Indexed OCR Text

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 30 - 34
junctions of Şalah and Sadaqah described above.
The core sense of the injunction is that now is the time to act. Allah
Ta'ala has blessed you with the necessary strength and time to make
your Salah. And if you have missed any of your Şalah in the past due to
negligence, make amends and do the qada' (replacement of missed
Salah) for it. Similarly, your wealth is in your possession today and by
spending it in the way of Allah you can make it work for you particularly
for the good of your eternal life. But, lest you forget, the day is coming
when both these options will be taken away from you. Neither will your
bodies remain active enough to make your Salah, nor will you have any
wealth in your possession which you could use to pay for rights wasted.
And on that day, there is going to be no buying and selling, no transac-
tions through which you could buy something, through which you could
expiate for shortcomings and sins. And on that day, mutual friendships
and personal relationships will not work as well. No friend, no matter
how dear, will be able to carry the burden of sins committed by another,
nor will he find any way to somehow remove the punishment due
against him.
The word: 2 (yowm: a day) obviously means the day of Resurrection
(Al-Hashr) and the day of Doom (Al-Qiyamah). Then, it could also be
said that it may be the day of one's death because all these signs start
showing up immediately from the time of death when one is left without
any ability to do anything, nor does wealth stay in the possession of its
owner ready to leave the world of his experience behind.
Injunctions and Instructions
As for the statement that no friendship will work for anyone on the
day of Qiyamah (31), it means what will not work there will be friend-
ships based solely on material interests. But, those who maintain friend-
ships and relationships for the sake of Allah and for what is done to
serve the interests of His revealed religion will still work at that time as
well, for the good servants of Allah who are accepted in His sight will
intercede on behalf of others as it has been reported in many ahadith.
And the Qur'an itself says: 'those who were friends to each other in the
life of the world will turn into enemies to one another wishing to put the
blame for their sin on a friend and absolve themselves of it, except those
who fear Allah - 43:67.' This is so because there too the people of Taqwa,

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those who act right in fear of Allah, will be able to put in a good word for
each other by way of helping them out.
In the third, fourth and fifth verses (32-34), after recounting the major
blessings of Allah Ta'ala, human beings have been invited to worship
and obey Him. They are told that it is Allah alone who has created the
heavens and the earth on which depends the emergence and survival of
human existence. Then, He sent water down from the sky through which
He created produce of many kinds so that they can serve as sustenance
for them. The word: We (ath-thamarat) is the plural form of _ (thama-
rah) which is the end product of everything. Therefore, included under
'ath-thamarat' is everything which becomes for human beings their food,
dress or a home to live in - because, the word: 3), (rizq) translated as
'sustenance' in this verse covers all human needs. (Mazhari)
After that it was said that Allah Ta'ala has subjugated boats and
ships to work for you for they move over the waters with His command.
The word: (sakhkhara) appearing in this verse means that Allah
Ta'ala has made the use of these things easy on you. Of course, there is
wood and steel and the instrumentation and technology to build boats
and ships, but when it comes to having the intelligence and ability to use
them correctly and expertly, it must be admitted that they were all given
by Him. Therefore, those who feel proud of having invented, manufac-
tured or produced things like that should better think twice and feel shy
of ascribing all credit of such innovations to themselves. The simple rea-
son is that things used in this process are things none of which was
created by them, nor they could. How can someone who works with
wood, iron, copper and things like that, utilizes them to serve his end
product and then goes about declaring himself as its inventor? Other-
wise, if we were to look at hard reality, it will not be difficult to realize
that this very existence of ours, our hands and feet, our mind and our in-
telligence are not what we have made or invented.
After that, it was said that 'We have subjugated the sun and the
moon for you' as they both keep moving, always in the same state. The
word: 5 (da'ibayn) is a derivation from of da'b which means habit.
The sense is that moving at all times and under all conditions has been
made the habit of these two planets as it never happens contrary to that.
The expression: " (sakhkhara lakum: He subjugated for you) does

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 30 - 34
not mean that they should be moving on your command. Had the sun
and the moon been subjugated for human beings in a way that they
would be moving under human command, then, there would have been
mutual differences among them with the result that one of them would
demand that the sun should better rise today two hours later than usual
because he had too much work to do in the night. And the other would
want to have it rise two hours earlier than usual because he had too
many daytime jobs at hand. Therefore, the great Lord did, in a way, sub-
jugate the sun and the moon for human beings, but He did so in the
sense that they have been subjugated to serve human beings all the time
and under all conditions under a wise Divine arrangement - not that
their rising and setting and their speed become subservient to human
pleasure.
Similarly, the statement that 'We have subjugated the night and the
day for you' also means that both of them have been put in the service of
human beings to provide convenience and comfort.
وَاتُكُمُ مِّنُ كُلِّ مَاسَاَ لْتُمُوُهُ : Then, in the first sentence of verse 34, it was said
(And He gave you whatever you asked for) - though, what Allah Ta'ala is
pleased to give does not depend on being asked by someone for, the truth
of the matter is, that we had never asked for our existence itself. This is
what He gave to us in His infinite grace without the asking.
Similarly, who had raised hands of prayer that the skies, the earth,
the moon, the sun and so many things other than them be created for
us? The Master just gave all this to us without our asking for them.
Therefore, Al-Qadi Al-Baydawi has explained the meaning of this state-
ment by saying: 'Allah Ta'ala has given you everything which is worth
asking for, even if you have not actually asked for it'. But, should it be
that the meaning intended here is what the words literally suggest, still
then, it poses no problem - for what man generally asks for is usually
given to him anyway. However, wherever that which he asks for is not
given to him in the outward form it was sought, then, in that there is
some expedient consideration for the person asking or for the rest of the
world, something he does not know about. But, He who is All-Knowing
and All-Aware, He knows that, should that which he is asking for were
to be given to him, it would become for him or for his family or for the
whole world - a curse. In a situation like this, not giving what has been

