Of all these apostles We have favoured some over the others. God has addressed some of them, and the stations of some have been exalted over the others. And to Jesus, son of Mary, We gave tokens, and reinforced him with divine grace. If God had so willed those who came after them would never have contended when clear signs had come to them. But dissensions arose, some believed, some denied. And if God had willed they would never have fought among themselves. But God does whatsoever He please.
These are the Noble Messengers, to whom We gave excellence over each other; of them are some with whom Allah spoke, and some whom He exalted high above all others; and We gave Eisa (Jesus), the son of Maryam, clear signs and We aided him with the Holy Spirit; and if Allah willed, those after them would not have fought each other after the clear evidences had come to them, but they differed – some remained on faith and some turned disbelievers; and had Allah willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah may do as He wills.
And those Messengers, some We have preferred above others; some there are to whom God spoke, and some He raised in rank. And We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear signs, and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit. And had God willed, those who came after him would not have fought one against the other after the clear signs had come to them; but they fell into variance, and some of them believed, and some disbelieved; and had God willed they would not have fought one against the other; but God does whatsoever He desires.
Some of these apostles have We endowed more highly than others: among them were such as were spoken to by God [Himself], and some He has raised yet higher.' And We vouchsafed unto Jesus, the son of Mary, all evidence of the truth, and strengthened him with holy inspiration. And if God had so willed, they who succeeded those [apostles] would not have contended with one another after all evidence of the truth had come to them; but [as it was,] they did take to divergent views, and some of them attained to faith, while some of them came to deny the truth. Yet if God had so willed, they would not have contended with one another: but God does whatever He wills.
These apostles: We have preferred some of them above some others: of them are some unto whom Allah spake, and some He raised many degrees. And We vouchsafed unto Isa, son of Maryam, the evidences, and We aided him with the holy spirit; and had Allah so willed those who came after them had not fought among themselves after the evidences had come unto them but they differed; then of them some believed and of them some disbelieved. And had Allah so willed, they had not fought among themselves, but Allah doth whatsoever He intendeth.
Those Messengers! We preferred some to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour); and to 'Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)]. If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed - some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another, but Allah does what He likes.
These messengers: We gave some advantage over others. To some of them God spoke directly, and some He raised in rank. We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear miracles, and We strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Had God willed, those who succeeded them would not have fought one another, after the clear signs had come to them; but they disputed; some of them believed, and some of them disbelieved. Had God willed, they would not have fought one another; but God does whatever He desires.
Of these Messengers (whom We sent for the guidance of mankind), We raised some above the others in rank. Among them was one with whom Allah Himself had direct talks. There were others whom He raised high in rank in other ways. Likewise We gave clear signs to Jesus, son of Mary, and supported him with the Holy Spirit. Had Allah so willed the people who had seen clear signs would not have fought against one another after the Prophets. But (it was not Allah's will to prevent people forcibly from differences: so) they disagreed; then some of them accepted the Truth and others rejected it. If Allah had so willed they would have never fought against one another, but Allah does whatever He pleases (to fulfil His designs.
Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honor); and to `Isa, the son of Maryam, We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus [Jibril]. If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed ـ some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another, but Allah does what He wills.
Of those messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others, and of whom there are some unto whom Allah spake, while some of them He exalted (above others) in degree; and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) and We supported him with the holy Spirit. And if Allah had so wiled it, those who followed after them would not have fought one with another after the clear proofs had come unto them. But they differed, some of them believing and some disbelieving. And if Allah had so willed it, they would not have fought one with another; but Allah doeth what He will.
These are the apostles, some of whom We gave an advantage over others: of them are those to whom Allah spoke and some of them He raised in rank, and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, manifest proofs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Had Allah wished, those who succeeded them would not have fought one another after the manifest proofs had come to them. But they differed. So there were among them those who had faith and there were among them those who were faithless, and had Allah wished, they would not have fought one another; but Allah does whatever He desires.
Of these Messengers, We have preferred some above others. To some Allah spoke; and some He raised in rank. We gave (Prophet) Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Spirit of Purity (Gabriel). Had Allah willed, those who succeeded them would not have fought against one another after the clear verses came to them. But they differed among themselves; some believed, and others disbelieved. Yet had Allah willed, they would not have fought against one another. Allah does whatever He will.
Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others. Among them were those to whom Allah spoke, and He raised some of them in degree. And We gave Jesus, the Son of Mary, clear proofs, and We supported him with the Pure Spirit. If Allah had willed, those [generations] succeeding them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them. But they differed, and some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. And if Allah had willed, they would not have fought each other, but Allah does what He intends.
