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Surah 42. Ash-Shura, Ayah 8

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وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَجَعَلَهُمْ أُمَّةً وَٰحِدَةً وَلَـٰكِن يُدْخِلُ مَن يَشَآءُ فِى رَحْمَتِهِۦ ۚ وَٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ مَا لَهُم مِّن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
Walaw sh a a All a hu lajaAAalahum ommatan w ah idatan wal a kin yudkhilu man yash a o fee ra h matihi wa al thth a limoona m a lahum min waliyyin wal a na s eer in
Now had God so willed, He could surely have made them all one single community:6 none the less, He admits unto His grace him that wills [to be admitted]7 - whereas the evildoers shall have none to protect them and none to succour them [on Judgment Day].
  - Mohammad Asad

The implication being, "but He has not willed it": see second paragraph of 5:48 and the corresponding notes [66] and [67]; 16:93 and note [116]; also note [29] on 10:19 .

Or: "He admits whomever He wills unto His grace" - similar to the double meaning inherent in the oft-recurring phrase, Allahu yahdi man yasha'u wa-yudillu man yasha'u, which can be understood either as "God guides whomever He wills and lets go astray whomever He wills", or, alternatively, as "God guides him that wills [to be guided] and let go astray him that wills [to go astray]". See, in particular, Zamakhshari's elaborate comment on this problem quoted in note [4] on the second half of 14:4 .

If Allah wanted, He could have made all of them a single nation; but He admits to His mercy whom He pleases; as for the wrongdoers, they will have no protector nor helper.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Had Allah willed, He could have easily made all 'humanity' into a single community 'of believers'. But He admits into His mercy whoever He wills. And the wrongdoers will have no protector or helper.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Had Allah willed, He could have made them one community, but Allah bringeth whom He will into His mercy. And the wrong-doers have no friend nor helper.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
If Allah had so willed He could have made them a single people; but He admits whom He will to His Mercy; and the wrongdoers will have no protector nor helper. 4536
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. v. 51, and n. 761. It is one of the Signs of Allah that He has made us different, that we may be tried in the exercise of our will, and that we may reach, through righteousness and Faith, our highest development, and enjoy His gifts of Mercy and Grace. But we must not become contentious, and fall into evil: we must understand our own limitations. Otherwise we shall lose His grace and protection.

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