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asked for becomes, in itself, a great blessing. But man, because of his
lack of knowledge, cannot realize that, therefore, he feels disappointed.
وَإِنُ تَعُدُّوا نِعُمَتَ اللَّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوُهَا :In the next sentence of verse 34, it was said
(And if you count the bounties of Allah, you cannot count them all) that
is, even if all human beings combined together were to count them, they
would still remain uncountable. A human being is, as is, a little world,
per se. In his or her eyes, nose, ears, hands, feet and in every joint, rath-
er in every muscle and vein, hidden there are endless blessings through
which this wonderful walking plant pulsating with hundreds of very deli-
cate micro-machines keeps busy doing all sorts of things. Then, we have
the mind-boggling range of Divine creations, up, on and down our earth,
in seas and mountains which, despite the revealing research done in
modern times and despite the devotion of thousands of experts who have
spent their lives trying to determine such life forms, still remain undocu-
mented or unidentified. Then, there is our own concept of Divine bless-
ings whereby we tend to take things which are generally considered as
blessings in a positive and perceptible way. In fact, blessings are not re-
stricted by such a definition. If we remain safe from diseases, hardships,
pain, loss and sorrows, that is a standing blessing in its own right. A per-
son may suffer from so many diseases or discomforts of body and soul in
this life and he or she could hardly be expected to keep a count of all
that. From this we can guess that it is just impossible for anyone to
count out the full array of the blessings, bounties and favours of Allah
Ta'ala.
Justice demanded that, in return for these countless blessings, equal-
ly countless acts of obedience to Allah and equally countless demonstra-
tions of gratitude to Him should have been made mandatory. But, Allah
Ta'ala, in His infinite grace, showed leniency towards intrinsic human
weakness. The option granted was: When man looks at reality and con-
fesses that fulfilling the demands of the obligatory gratitude is not with-
in his control, then, this very confession has been declared to be suffi-
cient as the alternate of the ideal fulfillment of the obligation of
gratitude - as was said by Allah Ta'ala when Sayyidna Dawud el
made a similar confession: الأن قد شكرت يا داؤد which means that his making
this confession is sufficient to show his gratefulness.
At the end of the verse (34), it was said:ٌإِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّار (Surely , man

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 35 - 41
is very unjust, very ungrateful). It means that he should face hardship
with patience, keep his words and feelings free from any complaint think-
ing that the fate he faces has come from a wise Master and that too,
being in His infinite Wisdom is nothing but a blessing, and when he is
blessed with what is good and comforting, let him be thankful for it from
his heart both verbally and practically - as is the dictate of justice. But,
common human habit works differently from this norm. A little discom-
fort or pain would make them lose patience and go about broadcasting
their problem. And if they find some blessing or a little wealth, they
would get intoxicated with it and forget all about Allah Ta'ala, their Ben-
efactor. Therefore, in a verse appearing earlier (5), the attribute of sin-
cere believers has been identified as Șabbar (very patient) and Shakur
(very grateful).
Verses 35 -41
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرِهِيُمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلُ هُذَا الْبَلَدَ أمِنَّا وَّاجُنُبَنِىُ وَ بَنِىَّ ◌َنُ نَّعْبُدَ
الْأَصْنَامَ ﴿٥ُ﴾ رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَفِيْرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِىُ فَإِنَّه،
مِّىٌ وَمَنُ عَصَانِىُ فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٦﴾ رَبَّنَا إِنِّىَّ اسُكُنْتُ مِنْ
ذُرَِّتِىُ بِوَادٍ غَيْرِذِىُ زَرُعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْنِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ، رَبََّا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَوةَ
فَاجُعَلُ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهُوِىِّ إِلَيْهِمُ وَارْزُقُهُمُ مِّنَ الثَّمَرَتِ لَعَلَّهُمُ
يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٧﴾ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ تَعُلَمُ مَانُخُفِىُ وَمَا نُعُلِنُ، وَمَا يَخُفِى عَلَى
اللّهِ مِنْ شَىْءٍ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَلاَ فِى السَّمَآءِ ﴿٢﴾ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِىُ
وَهَبَ لِىٌ عَلَى الْكِبْرِ إِسُمْعِيْلَ وَإِسْحُقَءُ إِنَّ رَبِّىٌ لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ (٣٠)
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِىُ مُقِيْمَ الصَّلْوةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَتِىُ ◌ٌّ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلُ دُعَاءٍ ﴿﴾ رَبَّا
اغْفِرُلِيُ وَلِوَالِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُوُمُ الْحِسَابُ ﴿٤١﴾
And when Ibrahim said, "My Lord, make this city peace-
ful, and keep me and my children away from worshiping
idois. [35] My Lord, they have certainly misled many a
people. So, the one who follows me is surely mine, and
the one who disobeys me, then You are Most Forgiving,

