“He has prescribed for you the religion which He enjoined upon Noah and which We revealed to you (O Muhammad), and which We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus, commanding: ‘Establish this religion and do not split up regarding it’.”
(Al Qur’ān – 42:13)
Muhammad ﷺ is not the founder of any new religion; it has been one and the same religion which all the Prophets have been presenting from Allah from the very beginning.
This ayat throws important light on Deen (religion). The word sharaa in sharaalakum (ordained for you) means to make the way. As a term, it implies appointing a way, a code and a rule. Accordingly, in Arabic, the words tashri and shariat and shari are understood as the synonyms of legislation and lawgiver respectively.
This divine legislation is the logical result of the fundamental truths: that Allah alone is the Owner of everything in the Universe, and He alone is man’s real Guardian and it is for Him to judge the disputes that arise between human beings. When Allah alone is the Owner and Guardian and Ruler, inevitably He alone is entitled to make the code of law for man and it is His responsibility that He should give this code of law to man. The Prophets were given this legislation pertaining to Deen, with the express instruction: Aqim-ud-din; “Establish this Deen”.
The ayat also says: La tatafarraqufihi: Be not divided in it. Creating schisms in Deenimplies that one should introduce something new in religion for which there exists no sound basis.