وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوا إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى لَّقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مُرِيبٍ
They did not divide [into sects] except after the knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves; and were it not for a prior decree of your Lord [granting them reprieve] until a specified time, decision would have been made between them. Indeed those who were made heirs to the Book after them are in grave doubt concerning it.
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 42:14
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 42:14] Refer to the commentary of Baqarah: 213; Ali Imran: 19, 63 to 66; Yunus: 19 and Ibrahim: 9. As stated every where in this book all the prophets of Allah brought almost similar guidance in basic principles, so when the Holy Prophet came with Islam, there should have been no opposition by the people of the book, but through selfish envy they plunged in antagonism and rejected the truth.