Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 124-133

وَاِذِ ابۡتَلٰٓى اِبۡرٰهٖمَ رَبُّهٗ بِكَلِمٰتٍ فَاَتَمَّهُنَّ ​ؕ قَالَ اِنِّىۡ جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ اِمَامًا ​ؕ قَالَ وَمِنۡ ذُرِّيَّتِىۡ ​ؕ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهۡدِى الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:124﴾ وَاِذۡ جَعَلۡنَا الۡبَيۡتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَاَمۡنًا ؕ وَاتَّخِذُوۡا مِنۡ مَّقَامِ اِبۡرٰهٖمَ مُصَلًّى​ ؕ وَعَهِدۡنَآ اِلٰٓى اِبۡرٰهٖمَ وَاِسۡمٰعِيۡلَ اَنۡ طَهِّرَا بَيۡتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِيۡنَ وَالۡعٰكِفِيۡنَ وَالرُّکَّعِ السُّجُوۡدِ‏  ﴿2:125﴾ وَاِذۡ قَالَ اِبۡرٰهٖمُ رَبِّ اجۡعَلۡ هٰذَا بَلَدًا اٰمِنًا وَّارۡزُقۡ اَهۡلَهٗ مِنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ مِنۡهُمۡ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ​ؕ قَالَ وَمَنۡ كَفَرَ فَاُمَتِّعُهٗ قَلِيۡلًا ثُمَّ اَضۡطَرُّهٗۤ اِلٰى عَذَابِ النَّارِ​ؕ وَبِئۡسَ الۡمَصِيۡرُ‏‏ ﴿2:126﴾ وَاِذۡ يَرۡفَعُ اِبۡرٰهٖمُ الۡقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الۡبَيۡتِ وَاِسۡمٰعِيۡلُؕ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّا ​ؕ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ السَّمِيۡعُ الۡعَلِيۡمُ‏ ﴿2:127﴾ رَبَّنَا وَاجۡعَلۡنَا مُسۡلِمَيۡنِ لَـكَ وَ مِنۡ ذُرِّيَّتِنَآ اُمَّةً مُّسۡلِمَةً لَّكَ وَاَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبۡ عَلَيۡنَا ۚ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيۡمُ‏  ﴿2:128﴾ رَبَّنَا وَابۡعَثۡ فِيۡهِمۡ رَسُوۡلًا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتۡلُوۡا عَلَيۡهِمۡ اٰيٰتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الۡكِتٰبَ وَالۡحِكۡمَةَ وَ يُزَكِّيۡهِمۡ​ؕ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡحَكِيۡمُ‏ ﴿2:129﴾ وَمَنۡ يَّرۡغَبُ عَنۡ مِّلَّةِ اِبۡرٰهٖمَ اِلَّا مَنۡ سَفِهَ نَفۡسَهٗ ​ؕ وَلَقَدِ اصۡطَفَيۡنٰهُ فِى الدُّنۡيَا ​ۚ وَاِنَّهٗ فِى الۡاٰخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصّٰلِحِيۡنَ‏  ﴿2:130﴾ اِذۡ قَالَ لَهٗ رَبُّهٗۤ اَسۡلِمۡ​ۙ قَالَ اَسۡلَمۡتُ لِرَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ‏  ﴿2:131﴾ وَوَصّٰى بِهَآ اِبۡرٰهٖمُ بَنِيۡهِ وَ يَعۡقُوۡبُؕ يٰبَنِىَّ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ اصۡطَفٰى لَـكُمُ الدِّيۡنَ فَلَا تَمُوۡتُنَّ اِلَّا وَاَنۡـتُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَؕ‏‏  ﴿2:132﴾ اَمۡ كُنۡتُمۡ شُهَدَآءَ اِذۡ حَضَرَ يَعۡقُوۡبَ الۡمَوۡتُۙ اِذۡ قَالَ لِبَنِيۡهِ مَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِىۡؕ قَالُوۡا نَعۡبُدُ اِلٰهَكَ وَاِلٰهَ اٰبَآئِكَ اِبۡرٰهٖمَ وَاِسۡمٰعِيۡلَ وَاِسۡحٰقَ اِلٰهًا وَّاحِدًا ۖۚ وَّنَحۡنُ لَهٗ مُسۡلِمُوۡنَ‏  ﴿2:133﴾