We gave some of Our Messengers preference over others. To some of them God spoke and He raised the rank of some others. We gave authoritative proofs to Jesus, son of Mary, and supported him by the Holy Spirit. Had God wanted, the generations who lived after those Messengers would not have fought each other after the authority had come to them. But they differed among themselves, some of them believed in the authority and others denied it. They would not have fought each other had God wanted, but God does as He wills.
We have made some of these apostles to excel the others among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank; and We gave clear miracles to Isa son of Marium, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. And if Allah had pleased, those after them would not have fought one with another after clear arguments had come to them, but they disagreed; so there were some of them who believed and others who denied; and if Allah had pleased they would not have fought one with another, but Allah brings about what He intends.
Tilka a<b>l</b>rrusulu fa<u>dd</u>aln<u>a</u> baAA<u>d</u>ahum AAal<u>a</u> baAA<u>d</u>in minhum man kallama All<u>a</u>hu warafaAAa baAA<u>d</u>ahum daraj<u>a</u>tin wa<u>a</u>tayn<u>a</u> AAees<u>a</u> ibna maryama albayyin<u>a</u>ti waayyadn<u>a</u>hu biroo<u>h</u>i alqudusi walaw sh<u>a</u>a All<u>a</u>hu m<u>a</u> iqtatala alla<u>th</u>eena min baAAdihim min baAAdi m<u>a</u> j<u>a</u>athumu albayyin<u>a</u>tu wal<u>a</u>kini ikhtalafoo faminhum man <u>a</u>mana waminhum man kafara walaw sh<u>a</u>a All<u>a</u>hu m<u>a</u> iqtataloo wal<u>a</u>kinna All<u>a</u>ha yafAAalu m<u>a</u> yureed<b>u</b>
Of these messengers, We have given something additional among them. There are some to whom God spoke directly and others He exalted in rank. We gave Jesus, son of Mary clear signs, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. Had God pleased, those who succeeded them would not have fought against one another after the clear signs had come to them. But they disagreed among themselves; some believed, while others did not. Yet had God willed, they would not have fought against one another; but God does whatever He wills.
Those messengers We endowed with gifts, some above others: To one of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary We gave clear (Signs), and strengthened him with the holy spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after clear (Signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah Fulfilleth His plan.
تِلْكَ ٱلرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَٰتٍ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتُ وَلَٰكِنِ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ
Allah favoured some of those messengers mentioned to you over others with respect to their revelation, followers and ranks. Some of them Allah spoke to, such as Moses, and others He granted a high rank, such as Muhammad (peace be upon him) – who was sent to the entire humankind as the last of the prophets and whose nation was preferred over all other communities. Allah gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear miracles confirming his prophethood, such as bringing the dead to life and curing the leper and the blind; and supported him with the angel Gabriel to give him strength in fulfilling Allah’s instruction. If Allah had willed, those that came after the messengers would not have fought amongst themselves after having received clear signs; but they disagreed and were divided. Some of them had faith in Allah, whilst others did not. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought with each other; but Allah does as He wills: He guides whomever He wills to faith through His mercy and grace, and He does not guide whomever He wishes by His justice and wisdom.
Allah favoured some of those messengers mentioned to you over others with respect to their revelation, followers and ranks. Some of them Allah spoke to, such as Moses, and others He granted a high rank, such as Muhammad (peace be upon him) – who was sent to the entire humankind as the last of the prophets and whose nation was preferred over all other communities. Allah gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear miracles confirming his prophethood, such as bringing the dead to life and curing the leper and the blind; and supported him with the angel Gabriel to give him strength in fulfilling Allah’s instruction. If Allah had willed, those that came after the messengers would not have fought amongst themselves after having received clear signs; but they disagreed and were divided. Some of them had faith in Allah, whilst others did not. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought with each other; but Allah does as He wills: He guides whomever He wills to faith through His mercy and grace, and He does not guide whomever He wishes by His justice and wisdom.