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Very Merciful. [36]
Our Lord, I have settled some of my children in a valley
of no vegetation, close to Your sanctified House, so that,
Our Lord, they may establish Şalah. So make hearts of a
number of people yearn toward them, and provide them
with fruits, so that they may be grateful. [37] Our Lord,
surely You know what we conceal and what we reveal.
And hidden from Allah is nothing whatsoever, neither
in the earth nor in the heavens. [38] Praise be to Allah
who, despite my old age, blessed me with Isma'il and
Ishaq. Surely, my Lord is the One who hears the prayer.
[39] My Lord, make me steadfast in Salah, and from
among my children as well. And, Our Lord, grant my
prayer. [40] Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and all
believers on the day when reckoning shall take place."
[41]
Commentary
Stated in the previous verses was the rational strength and cardinal
position of Tauhid, the belief in the Oneness of Allah. And also men-
tioned there in contrast was the gross ignorance of Shirk, the ascribing
of partners in the pristine divinity of Allah, and a condemnation thereof.
Among the group of prophets .Je, the most successful Jihad waged
to establish pure monotheism was that of Sayyidna Ibrahim Sal. There-
fore, the religion preached by him is known particularly as the upright
religion.
In view of this, reference has been made to the story of Sayyidna
Ibrahim & in the cited verses. However, there is another reason too.
In a previous verse (28): الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعُمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفُرًا (those who changed the favour
of Allah with disbelief), condemned were people from among the disbe-
lievers of Makkah who had changed faith for disbelief and Tauhid (One-
ness of Allah) for Shirk (ascribing of partners to Allah) because that was
what their forefathers have been doing. They have been told in these
verses about the belief and behaviour of their patriarch, Sayyidna
Ibrahim Seel so that these people so eager to follow the lead of their an-
cestors would just look at this model and would, hopefully, abstain from
their disbelief. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)
And as it is already clear to us that by describing the stories and con-
ditions of blessed prophets, the Qur'an never aims to narrate their histo-

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ry only. Instead of that, in them there are guiding principles for every de-
partment of human life. It is to make them become available
continuously that these events about prophets are repeated in the
Qur'an time and again.
At this place, there are in the first verse (35) two prayers made by
Sayyidna Ibrahim رَبِّ اجْعَلُ هُذَا الْبَلَدَ امِنًا (1): الشيخ :'My Lord, make this city (of
Makkah) peaceful.' This prayer appears in Sūrah Al-Baqarah (2:126) as
well. But, there the word: al (balad : city) appears as: fat (baladan) with-
out the definite article Alif Lam which means an indefinite city. The rea-
son is that this prayer belonged to a time when the city of Makkah was
not inhabited. Therefore, the words of the prayer made were general
when he said: 'My Lord, make this a city of peace.'
In the prayer which he made when Makkah was already a populated
city, he made a definite reference to the city of Makkah saying: 'My Lord,
make this city peaceful.'
(2) The second prayer made by him was: 'and keep me and my chil-
dren away from worshiping idols.'
Though, prophets on whom be peace are protected by Allah, so Shirk,
idol-worship, or a sin cannot issue forth from them. But, in this prayer,
Sayyidna Ibrahim dal has included himself as well. The reason for this
is either that prophets too live under a constant fear of being in danger,
or that his main purpose was to pray for the safety of his children
against the danger of disbelief and idol-worship. It was to impress his
children with the gravity of the matter that he included himself too with-
in the prayer.
Allah jalla thana'uh granted the prayer of His 'friend.' His children
remained protected from Shirk and idol-worship. This brings up a ques-
tion. The people of Makkah are generally from among the progeny of
Sayyidna Ibrahim &. Idol-worship was very much present with them.
Tafsir Al-Bahr Al-Muhit answers it on the authority of Sufyan ibn
'Uyaiynah that no one from among the progeny of Sayyidna Ismail
did really take to idol-worship. In fact, when people of the tribe of
Jurhum took over Makkah and expelled the children of Sayyidna Isma'il
El from the Haram, they carried away with them some stones from
there out of love and respect for the sacred place. These they used to