(2:124) Recall when Abraham’s Lord tested him in certain matters124 and when he successfully stood the test, He said: “Indeed I am going to appoint you a leader of all people.” When Abraham asked: “And is this covenant also for my descendants?” the Lord responded: “My covenant does not embrace the wrong-doers.”125 (2:125) And We made this House (Ka'bah) a resort for mankind and a place of security, commanding people: “Take the station of Abraham as a permanent place for Prayer,” and enjoined Abraham and Ishmael: “Purify My House for those who walk around it, and those who abide in devotion, and those who bow, and who prostrate themselves (in Prayer).”126 (2:126) And when Abraham prayed: “O my Lord! Make this a place of security and provide those of its people that believe in Allah and the Last Day with fruits for sustenance,” Allah answered, “And I shall still provide him who disbelieves with the wherewithal for this short life,127 and then I shall drive him to the chastisement of the Fire; that is an evil end.” (2:127) Recall when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House, praying: “Our Lord! Accept this from us; You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (2:128) Our Lord! Make us submissive to You and make out of our descendants a community that submits itself to You, and show us the ways of Your worship, and turn to us in mercy. You are Much-Relenting, Most Compassionate. (2:129) Our Lord! Raise up in the midst of our offspring a Messenger from among them who shall recite to them Your verses, and instruct them in the Book and in Wisdom, and purify their lives.128 Verily, You are the Most Mighty, the Most Wise.”129 (2:130) And who but a fool would be averse to the way of Abraham? For it is We Who chose Abraham for Our mission in this world, and surely in the World to Come he shall be reckoned among the righteous. (2:131) Such was Abraham that when his Lord said to him: “Submit,”130 he said: “I have submitted to the Lord of the Universe.” (2:132) And Abraham enjoined the same upon his children, and so did Jacob:131 “My children! Behold, Allah has chosen this religion for you.132 Remain till death in submission (to Allah).”133 (2:133) Why, were you witnesses when death came to Jacob? He asked his children: “Whom will you serve after me?” They said: “We shall serve your God, the God of your forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, the One God, and unto Him do we submit.”

Notes

124. At various places the Qur'an enumerates the severe tests through which Abraham passed. It was only after these had been completed successfully that he was able to establish his worthiness to serve as the religious guide and leader of all mankind. From the moment when the truth was revealed to him till the moment he died, his life was a continuous tale of sacrifice and suffering for his cause. There is no conceivable object of man's love and attachment in the world which Abraham did not sacrifice for the sake of the truth. Likewise, there is no conceivable danger which instinctively frightens man which Abraham did not encounter for the sake of the Truth.

125. This specifies that God's promise of the conferment of leadership applied only to those of Abraham's offspring who were righteous, and that the wrong-doers were naturally excluded. This also makes it clear that, just as the promise did not apply to the misguided Israelites, it did not apply to the polytheistic Ishmaelites.

126. 'Purify My House' does not merely mean keeping it clean of dirt and filth. The real purity and cleanliness of the House of God rests in the fact that in it the name of God alone should be glorified. If someone declares in its sacred precincts that anything other than God is his Lord, his object of worship and adoration, the dispenser of man's needs and requirements, the hearer of man's supplications, then such a person is guilty of desecrating the House of God.

This verse also contains a hint as to the evil-doing of the people of the Quraysh. They boasted that they were the inheritors of the legacy of Abraham and Ishmael, but instead of being faithful to that legacy, they actually trampled over it. So, just as the Children of Israel were excluded from the promise made to Abraham, so were the polytheistic children of Ishmael. (See also(n. 125 above - Ed.)

127. (Here a distinction is made between honouring a people by entrusting it with the religious leadership and guidance of the world, and bestowing on it an abundant means of livelihood - Ed.) When Abraham enquired who merited world leadership it was made clear to him that only his truly believing and righteous children, to the exclusion of the wrong-doing ones, were worthy of it. This occasioned God to clarify that the religious leadership of the world was quite distinct from its livelihood. Men of faith alone were entitled to the former, whereas both believers and unbelievers would be provided the latter. If someone enjoys abundant material wealth it should not be misconstrued to mean that God is necessarily pleased with him and that he has been designated by God to provide religious guidance to the world.

128. The term 'purification' used here embraces the purification of beliefs and outlook, morals, habits and customs, and social, cultural and political life; the purification of man's life in its totality.

129. This has been said in order to indicate that the advent of Muhammad (peace be on him) was in fact God's response to the prayer of Abraham (peace be on him).

130. 'Muslim' signifies he who bows in obedience to God, who acknowledges God alone as his Sovereign, Lord and Master, and the only object of worship, devotion and service, who unreservedly surrenders himself to God and undertakes to live his life in accordance with the guidance that has come down from Him. Islam is the appellation which characterizes the above -mentioned belief and outlook which constitutes the core and kernel of the religion of all the Prophets who have appeared from time to time among different peoples and in different countries since the very beginning of human life.

131. Jacob is especially mentioned since the Children of Israel were his direct descendants.

132. Din is a Qur'anic technical term, signifying the way of life, the system of conduct, and the code on which man bases his entire mode of thought and action. (For the author's views on din see his Four Basic Qur'anic Terms, tr. Abu Asad, Lahore, 1979, pp. 93-103 - Ed.)

133. In the Bible the events connected with the death of Jacob (peace be on him) are narrated in detail. It is amazing that this narrative makes no reference to his testament. However, the contents of the detailed testament embodied in the Talmud greatly resemble the Qur'anic version. The Talmudic version reads as follows:

'Serve the Lord your God, and He will deliver ye from all trouble, even as He delivered your fathers.'

' . . . Teach your children to love God, and observe His commandments, in order that their days may be prolonged, for God will guard those who do justly and walk in righteousness through all His ways.'

And the sons of Jacob responded, 'All that you have commanded us, our father, we will do. May God be with us!'

And Jacob answered: 'The Lord will be with you if ye depart not from His ways to the right hand or to the left.'

(The Talmud Selections by H. Polano, London, Frederick Warne & Co., [1877], pp. 113-14.)