<p>Commentary</p><p>1.	In Verse 253, beginning with تِلْكَ الرُّ‌سُلُ ('those are the Messenger’), the purpose is to give solace and comfort to the noble Prophet ﷺ since the deniers refused to recognize his prophethood, inspite of the fact that it was conclusively proved, as has been stated in the verse 252: وَإِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْ‌سَلِي (And certainly you are among the Messengers.) as well. This situation caused him pain. Therefore, Allah Almighty made him aware of the coming of other prophets too, in varying degrees of station, but universal belief was not witnessed in any of their communities -- some supported while some others opposed. However, this too has its wise considerations which may not necessarily be visible to everyone, but this much is important that one should generally believe that there is definitely a certain wisdom behind this.</p><p>2.	Since the words تِلْكَ الرُّ‌سُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ (Those are the Messengers some of whom We have given excellence over others) in this verse clearly indicate that some prophets are given higher status than others, we have a difficulty on our hands when we compare this with a hadith, where the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said:</p><p>لا تفضلوا بین انبیاء اللہ</p><p>Do not seek preference among prophets.</p><p>لا تخیرونی علی موسٰی</p><p>Do not give me precedence over Musa.</p><p>لا اقول ان احدا افضل من یونس بن متی</p><p>I cannot say if anyone is better than Yunus ibn Matta.</p><p>These ahadith so obviously forbid the giving of preference to some prophets over some other prophets.</p><p>The reply is: These ahadith mean to tell us not to give preference to some prophets over some others, without any proof, out of our own opinion. This is because a prophet's having higher status means that he has a high station in the sight of Allah. Obviously, this knowledge cannot be acquired through conjectures and surmises but should such a proof come from the Qur'an and Sunnah, establishing the precedence of some prophets over some others, then it will be necessary to believe in it.</p><p>Now, as to his saying: لا اقول ان احدا افضل من یونس بن متی (I cannot say if</p><p>anyone is better than Yunus ibn Matta) and لا تخیرونی علی موسٰی (Do not give me precedence over Musa), this is related to the time when he was not given the knowledge that he has precedence over all other prophets. This was disclosed to him later on through revelation and he did tell the noble Companions about it. (Mazhari)</p><p>3. As regards the statement' مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ اللَّـهُ (Among them there is he whom Allah spoke to), it may be noted that the conversation with Musa (علیہ السلام) may be without an angel as intermediary, but it certainly was not without hijab (obstruction of view). So, there remains no conflict of meaning with what has been stated in the verse: وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ‌ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّـهُ (It belongs not to any mortal that God should speak to him) (42:51), in which conversation without hijab has been negated. However, post-death conversation without hijab is possible, so this verse from Sarah al-Shura relates to the life in this world.</p>
Commentary1.	In Verse 253, beginning with تِلْكَ الرُّ‌سُلُ ('those are the Messenger’), the purpose is to give solace and comfort to the noble Prophet ﷺ since the deniers refused to recognize his prophethood, inspite of the fact that it was conclusively proved, as has been stated in the verse 252: وَإِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْ‌سَلِي (And certainly you are among the Messengers.) as well. This situation caused him pain. Therefore, Allah Almighty made him aware of the coming of other prophets too, in varying degrees of station, but universal belief was not witnessed in any of their communities -- some supported while some others opposed. However, this too has its wise considerations which may not necessarily be visible to everyone, but this much is important that one should generally believe that there is definitely a certain wisdom behind this.2.	Since the words تِلْكَ الرُّ‌سُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ (Those are the Messengers some of whom We have given excellence over others) in this verse clearly indicate that some prophets are given higher status than others, we have a difficulty on our hands when we compare this with a hadith, where the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said:لا تفضلوا بین انبیاء اللہDo not seek preference among prophets.لا تخیرونی علی موسٰیDo not give me precedence over Musa.لا اقول ان احدا افضل من یونس بن متیI cannot say if anyone is better than Yunus ibn Matta.These ahadith so obviously forbid the giving of preference to some prophets over some other prophets.The reply is: These ahadith mean to tell us not to give preference to some prophets over some others, without any proof, out of our own opinion. This is because a prophet's having higher status means that he has a high station in the sight of Allah. Obviously, this knowledge cannot be acquired through conjectures and surmises but should such a proof come from the Qur'an and Sunnah, establishing the precedence of some prophets over some others, then it will be necessary to believe in it.Now, as to his saying: لا اقول ان احدا افضل من یونس بن متی (I cannot say ifanyone is better than Yunus ibn Matta) and لا تخیرونی علی موسٰی (Do not give me precedence over Musa), this is related to the time when he was not given the knowledge that he has precedence over all other prophets. This was disclosed to him later on through revelation and he did tell the noble Companions about it. (Mazhari)3. As regards the statement' مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ اللَّـهُ (Among them there is he whom Allah spoke to), it may be noted that the conversation with Musa (علیہ السلام) may be without an angel as intermediary, but it certainly was not without hijab (obstruction of view). So, there remains no conflict of meaning with what has been stated in the verse: وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ‌ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّـهُ (It belongs not to any mortal that God should speak to him) (42:51), in which conversation without hijab has been negated. However, post-death conversation without hijab is possible, so this verse from Sarah al-Shura relates to the life in this world.