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keep as a momento of the sacred House of Allah before them when they
worshipped or went round them making Tawaf. Initially, in doing so,
they had no desire to turn back from Allah. They thought that the way
making prayers turning towards Baytullah or making Țawaf round it
was nothing but devoting to the worship of Allah, so when they turn to
that stone from there and make their Tawaf round it, that would not be
counter to the worship of Allah. After a passage of time, this very meth-
od became the cause of idol-worship.
In the second verse (36), he gives the reason for making this prayer.
He said that he sought refuge from idol-worship because it has led many
a people astray. He said so because he had seen his father and his peo-
ple falling victims to the custom of idol-worship which had left them de-
prived of all possibilities of betterment in their lives.
فَمَنُ تَبَعَنِىُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّىُ وَمَنْ :In the closing sentence of the verse, it was said
So, the one who follows me is surely mine, and the one) عَصَانِىٌ فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
who disobeys me, then You are Most Forgiving, Very Merciful). It means
that one who keeps faith and abides by good deeds could obviously hope
to be blessed, but should there be someone who disobeys his prophet,
then, his case rests with the forgiveness and mercy of Allah. If disobedi-
ence referred to here is taken to be restricted to evils deeds, a form of dis-
obedience to Allah in practice, then, the meaning is obvious, that is, they
too could hope to be forgiven by His good grace. And if disobedience is
taken to mean disbelief, denial and rejection, then, equally obvious is the
fact that Sayyidna Ibrahim Sa
El had already been told that there was no
forgiveness for the Kafir (disbeliever) and Mushrik (one who ascribes
partners to Allah) and that he should not intercede on behalf of them.
After that, expressing the hope of their forgiveness cannot be correct.
Therefore, in Al-Bahr Al-Muhit, it was said: At this place, Sayyidna
Ibrahim cel has not used words which would suggest a recommenda-
tion or prayer. He did not say that they be forgiven. Nevertheless, he
was a prophet with abounding mercy which encompasses his disbeliev-
ers too. Every prophet wishes from the deep recesses of his heart that no
one should ever be subjected to Divine punishment, not even a disbeliev-
er. So, it was this elemental wish of his that he expressed when he said:
'then You are Most Forgiving, Very Merciful.' He did not say precisely
that they be forgiven and treated mercifully. This is similar to what

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Sayyidna 'Isa deal said about the disbelievers of his community: 56
,and if You forgive them, then, You are the Mighty) لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
the Wise - 5:118) which, in other words, would mean: If You were to for-
give them, then, You have the Might and the Wisdom. You can do
everything and there is no one to stop You.
Thus, these two blessed souls did not take the initiative of recom-
mending forgiveness for disbelievers as it was contrary to the etiquette
due before Allah. But, at the same time, they also did not say that those
disbelievers be punished by Him. Instead of doing that, they remained
respectful yet, in a manner of their own, gave vent to their elemental
wish that they too may be forgiven.
Injunctions and Instructions
As for a du'a', (prayer) everyone makes it. But, everyone does not
know how to. The prayers made by the blessed prophets are les-
son-oriented. They teach us how to ask. And they tell us what is worth
asking for. This prayer by Sayyidna Ibrahim &dell is in two parts. The
first part pleads that Makkah be made the city of peace, free of all secur-
ity threats, while the second part seeks that he and his children be de-
livered from idol-worship for ever.
If we think about it, these are the two very basic principles of human
betterment - because, should human beings remain insecure where they
live or remain under the apprehension that their country would be at-
tacked by an enemy, their lives can never be pleasant, neither material-
ly, nor spiritually. Everything done in this world, for profit or pleasure,
depends on peace. There can be no two opinions at least about that. A
person threatened by all sorts of dangers to his peace and security would
naturally find the best of blessings he is surrounded with - dining and re-
tiring in palaces, villas and mansions with possession and wealth
abounding - all too sour to savor.
Even in terms of one's religious orientation, one can show his obedi-
ence to Divine commands only when one has the necessary peace to do
so.
Therefore, in the first prayer made by Sayyidna Ibrahim Seal, in-
cluded there are all aspects of human well-being, whether material or
spiritual. Through this one sentence uttered by the Friend of Allah, Sayy-

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 35 - 41
idna Ibrahim, may the blessing of Allah and peace be upon him, he has
asked for his children everything that matters in this world.
We also learn from this prayer that emotional concern for one's chil-
dren, and the arrangement of economic sufficiency and comfort for them
is one of the obligations placed on the father, to the best of his ability
and capacity. To make efforts for this purpose is not contrary to (what
has been said about) Zuhd (having no greed for the worldly pleasures).
Then comes the second prayer. This too has great comprehensiveness
because Shirk and idol-worship are sins for which there is no forgive-
ness, therefore, he has asked for being shielded against them. If a sin
gets to be committed after that, it can also be expiated through other
deeds, and such sins could also be forgiven through someone's interces-
sion. And if we take the 'worship of idols' mentioned in the text in its
broader sense. as taken by the noble mystics, that is, everything which
makes man heedless to Allah is his idol, and overcome by its love, when
man takes the initiative and disobeys Allah, this then is, in a way, its
worship. So, in this prayer, that is, to be kept away from idol-worship,
there is a coverage of being kept away from all sins. It is in this sense
that some noble mystics of Islam have admonished their self against
heedlessness and disobedience to the Creator; or, as the great gnostic
Rumi says: 'Every (evil) desire is an idol in your way.'
Brimming with wisdom, there is another prayer of Sayyidna Ibrahim
Sell which appears in the third verse (37) as follows: G : 'Our
Lord, I have settled some of my children in a valley of no vegetation [nor
any other obvious life support system] close to Your sanctified House, so
that, Our Lord, they may establish Salah. So, make hearts of a number
of people yearn towards them [to make them familiar with each other],
and provide them with fruits, so that they may be grateful.'
The event which marks the making of this prayer by Sayyidna
Ibrahim Seal goes back to the time when Allah Ta'ala intended to have
the edifice of Baytullah which was destroyed in the Deluge during the
time of Sayyidna Nuh & reconstructed. He chose His 'friend,'
Sayyidna Ibrahim Se for this mission, arranging for him to migrate
from Syria with wife, Sayyidah Hajira and son, Sayyidna Ismail 85l
and settle down in that barren place. This he was appointed to do.

