The Bee — Verse 122

He selected him, as Allah says : وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَآ إِبْرَهِيمَ رُشْدَهُ مِن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَـلِمِينَ (And before, We indeed gave Ibrahim his integrity, and We were indeed most knowledgeable about him)(21:51). Then Allah says: وَهَدَاهُ إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ (and guided him to a straight path.) which means to worship Allah alone, without partners or associate, in the manner that He prescribed and which pleases Him. وَءاتَيْنَـهُ فِى الْدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً (And We gave him good in this world,) meaning, `We granted him all that a believer may require for a good and complete life in this world.' وَإِنَّهُ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّـلِحِينَ (and in the Hereafter he shall be of the righteous.) Concerning the Ayah: وَءاتَيْنَـهُ فِى الْدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً (And We gave him good in this world,) Mujahid said: "This means a truthful tongue." ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفًا (Then, We have sent the revelation to you: "Follow the religion of Ibrahim (he was a) Hanif. ..) meaning, `because of his perfection, greatness, and the soundness of his Tawhid and his way, We revealed to you, O Seal of the Messengers and Leader of the Prophets ,' أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (Follow the religion of Ibrahim (he was a) Hanif and he was not of the idolators.) This is like the Ayah in Surat Al-An`am: قُلْ إِنَّنِى هَدَانِى رَبِّى إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (Say: "Truly, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, a right religion, the religion of Ibrahim, (he was a) Hanif and he was not of the idolators.") (6:161). Then Allah rebukes the Jews,

And We gave him herein is a shift to the first person plural from the third person in this world good which is handsome praise of him by members of all three religions and in the Hereafter he will indeed be among the righteous for whom there will be the highest degrees of reward.

And We gave him in this world good, by allowing him to enjoy shares so that his soul might be strengthened for the establishing of the divine canons and the fulfilment of the dues of servanthood at the station of uprightness and to make it able to bear the burdens of the Message, and We gave him a mighty kingdom alongside prophethood, as He has said [elsewhere]: and We gave them [the house of Abraham] a mighty kingdom [Q. 4:54], so that he might be able to affirm the Law and apprise himself of the rules of the mission and fair remembrance, as He has said: and We assigned for them a worthy repute [one] that is lofty [Q. 19:50], and may blessings and peace be upon him, as He has said: And We left for him among posterity: Peace be upon Abraham [Q. 37:108-109]; and in the Hereafter, that is, in the world of spirits, he will indeed be among the righteous, those enjoying fixity at the station of uprightness by fulfilling the dues of every deserving one and making him attain his perfection and preserving him thereupon as long as possible.

And We gave him in this world good, by allowing him to enjoy shares so that his soul might be strengthened for the establishing of the divine canons and the fulfilment of the dues of servanthood at the station of uprightness and to make it able to bear the burdens of the Message, and We gave him a mighty kingdom alongside prophethood, as He has said [elsewhere]: and We gave them [the house of Abraham] a mighty kingdom [Q. 4:54], so that he might be able to affirm the Law and apprise himself of the rules of the mission and fair remembrance, as He has said: and We assigned for them a worthy repute [one] that is lofty [Q. 19:50], and may blessings and peace be upon him, as He has said: And We left for him among posterity: Peace be upon Abraham [Q. 37:108-109]; and in the Hereafter, that is, in the world of spirits, he will indeed be among the righteous, those enjoying fixity at the station of uprightness by fulfilling the dues of every deserving one and making him attain his perfection and preserving him thereupon as long as possible.

إن إبراهيم كان إمامًا في الخير، وكان طائعا خاضعًا لله، لا يميل عن دين الإسلام موحِّدًا لله غير مشرك به، وكان شاكرًا لنعم الله عليه، اختاره الله لرسالته، وأرشده إلى الطريق المستقيم، وهو الإسلام، وآتيناه في الدنيا نعمة حسنة من الثناء عليه في الآخِرين والقدوة به، والولد الصالح، وإنه عند الله في الآخرة لمن الصالحين أصحاب المنازل العالية.

