Tarikh (al-Tabari) 131
The story of Abraham the Friend (peace and blessings be upon him)
قَالَ تَعَالَى: يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَتِ التَّوْرَاةُ وَالْإِنْجِيلُ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ هَا أَنْتُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ حَاجَجْتُمْ فِيمَا لَكُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلِمَ تُحَاجُّونَ فِيمَا لَيْسَ لَكُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَهَذَا النَّبِيُّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ [ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: 65 - 68 ]. يُنْكِرُ تَعَالَى عَلَى أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى فِي دَعْوَى كُلٍّ مِنَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كَوْنَ الْخَلِيلِ عَلَى مِلَّتِهِمْ وَطَرِيقَتِهِمْ، فَبَرَّأَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ وَبَيَّنَ كَثْرَةَ جَهْلِهِمْ وَقِلَّةَ عَقْلِهِمْ فِي قَوْلِهِ: وَمَا أُنْزِلَتِ التَّوْرَاةُ وَالْإِنْجِيلُ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ. أَيْ فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ عَلَى دِينِكُمْ، وَأَنْتُمْ إِنَّمَا شُرِعَ لَكُمْ مَا شُرِعَ بَعْدَهُ بِمُدَدٍ مُتَطَاوِلَةٍ ؟ وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ: مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ. فَبَيَّنَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ عَلَى دِينِ اللَّهِ الْحَنِيفِ، وَهُوَ الْقَصْدُ إِلَى الْإِخْلَاصِ، وَالِانْحِرَافُ عَمْدًا عَنِ الْبَاطِلِ إِلَى الْحَقِّ الَّذِي هُوَ مُخَالِفٌ لِلْيَهُودِيَّةِ وَالنَّصْرَانِيَّةِ وَالْمُشْرِكِيَّةِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَابَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُمْ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى تَهْتَدُوا قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا وَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ صِبْغَةَ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ صِبْغَةً وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطَ كَانُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى قُلْ أَأَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ أَمِ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِنْدَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ [ الْبَقَرَةِ: 130 - 140 ]. فَنَزَّهَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلِيلَهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ عَنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ يَهُودِيًّا أَوْ نَصْرَانِيًّا، وَبَيَّنَ أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ؛ وَلِهَذَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ. يَعْنِي الَّذِينَ كَانُوا عَلَى مِلَّتِهِ مِنْ أَتْبَاعِهِ فِي زَمَانِهِ وَمَنْ تَمَسَّكَ بِدِينِهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ وَهَذَا النَّبِيُّ يَعْنِي مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَرَعَ لَهُ الدِّينَ الْحَنِيفَ الَّذِي شَرَعَهُ لِلْخَلِيلِ وَكَمَّلَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ، وَأَعْطَاهُ مَا لَمْ يُعْطِ نَبِيًّا وَلَا رَسُولًا قَبْلَهُ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ [ الْأَنْعَامِ: 161 - 163 ]. وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ شَاكِرًا لِأَنْعُمِهِ اجْتَبَاهُ وَهَدَاهُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ وَآتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ [ النَّحْلِ: 120 - 123 ]. وَقَالَ الْبُخَارِيُّ بسنده عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمَّا رَأَى الصُّوَرَ فِي الْبَيْتِ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ حَتَّى أَمَرَ بِهَا فَمُحِيَتْ، وَرَأَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ بِأَيْدِيهِمَا الْأَزْلَامُ ، فَقَالَ: قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ إِنِ اسْتَقْسَمَا بِالْأَزْلَامِ قَطُّ. لَمْ يُخْرِجْهُ مُسْلِمٌ، وَفِي بَعْضِ أَلْفَاظِ الْبُخَارِيِّ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ لَقَدْ عَلِمُوا أَنَّ شَيْخَنَا لَمْ يَسْتَقْسِمْ بِهَا قَطُّ. فَقَوْلُهُ أُمَّةً أَيْ قُدْوَةً إِمَامًا مُهْتَدِيًا دَاعِيًا إِلَى الْخَيْرِ يُقْتَدَى بِهِ فِيهِ قَانِتًا لِلَّهِ أَيْ خَاشِعًا لَهُ فِي جَمِيعِ حَالَاتِهِ وَحَرَكَاتِهِ وَسَكَنَاتِهِ حَنِيفًا أَيْ مُخْلِصًا عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ شَاكِرًا لِأَنْعُمِهِ. أَيْ قَائِمًا بِشُكْرِ رَبِّهِ بِجَمِيعِ جَوَارِحِهِ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ وَلِسَانِهِ وَأَعْمَالِهِ اجْتَبَاهُ أَيِ اخْتَارَهُ اللَّهُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَاصْطَفَاهُ لِرِسَالَتِهِ وَاتَّخَذَهُ خَلِيلًا، وَجَمَعَ لَهُ بَيْنَ خَيْرَيِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا [ النِّسَاءِ: 125 ]. يُرَغِّبُ تَعَالَى فِي اتِّبَاعِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ عَلَى الدِّينِ الْقَوِيمِ وَالصِّرَاطِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ، وَقَدْ قَامَ بِجَمِيعِ مَا أَمَرَهُ بِهِ رَبُّهُ، وَمَدَحَهُ تَعَالَى بِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ: وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى [ النَّجْمِ: 37 ].