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 35 - 41
It appears in the Sahip of Al-Bukhari that Sayyidna Ismail Seal was
an infant at that time. Sayyidna Ibrahim &Cel, as ordered, had him and
his mother, Sayyidah Hajira stay near the present Baytullah and the
well of Zamzam. At that time, this place was an open and barren ground
surrounded by hills. There was no water and no habitation in sight.
Sayyidna Ibrahim & had thoughtfully put some food in a provi-
sion-bag and water in a water-bag.
Thereafter, Sayyidna Ibrahim &Cel was commanded to return to Syr-
ia. The spot where he received this command was the spot from where
he started his journey as commanded. That there was the natural effect
of having to leave his wife and infant son in this wilderness on him will
become evident from the prayer which he made a little later, but he did
not tolerate the idea of making the least delay in carrying out the Divine
command, not even for a few moments which he could have used to in-
form Sayyidah Hajira and say a few words of comfort to her.
As a result, when Sayyidah Hajira saw him going away, she
repeatedly called from behind him wondering why would he leave them
in that manner and in a place which had no human being around nor
was there anything which could help them survive. But, the 'friend' of
Allah did not look back. Thereupon, Sayyidah Hajira realized that one
who is the 'friend' of Allah cannot betray them in that manner. Perhaps,
this is nothing but a command from Allah Ta'ala. So, she called again
and asked: 'Has Allah Ta'ala commanded you to leave this place?'
Sayyidna Ibrahim Mal turned his face and said: 'Yes.' Hearing this,
Sayyidah Hajira said: ' Be"y 's! ' that is, 'Now it does not matter. Our
Master, who has commanded you to leave this place, will certainly not
let us be wasted away.'
Sayyidna Ibrahim &da kept going ahead until he reached close to a
hill from where he could no more see Sayyidah Hajira and Sayyidna
Isma'il >JILLle. That was the time when he turned his attention
towards Baytullah and prayed in the words mentioned in the verse (37)."
Many religious instructions and rulings issue forth from this prayer of
1. According to this interpretation, it is only the prayer mentioned in Verse (37) that was made
at this time. As for the prayer mentioned in the verse (35) it was made at a later stage, when
Makkah was already a populated city. Therefore, there is no contradiction between this state-
ment and the comment made on the verse 35. (Editor)

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 35 - 41
Sayyidna Ibrahim Ca. These are being taken up in some details as
given below.
The Wisdom of Sayyidna Ibrahim's Prayer
1. We see that Sayyidna Ibrahim &cª has accomplished two things
very distinctly. On the one hand, he fulfills his obligation to his status as
the Khalil or Friend of Allah. When and where he was commanded to
leave for the country of Syria, he took no time in leaving his wife and in-
fant son in a desolate wilderness. When he was saying yes to the Divine
command, he did not show the least hesitation. He did what he was
asked to do right away. He did not tolerate the idea of postponing or de-
laying even to the natural limit whereby he would first go to his blessed
wife, say some words of comfort to her and tell her that he is under Di-
vine orders to leave about which she should not worry. This he did not
do. What he did was: When and where came the Divine command, he
obeyed it and moved ahead right on.
On the other hand, he did not neglect the rights of his family on him
and paid the debt of their love in his own way. Once he could see them
no more from behind a hill on his way, he prayed before Allah Ta'ala
that they be protected and blessed with peace. Thus, he had asked good
life for them because he was confident, and at peace with himself. He
knew that a prayer made after having carried out the Divine command
first would never be rejected by the merciful Lord. And this is what hap-
pened actually. The helpless infant and his equally helpless mother
found shelter. Not only that they settled there all alone and by them-
selves, a whole city flowered with people around them and for their sake;
and furthermore, the matter did not end at the fulfillment of the needs
of their lives lived in peace, but it is for their sake that the doors of all
sorts of blessing are still open to the people of Makkah.
This is prophetic steadfastness, and the beauty of balance; when con-
sidering one aspect, they would never ignore the other. The prophets are
not like common mystics who are overpowered by the state they are in
(maghlub al-hal). Prophets educate. It is their education which goes on
to make man perfect, universal.
Now, let us go to some significant statements made in this prayer.
They are from verse 37 and are being taken up in the order they appear

