watu kwenye dini hiyo, na simama imara katika njia iliyonyoka kama ulivyoamrishwa. Usifuate matamanio yao, bali sema: "Ninaamini kila kitabu alichoteremsha Mwenyezi Mungu. Nimeamrishwa kutenda uadilifu baina yenu. Mwenyezi Mungu ndiye Mola wetu na Mola wenu. Sisi tuna matendo yetu, na nyinyi mna matendo yenu. Hakuna mabishano baina yetu na nyinyi. Mwenyezi Mungu atatukusanya sote, na kwake ndiko marejeo." (Aya ya 15)
Therefore, call people to that faith, and follow the straight path as you have been commanded. Do not follow their likes and dislikes, but say: T believe in whatever revelation God has bestowed from on high. I am commanded to ensure justice between you. God is our Lord and your Lord. To us shall be accounted our deeds, and to you, your deeds. Let there be no argument between us and you. God will bring us all together, and to Him we shall all return. (Verse 15)
Hii ni uongozi mpya kwa wanadamu wote; uongozi imara, wenye uhakika wa njia yake na msimamo thabiti katika imani zake. Unautangaza ujumbe wake ukiwa na maarifa ya kweli, na unafuata amri za Mungu bila kupotoka, ukijiepusha na nguvu zote zinazopingana nao. Uongozi huu mpya wa wanadamu unatangaza kwamba ujumbe wa Kimungu ni mmoja, na njia ambayo unawaongoza watu kuifuata ni ile ile. Hivyo basi, imani zote za Kiungu zinatokana na chanzo kimoja, na wanadamu wanapaswa kukigeukia chanzo hicho pekee: "Sema: Ninaamini katika kila wahyi ambao Mungu ameuteremsha kutoka juu."(Aya ya 15)
Katiba yake na sera yake vimejengwa juu ya ukweli na haki: "Nimeamrishwa kuhakikisha haki kati yenu."(Aya ya 15)
Uongozi huu mpya una mamlaka thabiti yanayouwezesha kutangaza haki miongoni mwa wanadamu wote, hata wakati ulipokuwa umefungiwa katika mabonde nyembamba ya Makka, ambapo wafuasi wake walikumbana na mateso yasiyokoma. Hata hivyo, mamlaka yake yalikuwa wazi kwa wote. Unatangaza waziwazi kwamba: (1) Bwana wa ulimwengu ni Bwana Mmoja: "Mungu ndiye Bwana wetu na Bwana wenu."(Aya ya 15); (2) kila mtu anawajibika kwa matendo yake mwenyewe: "Sisi tutahesabiwa kwa matendo yetu, nanyi mtahesabiwa kwa matendo yenu."(Aya ya 15); (3) mjadala wote umekoma kwa kuwa neno la mwisho la Mungu limetolewa: "Pasiwe na mjadala baina yetu na baina yenu."(Aya ya 15); na (4) mambo yote yameachwa kwa Mungu kwa hukumu yake ya mwisho: "Mungu atatukusanya sote, na kwake ndiko marejeo yetu sote."(Aya ya 15)
This is a new leadership for all mankind; a strong leadership, sure of its way and firm in its beliefs. It advocates its message equipped with true insight, and follows Gods orders without deviation, steering away from all conflicting forces. This new leadership of mankind declares that the Divine message is one and the way to which it guides people is the same. Thus, all Divine faith comes from one source and mankind must turn to that source only: “Say: I believe in whatever revelation God has bestowed from on high.” (Verse 15) Its constitution and policy is based on truth and justice: “lam commanded to ensure justice between you.” (Verse 15) This new leadership has definite authority enabling it to declare justice among all mankind even at the time when it was confined to the narrow valleys of Makkah, where its followers suffered unrelenting persecution. Yet its authority was clear to all. It clearly announces that: (1) the Lord of the universe is the One Lord: “God is our Lord and your Lord.” (Verse 15); (2) everyone is responsible for their own actions: “ To us shall be accounted our deeds, and to you, your deeds.” (Verse 15); (3) all argument is ended as Gods final word is given: “Let there be no argument between us and you.” (Verse 15); and (4) all affairs are left to God for His final judgement: “God will bring us all together, and to Him we shall all return” (Vetse 15)
Aya hii moja, yenye kauli fupi, wazi na thabiti, inaeleza asili ya ujumbe huu wa mwisho katika uwazi wake wote. Ni ujumbe unaokusudia kufuata njia yake yenyewe, bila kuathiriwa na matamanio ya watu. Unalenga kupanua mamlaka yake ili kuhakikisha haki baina ya watu wote. Lengo lake ni kuonyesha njia moja inayoongoza kwa Mungu, kwa kuwa ndiyo njia pekee iliyobainishwa na jumbe zote.
This single verse with short, clear and decisive statements describes the nature of this last message in all its clarity. It is a message that means to follow its own way, unaffected by people’s desires. It aims to extend its authority so as to ensure justice between all people. Its objective is to show the one way leading to God since it is the only way defined by all messages.
Kwa kuwa masuala yamekwisha kufafanuliwa na jumuiya ya waumini imekwisha kuitikia kwa uhakika ujumbe wa Mungu, hoja ya wale wanaoendelea kubishana kuhusu Mungu inaonekana kuwa ni ya pekee na isiyo na maana, isiyo na msingi wala uzito. Neno la mwisho linatolewa kuwahusu, likibainisha wazi kwamba watalazimika kukabiliana na adhabu waliyoonywa nayo.
As the issues have thus been clarified and the community of believers have assuredly responded to God’s message, the argument of those still disputing about God appears to be both singular and trivial, lacking basis and weight. A final word is stated about them making clear that they will have to face the punishment they have been warned against:
Kwa hakika, wale wanaobishana kuhusu Mungu baada ya Yeye kukubaliwa, hoja yao ni batili mbele ya Mola wao; ghadhabu itawashukia, nao wana adhabu kali. (Aya ya 16) Yeyote anayetoa hoja ambayo ni batili mbele ya Mungu hana chochote cha kutoa.
“As for those who argue about God after He has been acknowledged, their argument is null and void in their Lord's sight: anger will fall upon them and severe suffering awaits them” (Verse 16) Whoever posits an argument that is null and void in God’s sight has nothing to offer.
Hoja zake sio tu zinathibitishwa kuwa za uongo katika maisha haya, bali katika maisha ya Akhera atapata ghadhabu ya Mungu na kuadhibiwa vikali kwa kuendelea na uongo wa namna hii.
Not only are his arguments proven false in this life, but in the life to come he will incur God’s anger and face severe punishment for persisting with such falsehood.