How can the religion of the prophets be one while particular laws differ?
2026-09-21
T55 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected continuous passage; light punctuation normalization has been applied for reading. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
وَقَالَ تَعَالَى {شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إلَيْهِ} فَدِينُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَاحِدٌ وَهُوَ دِينُ الْإِسْلَامِ كُلُّهُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ مُؤْمِنُونَ كَمَا قَدْ بَيَّنَ اللَّهُ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعٍ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ؛ لَكِنَّ بَعْضَ الشَّرَائِعِ تَتَنَوَّعُ فَقَدْ يُشَرِّعُ فِي وَقْتٍ أَمْرًا لِحِكْمَةِ ثُمَّ يُشَرِّعُ فِي وَقْتٍ آخَرَ أَمْرًا آخَرَ لِحِكْمَةِ
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
He, Exalted is He, said: “He has prescribed for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah, what We have revealed to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: establish the religion and do not divide concerning it. What you call the polytheists to is difficult for them.” The religion of the prophets is one: it is the religion of Islam. They were all Muslims and believers, as Allah has explained in more than one place in the Qur’an. However, some of the revealed laws vary: He may prescribe one thing at one time for a wisdom, then prescribe something else at another time for a wisdom.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 35/364
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.