(… قُلْ صَدَقَ اللّهُ ) (Say, “Allah has told the truth.…): This command is directed to the Prophet Mohammad (saws), And Allah (swt) said:

} وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللّهِ قِيلاً{

(and whose words can be truer than those of Allah? (Of course, none) (An-Nisaa’: 122)

The Truth is the matching of words to reality, for Allah (swt) is the truest one ever; because He (swt) Who created the creation, and He (swt) knows all their affairs, and nothing is hidden from Him.

(… فَاتَّبِعُواْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفاً…) (…So follow the religion of Abraham inclining toward truth …): This refers to the unity of the faiths in all the heavenly messages, for creed is one from Adam’s religion (PBUH), to the last of the prophets, Muhammad (saws), as it includes all things related to Allah (swt), the reward, the punishment, the heaven, the fire, and the metaphysics.

Allah (swt) in this verse addresses the people of the scripture, and especially those who stood in the face of the Prophet (saws) in the Medina.

But what is the difference between the religion and the sect?

Sect: includes beliefs and legislation

Religion: includes beliefs

Legislation: includes rulings

(… حَنِيفاً…) (…inclining toward truth …): Ibrahim (PBUH) was away from polytheism, there were many debates about the polytheism between him and his people, his father and Al-Namroud, since the idolatry was very widespread in his time, and Ibrahim (PBUH) was away from polytheism in his time.

( وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ … ) (…and he was not of the polytheists): This specification is here because the call of Ibrahim (pbuh) was in this direction.