159إِنَّ الَّذينَ فَرَّقوا دينَهُم وَكانوا شِيَعًا لَستَ مِنهُم في شَيءٍ ۚ إِنَّما أَمرُهُم إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِما كانوا يَفعَلونَMuhammad AsadVERILY, as for those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects - thou hast nothing to do with them1 Behold, their case rests with God: and in time He will make them understand what they were doing.A reference primarily, to the Jews and the Christians, who have departed from the fundamental religious principles which they had originally shared in their entirety, and have gone different ways in respect of doctrine and ethics (cf. 3:105). Beyond this "primary" reference, however, the above verse connects logically with verse 153 above, "this is the way leading straight unto Me: follow if, then, and follow not other ways, lest they cause you to deviate from His way" - and thus relates prophetically to the followers of the Qur'an as well: in other words, it expresses a condemnation of all sectarianism arising out of people's intolerant, mutually-exclusive claims to being "the only true exponents" of the Qur'anic teachings. Thus, when asked about the implications of this verse, the Prophet's Companion Abu Hurayrah is reported to have answered, "It has been revealed with reference to this [our] community" (Tabari).