Surah Ar-Rum Ayat 30 (30:30 Quran) With Tafsir

Ala-Maududi

(30:30) (O Prophet and his followers),^[42] turn your face singlemindedly^[43] to the true Faith^[44] and adhere to the true nature on which Allah has created human beings.^[45] The mould fashioned by Allah cannot be altered.^[46] That is the True, Straight Faith,^[47] although most people do not know.

42. This “so” implies that when the reality has become clear to you, and you have come to know that none but Allah is the Creator and Master and Sovereign of this universe and of man himself, then inevitably your conduct should be such as indicated in this verse.

43. “Set your face…truth”: Do not turn your face to any other direction after you have adopted this way of life. Then you should think like a Muslim and your likes and dislikes should be of a Muslim. Your values and standards should be the ones set by Islam and your character and conduct should bear the stamp of Islam, and the affairs of your individual and collective life should be ordered according to the way taught by Islam.

44. “This faith”: The faith that the Quran presents, in which none but Allah is worthy of worship and obedience, in which none can be held as an associate of Allah in His Divinity, in His attributes and His powers and rights, in which man by his own free will chooses to order his life in accordance with the guidance and law of Allah.

45. That is, all human beings have been created on the nature that none but One Allah is their Creator and Lord and Deity. You should be steadfast on this nature. If you adopt the attitude of independence, you will be following a way opposed to your nature, and if you serve and worship another besides Allah, then you will be working against your nature.”

This subject has been explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a number of Ahadith. According to Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Every child who is born, is born on the human nature; it is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian, etc. afterwards. Its example is that of an animal which gives birth to complete and sound young ones, none is born with torn and cut off ears, but the mushriks tear their ears afterwards on account of their superstitions of ignorance.”

According to another Hadith reported in Musnad Ahmad and Nasai, the Muslims in a war killed the children of the enemy. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to know of it, he became very angry, and said: “What has happened to the people that they have transgressed the limits and killed even the children?” A man said, “Were they not the children of the Mushriks?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “Even the best of your people are the children of the mushriks!” Then he said: “Every living being is born on the nature: then when he becomes able to speak, his parents turn him into a Jew or a Christian.”

In another Hadith which has been reported by lmam Ahmad on the authority of Ayad bin Himar-ul-Mujashii, it has been related that one day the Prophet (peace be upon him) said during an address: “My Lord says: I had created all My servants on true faith; then the satans came and led them astray from their faith, and made unlawful what I had made lawful for them, and commanded them to associate with Me those for whom I have sent down no authority.”

46. That is, God has made man His servant and created him only for his own service. This natural disposition of man cannot be altered, however hard one may try. Neither can man effect a change in his position of a servant, nor can anything other than God become his God in the real sense. Man may make for himself as many gods as he may please, but the fact remains that he is the servant of none but One God alone. Man by his own folly and ignorance may regard anyone as holder of divine attributes and powers and take any one as the maker and un-maker of his destiny, but the fact of the matter is that neither does anyone other than Allah possess divine attributes nor His authority, nor has anyone else the power to make or mar the destiny of man.

Another translation of this verse can be: “Do not affect any alteration in the nature made by Allah.” That is, it is not right to corrupt and spoil the nature on which Allah has created man.

47. “Right religion”: To remain steadfast on one’s true Nature.

Ibn-Kathir

30. So, set you your face towards the religion as a Hanif. Allah’s Fitrah with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Allah’s Khalq, that is the straight religion, but most men know not. 31. (And remain always) turning in repentance to Him and have Taqwa of Him; and perform the Salah and be not of idolators. 32. Of those who split up their religion, and became sects, each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.

Allah says: `so set your face and persevere in the religion which Allah has prescribed for you, the worship of Allah Alone, the religion of Ibrahim, to which Allah has guided you and which He has perfected for you with the utmost perfection. In this manner, you will also adhere to the sound Fitrah with which He created His creation.’ Allah created His creation to recognize Him and know His Tawhid, and that there is no God except Him, as we have already seen when discussing the Ayah,

(and made them testify as to themselves (saying): “Am I not your Lord” They said: “Yes!…”) (7:172). And according to a Hadith, Allah said,

(“I created my servants Hunafa (i.e., monotheists), then the Shayatin misled them from their religion.”) We will see in the Hadiths that Allah created His creation with the Fitrah of Islam, then among some of them there emerged corrupt religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism.

(No change let there be in Allah’s Khalq,) Some of them said that this means, `do not change the creation of Allah, for if you do, you will divert the people away from the Fitrah with which He created them.’ So it is instructive; just as His saying:

(And whoever enters it, he is safe) This is a good and correct interpretation. Others said that this means, Allah made all of His creation equal, all of them have the same sound Fitrah and are by nature upright; they are all born with this nature and there is no disparity among people in this regard. Ibn `Abbas, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and Ibn Zayd said that the Ayah:

(No change let there be in Allah’s Khalq) means, the religion of Allah. Al-Bukhari said:

(No change let there be in Allah’s Khalq,) “It means, the religion of Allah, and the religion, and the Fitrah is Islam.” Then he reported that Abu Hurayrah said, “The Messenger of Allah said:

(No child is born except in a state of Fitrah, then his parents make him a Jew or a Christian or a Zoroastrian, just as each animal produces a perfect animal like itself — do you see any among them that are born mutilated) then the narrator (Abu Hurayrah) said (recite this Ayah),

(Allah’s Fitrah with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Allah’s Khalq, that is the straight religion.)” This was also recorded by Muslim.

(that is the straight religion,) means, adherence to the Shari`ah and the sound Fitrah is the true, straight religion.

(but most men know not.) means, most people do not know this and they deviate far astray from it, as Allah says:

(And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly.) (12:103)

(And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah’s path) (6:116).

(turning in repentance to Him) Ibn Zayd and Ibn Jurayj said, “This means, returning to Him.”

(and have Taqwa of Him;) means, fear Him and remember that He is always watching.

(and perform the Salah), which is the greatest act of worship.)

(and be not of the idolators.) Be of those who single out Allah, devoting their worship sincerely for Him alone, not anyone or anything other than Him. Ibn Jarir recorded that Yazid bin Abi Maryam said: “`Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by Mu`adh bin Jabal and asked, `What is the foundation of this Ummah’ Mu`adh said, `Three things, and they are the things that will bring salvation: Al-Ikhlas (doing a deed for Allah alone), which is the Fitrah with which Allah created mankind; Salah, which is the thing that tells a believer apart from a disbeliever; and obedience, which is protection.’ `Umar said: `You have spoken the truth.

His saying:

(Of those who Farraqu Dinahum (split up their religion), and became sects, each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.) means, do not be of the idolators who split up their religion, i.e., changed it by believing in parts of it and rejecting other parts. Some scholars read this as Faraqu Dinahum, meaning “neglected their religion and left it behind them.” These are like the Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, idol worshippers and all the followers of false religions, besides the followers of Islam, as Allah says:

(Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah) (6:159). The followers of the religions before us had differences of opinions and split into false sects, each group claiming to be following the truth. This Ummah too has split into sects, all of which are misguided apart from one, which is Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama`ah, those who adhere to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and what was followed by the first generations, the Companions, their followers, and the Imams of the Muslims of earlier and later times. In his Mustadrak, Al-Hakim recorded that the Messenger of Allah was asked which of the sects was the saved sect and he said:

(What I and my Companions are upon.)