"And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, confirming that which is before it of the Book," meaning: the Torah and the Gospel. "And as a watcher (muhaymin) over it," Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr said: The muhaymin is the one who judges over the books that came before it.
"To each of you We prescribed a law (shir'ah) and a path (minhaj)," Qatadah said: For the Torah there is a law, for the Gospel there is a law, and for the Qur'an there is a law; Allah permitted in them what He willed and forbade what He willed. "And if Allah had willed, He would have made you one nation," meaning: one religion. "But to test you," meaning: to examine you, "in what He has given you," meaning: in what He has bestowed upon you of the Book and the Sunnah.
﴿وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ﴾ يَعْنِي: التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ ﴿وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ﴾ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ: الْمُهَيْمِنُ: الْقَاضِي عَلَى مَا قَبْلَهُ مِنَ الْكُتُبِ.
﴿لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شرعة ومنهاجا﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: لِلتَّوْرَاةِ شَرِيعَةٌ، وَلِلْإِنْجِيلِ شَرِيعَةٌ، وَلِلْقُرْآنِ شَرِيعَةٌ؛ أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ فِيهَا مَا شَاءَ، وَحَرَّمَ مَا شَاءَ ﴿وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أمة وَاحِدَة﴾ يَعْنِي: مِلَّةً وَاحِدَةً ﴿وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ﴾ ليختبركم ﴿فِيمَا آتَاكُم﴾ فِيمَا أَعْطَاكُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ.
