The Aversion of the People of Discord from the Path of Guidance

As stated, the path of guidance is one; if the Jews and Christians believe as the Muslims believe, they too are guided and on the same path as the believers. Otherwise, it becomes clear that they have discord, not agreement. By distancing themselves from the Muslims, they have divided the members of society, creating a rift between themselves and others, placing the believers on one side of the divide and themselves on the other. As a result, they have fallen into the valley of hypocrisy: “If they believe in the same as you have believed in, they are indeed guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension” (fa-in āmanū bi-mithli mā āmantum bihi fa-qad ihtadaw wa-in tawallaw fa-innamā hum fī shiqāq).

Turning away from the whole sometimes means turning away from everything, and sometimes from a part of it. If someone does not accept anything from the whole, or only accepts a part of it, turning away from the whole as a whole applies to their behavior.

It should be noted that if, as some exegetes have suggested, “discord” (shiqāq) is derived from “hardship” (mashaqqa) (571), the phrase “they are only in dissension” (fa-innamā hum fī shiqāq) means that the disbelieving rejecters greedily strive to place their rival in hardship and suffering. In other words, if this group was not on the straight path, they are seeking to overthrow the straight divine system. As a result, they afflict you with hardship.