<h2 class="title">Allah Honored Some Prophets Above Others</h2><p>Allah states that He has honored some Prophets to others. For instance, Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا</div><p>(And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawud We gave the Zabur (Psalms)) 17:55. </p><p>In the Ayah above, Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُمْ مَّن كَلَّمَ اللَّهُ</div><p>(Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly)) meaning, Musa and Muhammad , and also Adam according to a Hadith recorded in Sahih Ibn Hibban from Abu Dharr. </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَـتٍ</div><p>(Others He raised to degrees (of honor)) as is evident in the Hadith about the Isra' journey, when the Messenger of Allah saw the Prophets in the various heavens according to their rank with Allah. </p><p>If somebody asks about the collective meaning of this Ayah and the Hadith that the Two Sahihs collected from Abu Hurayrah which states, "Once, a Muslim man and a Jew had an argument and the Jew said, `No, by Him Who gave Musa superiority over all human beings!' Hearing him, the Muslim man raised his hand and slapped the Jew on his face and said, `Over Muhammad too, O evil one!' The Jew went to the Prophet and complained to him and the Prophet said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«لَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يَصْعَقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُفِيقُ، فَأَجِدُ مُوسَى بَاطِشًا بِقَائِمَةِ الْعَرْشِ، فَلَا أَدْرِي أَفَاقَ قَبْلِي أَمْ جُوزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّورِ؟ فَلَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاء»</div><p>(Don't give me superiority above the Prophets, for the people will become unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Musa holding on to the pillar of Allah's Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness Musa suffered on the Day of the Trumpet sufficed for him, or if he got up before me. So, do not give me superiority above the Prophets.) In another narration, the Prophet said, (Do not give superiority to some Prophets above others.) </p><p>The answer to this question is that this Hadith prohibits preferring some Prophets above others in cases of dispute and argument, such as the incident mentioned in the Hadith. The Hadith indicates that it is not up to creation to decide which Prophet is better, for this is Allah's decision. The creation is only required to submit to, obey and believe in Allah's decision. </p><p>Allah's statement, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَـتِ</div><p>(And We gave `Isa, the son of Maryam, clear signs) refers to the proofs and unequivocal evidences that testify to the truth that `Isa delivered to the Children of Israel, thus testifying that he was Allah's servant and His Messenger to them. </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَأَيَّدْنَـهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ</div><p>(And supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus) meaning Allah aided `Isa with Jibil, peace be upon him. Allah then said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلُواْ</div><p>(If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed ـ some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another.) meaning all this happened by Allah's decree, and this is why He said next, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ</div><p>(But Allah does what He wills.) </p>
Allah Honored Some Prophets Above OthersAllah states that He has honored some Prophets to others. For instance, Allah said, وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا(And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawud We gave the Zabur (Psalms)) 17:55. In the Ayah above, Allah said, تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُمْ مَّن كَلَّمَ اللَّهُ(Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly)) meaning, Musa and Muhammad , and also Adam according to a Hadith recorded in Sahih Ibn Hibban from Abu Dharr. وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَـتٍ(Others He raised to degrees (of honor)) as is evident in the Hadith about the Isra' journey, when the Messenger of Allah saw the Prophets in the various heavens according to their rank with Allah. If somebody asks about the collective meaning of this Ayah and the Hadith that the Two Sahihs collected from Abu Hurayrah which states, "Once, a Muslim man and a Jew had an argument and the Jew said, `No, by Him Who gave Musa superiority over all human beings!' Hearing him, the Muslim man raised his hand and slapped the Jew on his face and said, `Over Muhammad too, O evil one!' The Jew went to the Prophet and complained to him and the Prophet said, «لَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يَصْعَقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُفِيقُ، فَأَجِدُ مُوسَى بَاطِشًا بِقَائِمَةِ الْعَرْشِ، فَلَا أَدْرِي أَفَاقَ قَبْلِي أَمْ جُوزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّورِ؟ فَلَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاء»(Don't give me superiority above the Prophets, for the people will become unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Musa holding on to the pillar of Allah's Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness Musa suffered on the Day of the Trumpet sufficed for him, or if he got up before me. So, do not give me superiority above the Prophets.) In another narration, the Prophet said, (Do not give superiority to some Prophets above others.) The answer to this question is that this Hadith prohibits preferring some Prophets above others in cases of dispute and argument, such as the incident mentioned in the Hadith. The Hadith indicates that it is not up to creation to decide which Prophet is better, for this is Allah's decision. The creation is only required to submit to, obey and believe in Allah's decision. Allah's statement, وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَـتِ(And We gave `Isa, the son of Maryam, clear signs) refers to the proofs and unequivocal evidences that testify to the truth that `Isa delivered to the Children of Israel, thus testifying that he was Allah's servant and His Messenger to them. وَأَيَّدْنَـهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ(And supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus) meaning Allah aided `Isa with Jibil, peace be upon him. Allah then said, وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلُواْ(If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed ـ some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another.) meaning all this happened by Allah's decree, and this is why He said next, وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ(But Allah does what He wills.) 