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 35 - 41
there.
الشا valley of no vegetation): When Sayyidna Ibrahim) غيّرِ ذِىُ زَرْعٍ .2
was commanded by Allah Ta'ala that he should leave his infant son and
his mother in that barren land and go to Syria, he had become certain
from the command itself that Allah Ta'ala would not let them perish, in-
stead, they would, at least, be provided with water somehow. That is
why he did not say : ◌ٍبوادٍ غَيْرِ ذِى مَاء (in a valley with no water). What he said
was: ¿ se (in a valley of no vegetation). Therefore, he requested that
they be blessed with 'fruits' - even if they had to be brought in from some-
where else. This is the reason why Makkah al-Mukarramah does not
have any significant areas of cultivation even to this day. But, fruits
from all over the world, the produce and product of things of all sorts
reach there in such numbers and variety that it would be difficult to find
a similar arrangement in many cities. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)
3. The next sentence: عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّم (close to Your sanctified House)
proves that the foundation of Baytullah had been laid out before the ap-
pearance of Sayyidna Ibrahim && as proved by the leading commenta-
tor, Al-Qurtubi on the authority of several narrations under his commen-
tary on Surah Al-Baqarah. According to him, the structure of Baytullah
was first raised by Sayyidna Adam && at the time when he was sent to
the earth and was made to reach at this place from the Mountain of Sa-
randip through a miracle. Angel Jibra'il directed him to the site of Bay-
tullah. Accordingly, Sayyidna Adam El raised its structure. He and his
children used to do Tawaf round it until came the Deluge during the
time of Sayyidna Nuh Sel when the sacred Baytullah was raised up (as
trust), but its foundations remained embedded under the earth.
Sayyidna Ibrahim
was commanded to build the Baytullah anew on
the already existing foundations. These were identified and shown to
him by Sayyidna Jibra'il. After that, when this Abrahimic structure col-
lapsed during the age of Arab Jahiliyyah, the Quraysh of that period re-
built it. When its construction work was in progress, Abu Țalib along
with the Holy Prophet
participated in it, which was before he was-
made prophet.
Here, Baytullah has been qualified as: “ (muharram) which means
'sanctified,' but could also mean 'protected.' The great Baytullah has
both attributes. It has always been sanctified and esteemed, and always

282
Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 35 - 41
protected from enemies as well.
4. The next statement : ◌َلِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلوة (so that they may establish Salah)
is significant in that it was the first prayer he made soon after
mentioning the helplessness of his infant son and his mother. His prayer
was that they be made particular and punctual in their obligation of
Șalah as due because Salah is a cumulative recepticle of everything good
and blissful in life, mortal or eternal. This tells us that there can be no
greater concern, or love or desire for the betterment of children than that
they be made to become particular and punctual with their Salah.
Finally, there is something here we should not miss to note. Though,
Sayyidna Ibrahim &sa had left behind at that time and at that place
only a mother and her child, but the prayer he made was in the plural
form. This tells us that Sayyidna Ibrahim Sie had come to know that
this place will have a populated city of its own and the line of this child
will flourish and go far in time. Therefore, he included all of them in his
prayer.
5. In the next sentence: أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاس (hearts of a number of people), the
word: os (afidah) is the plural of: ' (fu ad) which means heart. Here,
the word: 'afidah' has been introduced in its indefinite form along with
the particle: (min) which is used for reducing, dividing and portioning.
Hence, the meaning is: 'make hearts of a number of people yearn to-
wards them). Tafsir authority, Mujahid says: If this reductive particle
was not there in this prayer, instead, said there would have been: Kol
JU (hearts of the people), then, Muslims, non-Muslims, Jews, Chris-
tians, virtually people of the whole world from the East to West would
have converged on Makkah, which would have become a cause of incon-
venience for them. It was in view of this reality that Sayyidna Ibrahim
Ell, in his prayer, used the words: 'make hearts of a number of people
yearn towards them.'
6. In the next sentence: ◌ِوَارُزُقُهُمُ مِّنَ النَّمَرَت (and provide them with fruits),
the word: Syuf (ath-thamarat) is the plural of: 53 (thamrah) which
means fruit. Customarily, they refer to fruits which are eaten. Given
that sense of 'fruit,' the prayer would mean: 'provide them with all sorts
of fruits to eat.'
However, thamrah or fruit is also used in the sense of outcome and