Translation
✧ The Most High said: “O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Ibrāhīm while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Will you not use reason? Here you are, those who have argued about that of which you have some knowledge; but why do you argue about that of which you have no knowledge? And Allah knows, while you do not know. Ibrāhīm was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a ḥanīf, a Muslim; and he was not of the polytheists. Indeed, the people most worthy of Ibrāhīm are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe. And Allah is the ally of the believers” [Āl ʿImrān: 65–68]. The Most High rebukes the People of the Scripture, from the Jews and the Christians, for each party's claim that the Khalīl was upon their religion and way. So Allah declared him free of them and showed the abundance of their ignorance and the paucity of their intellects in His saying: “and the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him.” That is, how could he be upon your religion when what was prescribed for you was only prescribed after him by lengthy periods? For this reason He said: “Will you not use reason?” until He said: “Ibrāhīm was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a ḥanīf, a Muslim; and he was not of the polytheists.” So He made clear that he was upon the ḥanīf religion of Allah, which is the pursuit of sincerity and deliberate turning away from falsehood toward the truth that opposes Judaism, Christianity, and polytheism, as the Most High said: “And who would turn away from the religion of Ibrāhīm except one who makes a fool of himself? And We chose him in this world, and indeed in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit,’ he said, ‘I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds.’ And Ibrāhīm instructed his sons with it, as did Yaʿqūb: ‘O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you the religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims.’ Or were you witnesses when death approached Yaʿqūb, when he said to his sons, ‘What will you worship after me?’ They said, ‘We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl and Isḥāq—one God—and we are Muslims in submission to Him.’ That was a nation which has passed away; it will have what it earned, and you will have what you have earned, and you will not be asked about what they used to do. And they said, ‘Be Jews or Christians and you will be guided.’ Say: ‘Rather, the religion of Ibrāhīm, ḥanīf; and he was not of the polytheists. Say: “We believe in Allah and in what was sent down to us and what was sent down to Ibrāhīm, Ismāʿīl, Isḥāq, Yaʿqūb, and the tribes, and in what was given to Mūsā and ʿĪsā and in what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims in submission to Him.” So if they believe in the like of what you believe in, then they are guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension, and Allah will suffice you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing. The dye of Allah—and who is better than Allah in dye?—and we are worshippers of Him. Say: “Do you argue with us about Allah while He is our Lord and your Lord? For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds, and we are sincere to Him. Or do you say that Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl and Isḥāq and Yaʿqūb and the tribes were Jews or Christians?” Say: “Are you more knowing, or is Allah?” And who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah? And Allah is not unaware of what you do” [al-Baqarah: 130–140]. Thus Allah, Mighty and Majestic, declared His Khalīl ﷺ free of being a Jew or a Christian, and made clear that he was only a ḥanīf, a Muslim, and was not of the polytheists; for this reason the Most High said: “Indeed, the people most worthy of Ibrāhīm are those who followed him.” That means those who were upon his religion among his followers in his time and those who adhered to his religion after them, and this Prophet—meaning Muḥammad ﷺ—for Allah prescribed for him the ḥanīf religion that He prescribed for the Khalīl, and Allah the Most High completed it for him and gave him what He did not give any prophet or messenger before him, as the Most High said: “Say: Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, an upright religion, the religion of Ibrāhīm, ḥanīf; and he was not of the polytheists. Say: Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And with that I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims” [al-Anʿām: 161–163]. And the Most High has said: “Indeed, Ibrāhīm was a nation, devoutly obedient to Allah, ḥanīf, and he was not of the polytheists, grateful for His favors. He chose him and guided him to a straight path. And We gave him good in this world, and indeed in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. Then We revealed to you: Follow the religion of Ibrāhīm, ḥanīf; and he was not of the polytheists” [al-Naḥl: 120–123]. Al-Bukhārī said with his chain from Ibn ʿAbbās that when the Prophet ﷺ saw the images in the House, he did not enter until he ordered them, and they were erased. He saw Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl with arrows in their hands, and he said: “May Allah fight them! By Allah, they never sought omens with arrows.” Muslim did not transmit it. In some of al-Bukhārī's wording: “May Allah fight them! They knew that our elder never sought omens with them at all.” His saying “a nation” means a model, an imam, rightly guided, calling to good, to be emulated, “devoutly obedient to Allah” means humbly submissive to Him in all his states, motions, and rests, “ḥanīf” means sincere upon insight, “and he was not of the polytheists, grateful for His favors” means fulfilling gratitude to his Lord with all his limbs, from his heart, tongue, and deeds, “He chose him” means Allah selected him for Himself and chose him for His message and took him as a close friend, and combined for him the good of this world and the Hereafter. And the Most High said: “And who is better in religion than one who submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good and follows the religion of Ibrāhīm, ḥanīf? And Allah took Ibrāhīm as a close friend” [al-Nisāʾ: 125]. The Most High encourages following Ibrāhīm ﷺ because he was upon the upright religion and the straight path, and he fulfilled all that his Lord commanded him, and the Most High praised him for that, saying: “And Ibrāhīm, who fulfilled” [al-Najm: 37].
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