وقوله "وآتيناه في الدنيا حسنة" أي جمعنا له خير الدنيا من جميع ما يحتاج المؤمن إليه في إكمال حياته الطيبة "وإنه في الآخرة لمن الصالحين".وقال مجاهد في قوله "وآتيناه في الدنيا حسنة" أي لسان صدق.

( وَآتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدنيا حَسَنَةً ) أى : وجمعنا له خير الدنيا من كل ما يحتاج المؤمن إليه ليحيا حياة طيبة ، كهدايته إلى الدين الحق ، ومنحه نعمة النبوة ، وإعطائه الذرية الصالحة ، والسيرة الحسنة ، والمال الوفير .وقد أشار القرآن الكريم إلى جانب من هذه النعم ، كما فى قوله - تعالى - : ( واجعل لِّي لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ فِي الآخرين ) وكما فى قوله - تعالى - : ( فَلَمَّا اعتزلهم وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ الله وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَكُلاًّ جَعَلْنَا نَبِيّاً . . ) ( وَإِنَّهُ فِي الآخرة لَمِنَ الصالحين ) أى : وإنه فى الدار الآخرة لمندرج فى عباد الله الصالحين ، الذين رضى الله عنهم ورضوا عنه ، والذين كانت لهم جنات الفردوس نزلا .

يقول تعالى ذكره: وآتينا إبراهيم على قنوته لله ، وشكره له على نعمه ، وإخلاصه العبادة له في هذه الدنيا ذكرًا حسنا ، وثناءً جميلا باقيا على الأيام ( وَإِنَّهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ) يقول: وإنه في الدار الآخرة يوم القيامة لممن صلح أمره وشأنه عند الله ، وحَسُنت فيها منـزلته وكرامته.وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك ، قال أهل التأويل.* ذكر من قال ذلك:حدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: ثنا أبو عاصم، قال: ثنا عيسى ؛ وحدثني الحارث، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء، جميعا عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد (وَآتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً) قال: لسان صدق.حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، عن مجاهد، مثله.حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( وَآتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً ) فليس من أهل دين إلا يتولاه ويرضاه.

( وآتيناه في الدنيا حسنة ) يعني الرسالة والخلة وقيل : لسان الصدق والثناء الحسن .وقال مقاتل بن حيان : يعني الصلوات ، في قول هذه الأمة : اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد ، كما صليت على إبراهيم .وقيل : أولادا أبرارا على الكبر .وقيل : القبول العام في جميع الأمم .( وإنه في الآخرة لمن الصالحين ) مع آبائه الصالحين في الجنة . وفي الآية تقديم وتأخير ، مجازه : وآتيناه في الدنيا والآخرة حسنة ، وإنه لمن الصالحين .

والحسنة في الدنيا : كل ما فيه راحة العيش من اطمئنان القلب بالدين ، والصحة ، والسلامة ، وطول العمر ، وسعة الرزق الكافي ، وحسن الذكر بين الناس . وقد تقدّم في قوله : { ومنهم من يقول ربنا آتنا في الدنيا حسنة } [ سورة البقرة : 201 ].والصلاح : تمام الاستقامة في دين الحقّ . واختير هذا الوصف إشارة إلى أن الله أكرمه بإجابة دعوته ، إذ حكى عنه أنه قال : { ربّ هب لي حكماً وألحقني بالصالحين } [ سورة الشعراء : 83 ].

{ وَآتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً } رزقا واسعا، وزوجة حسناء، وذرية صالحين، وأخلاقا مرضية { وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ } الذين لهم المنازل العالية والقرب العظيم من الله تعالى.