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 42 - 52
produce which is more general than things edible. The outcome of
everything beneficial can be called its thamrah or fruit. Thus, the fruits
of industries would be their products. The fruit of a job or work would be
the pay or wages received as a result. In a verse of Surah Al-Qasas, also
used there is the expression : ◌ٍثُمَرَتُ كُلِّ شَىْء (fruits [or produce] of all things -
28:57). Here, instead of using the word: __ (shajar : tree), what has been
used is the word: (sha'ii : thing). Perhaps, this may be indicating that
for these people Sayyidna Ibrahim &cel has not simply prayed for the
provision of fruits to eat. Rather, the prayer he has made is for the end
product of everything which includes the products and produce and use-
worthy things of all kinds, and again, with earnest pleading and humble
plaint alongwith the recounting of praises for Allah Ta'ala, then, this
would be a manner in which it can be strongly hoped that the prayer will
be answered.
Verses 42 - 52
وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ اللّهَ غَافِلاً عَمَّا يَعُمَلُ الظُّلِمُونَ ﴿ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ
تَشْخَصُ فِيْهِ الْآَبْصَارُ ﴿٢﴾ مُهُطِعِيْنَ مُقْنِعِىْ رُؤُوُسِهِمٌ لاَ يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ
طَرُفُهُمْ ، وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمُ هَوَآءٌ ﴿٢ُ﴾﴾ وَأَنْذِرِ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْنِيُهِمُ الْعَذَابُ
فَيَقُوُلُ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوْاَ رَبََّآَ آَخِّرْنَآ إِلى أَجَلٍ قَرِيْبٍ ٧ نُّجِبُ دَعُوَتَكَ
وَبِعِ الرُّسُلَ * أَوَلَّمُ تَكُوُّنُوا أَقُسَمْتُمْ مِّنْ قَبْلُ مَالَكُمُ مِّنُ زَوَالِ ﴿2﴾
وَّسَكَنْتُمُ فِىُ مَسْكِنِ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمُ وَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا
بِهِمُ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ الْأَمْثَالَ ﴿٤٥﴾ وَقَدُ مَكَرُوا مَكْرَهُمْ وَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
مَكْرُهُمُ ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مَكُرُهُمُ لِتَزُوُلَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ ﴿٤﴾ فَلاَ تَحُسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ
مُخْلِفَ وَعُدِهِ رُسُلَهِ* إِنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيْرٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ ﴿٤٧﴾ يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الْأَرْضُ
غَيْرَ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمُوْتُ وَ بَرَزُوا لِلّهِ الْوَاحِدَ الْقَهَّارِ ﴿٤﴾ وَتَرَىَ
الْمُحْرِمِيْنَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّقَرَّبِيْنَ فِى الْأَصْفَادِ ﴿٤)﴾ سَرَابِيلُهُمُ مِّنْ قَطِرَانِ
وَتَغْشَىْ وُجُوُهَهُمُ النَّارُ (!) لِيَحْزِىَ اللهُ كُلَّ نَفُسِ مَّا كَسَبْتُءُ إِنَّ

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 42 - 52
اللّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ﴿٥١﴾ هذَا بَلْغٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنْذَرُوْا بِهِ وَلِيَعْلَمُوَّا أَنَّمَا
هُوَ إِلهٌ وَّاحِدٌ وَّلِيَذَّ كَّرَ أُولُوا الْأَلْبَابِ ﴿٥٢﴾
And never think that Allah is unaware of what the
wrongdoers are doing. He is but giving them respite
upto a day when the eyes shall remain upraised (in ter-
ror). [42] They shall be rushing with their heads raised
upward; their eyes shall not return towards them and
their hearts shall be hollow. [43]
And warn the people of a day when punishment comes
upon them, and the wrongdoers will say, "Our Lord, give
us respite for a short period, and we will respond to
Your call and will follow the messengers." (Allah will
say), "Is it not that you had sworn earlier that you would
not have to leave (the world)? [44] And you dwelt in the
dwellings of those who wronged themselves, and it be-
came clear to you how We dealt with them, and We put
forth for you the examples." [45] And they worked out
their plot and whatever they plot is before Allah, even
though their plot is such as would move the mountains.
[46]
So, do not think that Allah will do against His promise
to His messengers. Surely, Allah is Mighty, the Lord of
Retribution [47] --- the day on which this earth will be
turned into some other earth, and the skies as well. And
they all shall appear before Allah, the One, the All-Domi-
nant. [48]
And on that day you will see the culprits shackled to-
gether in chains, [49] their shirts of rosin,* and their
faces covered with Fire [50] --- so that Allah repays every-
one what he earned. Indeed, Allah is swift at reckoning.
[51]
This is a message for mankind, so that they (take lesson
and) be warned, and so that they may know that He is
One God, and so that the people of understanding may
take to the advice. [52]
Commentary
Mentioned in Surah Ibrahim were some details of matters relating to
* Stands for 'Qatiran', the original Qur'anic word which means a highly inflammable oil ex-
tracted from the Pine-tree.

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 42 - 52
prophets and their peoples, the evil end of those who opposed Divine in-
junctions and, later on, Sayyidna Ibrahim due himself, who constructed
the Baytullah, and for whose children Allah Ta'ala made a community
rise around them in Makkah al-Mukarramah, and provided for all its in-
habitants perfect peace and extraordinary economic facilities, and it is
his children, the Banu Isma'il, who are the first addressees of the Glori-
ous Qur'an and the Holy Prophet .
In this last section of Surah Ibrahim, the same people of Makkah
have been exhorted to take a lesson from what had happened to past peo-
ples; and, in a nutshell, they have been warned that, should they still
not return to their senses, they better be ready to face the horrendous
punishment of the day of Qiyamah.
Initially, the first verse (42) is to comfort the Holy Prophet &&dl and
the oppressed of the world, then, it releases the threat of a severe punish-
ment for all oppressors - that the unjust practitioners of crime should
not become carefree because Allah Ta'ala has given them respite. Let
them not be deluded by the idea that Allah is not aware of their wrongdo-
ings for which reason they are flourishing despite their crimes and for
which reason nothing unwelcome happens to them, nor does any punish-
ment visit them. This is not true. Instead of all that they presuppose,
everything they are doing is all within the sight of Allah Ta'ala, but He,
in His mercy and wisdom, is giving them respite.
In this verse:ًوَلاَ تَحُسَبَنَّ اللّهَ غَافِلا (And never think that Allah is unaware
of what the wrongdoers are doing), the address is obviously to every such
person whom his own negligence, and Shaytan, have tricked to believe in
something like that. And should it be that the Holy Prophet
himself
is the addressee here, still then, the purpose of saying this would be to
let the negligent of the community hear it and be warned - because,
there exists just no possibility that the Holy Prophet
would, God for-
bid, ever think that Allah Ta'ala is unaware or indifferent to what is hap-
pening.
In the second verse (43), it has been said that the postponement of
sudden punishment against these unjust people is not any better for
them because, ultimately, they will be seized in the great punishment of
the Qiyamah and the 'Akhirah which will overtake them all of a sudden.

