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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah An-Nahl 16:120-124 [16/16] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
إِنَّIndeed,
إِبْرَٲهِيمَIbrahim
كَانَwas
أُمَّةًa nation
قَانِتًاobedient
لِّلَّهِto Allah
حَنِيفًاupright,
وَلَمْand not
يَكُhe was
مِنَof
ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَthe polytheists.
﴿١٢٠﴾
شَاكِرًاThankful
لِّأَنْعُمِهِ‌ۚfor His favors.
ٱجْتَبَـٰهُHe chose him
وَهَدَٮٰهُand guided him
إِلَىٰto
صِرَٲطٍthe way
مُّسْتَقِيمٍstraight.
﴿١٢١﴾
وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُAnd We gave him
فِىin
ٱلدُّنْيَاthe world
حَسَنَةً‌ۖgood,
وَإِنَّهُۥand indeed, he
فِىin
ٱلْأَخِرَةِthe Hereafter
لَمِنَ(he) will surely (be) among
ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَthe righteous.
﴿١٢٢﴾
ثُمَّThen
أَوْحَيْنَآWe revealed
إِلَيْكَto you,
أَنِthat,
ٱتَّبِعْ"You follow
مِلَّةَ(the) religion
إِبْرَٲهِيمَ(of) Ibrahim
حَنِيفًا‌ۖupright;
وَمَاand not
كَانَhe was
مِنَof
ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَthe polytheists."
﴿١٢٣﴾
إِنَّمَاOnly
جُعِلَwas appointed
ٱلسَّبْتُthe Sabbath
عَلَىfor
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
ٱخْتَلَفُواْdiffered
فِيهِ‌ۚin it.
وَإِنَّAnd indeed,
رَبَّكَyour Lord
لَيَحْكُمُwill surely judge
بَيْنَهُمْbetween them
يَوْمَ(on) the Day
ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrection
فِيمَاin what
كَانُواْthey used (to)
فِيهِ[in it]
يَخْتَلِفُونَdiffer.
﴿١٢٤﴾

اِنَّ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ كَانَ اُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيۡفًاؕ وَلَمۡ يَكُ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَۙ‏  شَاكِرًا لِّاَنۡعُمِهِ​ؕ اِجۡتَبٰٮهُ وَهَدٰٮهُ اِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٍ‏   وَاٰتَيۡنٰهُ فِى الدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةً​  ؕ وَاِنَّهٗ فِى الۡاٰخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصّٰلِحِيۡنَؕ‏  ثُمَّ اَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ اَنِ اتَّبِعۡ مِلَّةَ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ حَنِيۡفًا​ ؕ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ‏  اِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبۡتُ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ اخۡتَلَفُوۡا فِيۡهِ​ؕ وَاِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَيَحۡكُمُ بَيۡنَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيٰمَةِ فِيۡمَا كَانُوۡا فِيۡهِ يَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ‏  
Translation
(16:120) Indeed Abraham was a whole community by himself,119 obedient to Allah, exclusively devoted to Him. And he was never one of those who associated others with Allah in His Divinity. (16:121) He rendered thanks to Allah for His bounties so that Allah chose him (for His favours) and directed him to the Right Way. (16:122) We bestowed good upon him in this world, and in the Hereafter he shall certainly be among the righteous. (16:123) Then We revealed to you: "Follow the way of Abraham with exclusive devotion to Allah. He was not one of those who associated others120 with Allah in His Divinity." (16:124) As for the Sabbath, it was made incumbent only on those who differed about its laws.121 Certainly your Lord will judge on the Day of Resurrection between them regarding the matters they disputed.
Commentary

119. “Abraham was a whole community by himself” for at that time he was the only Muslim in the whole world who was upholding the banner of Islam, while the rest of the world was upholding the banner of unbelief. As that servant of Allah performed the mission which is ordinarily carried out by a whole community, he was not one person but an institution in himself.

120. This is the complete answer to the first objection (E.N. 117) raised by the disbelievers. This has two parts.

(1) There is no contradiction in the divine law as you seem to presume on the apparent variance in the Jewish and the Islamic Law. As a matter of fact a few things had been made unlawful especially for the Jews as punishment to them because of their disobedience; therefore, there was no reason why others should be deprived of those good things.

(2) Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was commanded to follow the way of Abraham and not the way of the Jews, and they themselves knew that these things were not unlawful in the law of Abraham. For instance, the Jews did not eat the flesh of camel but this was lawful according to Abraham. Likewise, ostrich, hare, duck, etc. were unlawful in the Jewish law, but they were lawful according to Abraham. Incidentally the disbelievers of Makkah have been warned that neither they nor the Jews had any relationship with Prophet Abraham for he was not a mushrik while both of them were practicing shirk. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers were the only true followers of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) for there was no tinge of shirk in their creed or in their practice.

121. This is the answer to their second objection. Obviously, there was no need to state that the restrictions about the Sabbath applied only to the Jews and had nothing to do with the law of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), because they themselves knew it. The restrictions were imposed upon the Jews because of their mischief and violations of the law. In order to understand fully the significance of this reference one is requested to read those passages of the Bible in which commandments about the Sabbath have been stated, e.g., Exodus 20: 8-11, 23: 12-13,31: 1-17, 35: 23, and Numbers 15: 32-36. Besides this, one should also be acquainted with the impudent violations of the Sabbath. See Jeremiah: 17: 21-27 and Ezekiel. 10: 18-24.