وآتيناه في الدنيا حسنة قيل : الولد الطيب . وقيل الثناء الحسن . وقيل : النبوة . وقيل : الصلاة مقرونة بالصلاة على محمد - عليه السلام - في التشهد . وقيل : إنه ليس أهل دين إلا وهم يتولونه . وقيل : بقاء ضيافته وزيارة قبره . وكل ذلك أعطاه الله وزاده - صلى الله عليه وسلم - .وإنه في الآخرة لمن الصالحين " من " بمعنى مع ، أي مع الصالحين ; لأنه كان في الدنيا أيضا مع الصالحين . وقد تقدم هذا في البقرة

In the Quran Abraham (Ibrahim) has been presented as a paragon of virtue. Why did he become such an exemplary person? Because in the face of the generally vitiated atmosphere, he was the only man who was steadfast in his Faith. All alone he stood for God, with nobody there to support him. Abraham had completely surrendered to the will of God. In the world-wide polytheistic atmosphere, he had devoted himself to the Faith of monotheism. He considered all things to have been received from God, and for that his heart was full of gratitude to God. Due to his perfect Faith, God opened all the paths of guidance for him and selected him for prophethood, so that he might acquaint the people of the world with the religion of God. Abraham was given the good things of this world (wa ataynahu fi’d dunya hasanah) as well as the good things of the Hereafter. It is known that in this world Abraham had neither crowds surrounding him nor the throne of power nor any of the other trappings of worldly glory. Nevertheless, the Quran testifies that he was given good things of the world at God’s behest. This shows that in the eyes of God the betterment of the world hinges neither on public popularity nor on wealth or power, but on what are described here as the characteristics of Abraham.

Sequence of Verses Refuted in the previous verses was the root of Shirk and Kufr which is rejection of the reality of Allah's Oneness and the rejection of the mandate given by Him to His prophet. Also refuted there were some off-shoots of Kufr and Shirk in the form of legalizing the illegal and illegalizing the legal, a virtual reversal of Divinely ordained arrangements. Since the Mushriks of Makkah who were the first direct addressees of the Holy Qur’ an and who, despite their infidelity and idol-worship, claimed that they were adherents of the great community of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and that what they did was all in accordance with his teachings, it was also taken up as due. The rejection of their position came on the basis of what they already believed in. So, in the first (120) of the five verses cited above, it was said that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was the foremost universal leader of nations with the high station of a prophet and messenger of Allah. This proves that he was a great prophet and messenger. Then, by saying: وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِ‌كِينَ (and he was not among the Mushriks...121) along with it, his being a torch bearer of the most perfect belief in the Oneness of Allah was confirmed. And in the second verse (121), by saying that he was grateful to Allah and was on the straight path, a warning signal was given to his adversaries who claimed to be his followers - how could they, being as ungrateful as they were, had the cheek to call themselves his adherents and followers? After that it was said in the third verse (122) that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was successful in Dunya and 'Akhirah and then it was said in the fourth verse (123) that the prophetic mission of Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ was true and that he was truly committed to the ideal of the authentic community of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . After having stated these two premises, the instruction given was: your claim cannot be correct without faith in and obedience to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . In the fifth verse (124): إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبْتُ (The Sabbath was appointed only for those...) the hint given is that good things you, on your own, have made unlawful for yourself were really not unlawful in the community of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . Commentary The word: اُمَّہ (ummah) has a few other meanings, but the well-known sense is that of community, nation, or group of people. At this place, this is what it means - as reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . The sense is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) is, in his person, a community, a nation, almost a compendium of their perfections and merits. There is another meaning of the word: اُمَّہ (ummah), that of the leader of a community, someone imbibing in his person many perfections. Some commentators have taken exactly this meaning of the word at this place. And the word: قَانِت (qanit) in verse 120 means obedient to the command (of his Creator). Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has distinct status in these two qualities. As for being a leader, people from all famous Faiths of the world believe in him and consider it an honour to be the followers of his community. Of course, the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims revere him. Even the Mushriks of Arabia, despite their idol-worship, felt proud to believe in him and in (supposedly) following his way (the way of someone who was the foremost idol-breaker in human annals) ! As for the signal distinction of his being 'qanit' (obedient), it becomes crystal clear from the trials this 'friend' (khalil) of Allah has gone through. Imagine the fire of Namrud (Nimrod), the Command to go elsewhere leaving behind his family in a wilderness, and then, his being ready to sacrifice his very dear son. All these are singularities because of which Allah Ta’ ala has honoured him with such epithets.

(And We gave him good in the world) We gave him a righteous progeny; it is also said that this means: good praise; it is also said that this means: We gave him good mention and praise among people, (and in the Hereafter he is among the righteous) with his forefathers among the messengers in Paradise.