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 42 - 52
The details of this punishment in the life to come and the horrendous
happenings to be experienced there keep appearing right upto the end of
the verse:
لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيْهِ الْأَبْصَارُ
A day when the eyes shall remain upraised (in terror).
مُهُطِعِيْنَ مُقْنِعِىُ رُؤُوُسِهِمْ
They shall be rushing with their heads raised upward.
لاَ يَرْ تَدُّ إِلَيْهِمُ طَرُفُهُمُ
Their eyes shall not return towards them.
وَأَفْتِدَتُهُمُ هَوَآءٌ
And their hearts shall be hollow.
After the shape of things to come upon them has been stated, the ad-
dress is to the Holy Prophet & who has been asked to warn his people of
the punishment of that day, the day on which the unjust and the wrong-
doing will have no choice but to call their Lord for some more time to re-
turn to the world they knew so that they could say yes to the call of
prophets and follow them this time and may thereby have their deliver-
ance from this punishment. The answer to their request will come from
Allah Ta'ala wherein it will be said: This is what you are saying now. Is
it not that you had been giving sworn statements to the effect that your
wealth and power shall never part with you, and that you shall go on liv-
ing in the world just like that, in comfort and luxury, for ever; and is it
not that you had rejected the idea that you will live again and that there
was a world hereafter?
In verse 45:
وَسَكَنْتُمُ فِىُ مَسْكِنِ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمُ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ
الْآَمُثَالَ -
And you dwelt in the dwelling of those who wronged them-
selves, and it became clear to you how We dealt with them and
We put forth for you the examples,
as obvious, the address is to the Mushriks of Arabia. These were the peo-
ple the Holy Prophet
was asked to warn: ◌َأنْذِرِ النَّاس (And warn the peo-

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 42 - 52
ple - 44). In this address, they have been asked to take their guard
against what could happen to them as a result of their heedlessness.
They could learn a lesson from what had happened to past peoples. The
conditions they faced and the revolutions that overtook them could be-
come their teacher. Yet, it is astonishing that they would still prefer not
to learn a lesson - even though, they live in the very homes once occupied
by peoples destroyed in punishment and walk around neighbourhoods
once walked by them. The truth is that they know by direct observation,
and by what some continuing reports have told them that terrible was
the punishment which Allah Ta'ala inflicted on them because of their
acts of disobedience. The advice and the examples given here were to
bring them to see truth and take the straight path, but it was certainly
strange that they would still not listen and learn to act right.
Said in verse 46 was:
وَقَدُ مَكَرُوا مَكْرَهُمْ وَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمُ ﴿ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُوُلَ مِنْهُ الْجَبَالُ
And they worked out their plot and whatever they plot is be-
fore Allah, even though their plot is such as would move the
mountains.
which can be explained further by saying that those people tried to de-
molish the true faith and put in action their deadliest plans to bring
harm to Muslims who had embraced the call of truth. But, all plans
made by them, open or concealed, lie exposed before Allah Ta'ala who is
fully aware of them, and comprehensively capable of foiling them - even
though, their plots were so precise and lethal that they would have made
mountains back out from their place, but finally, nothing worked before
the perfect power of Allah Ta'ala.
The hostile plots and plans mentioned here may possibly mean the
plots and plans made by people destroyed in the past, for example,
Nimrud, Pharaoh, the people of 'Ad and Thamud and others. And it is
also possible that the text is referring to the Mushriks of Arabia who
hatched many deep-seated and far-reaching conspiracies against the
Holy Prophet , but they were all foiled by Allah Ta'ala.
There are a good many commentators who have taken the word: 3!
(in) appearing in: 06 of, (even though their plot) as a particle of ne-
gation and explain the verse to mean that 'though they made many plots

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Surah Ibrahim : 14 : 42 - 52
but it was not possible for their plots to make mountains move away
from their place - and the mountain here means the high determination
of the Holy Prophet
which remained totally unaffected by any of the
moves made by the disbelievers.
After that, it was to let this be heard by the Muslim community, the
Holy Prophet
- or everyone thus addressed - was given a note of cau-
tion by saying:
فَلاَ تَحُسَبَنَّ اللّهَ مُخُلِفَ وَعُدِهِ رُسُلَه، ﴿ إِنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ
So, do not think that Allah will do against His promise [of sup-
port, victory and success] to His messengers. Surely, Allah is
Mighty, the Lord of Retribution - 47
and that He would definitely retaliate against the enemies of His mes-
sengers and fulfill the promises made to them.
In the verses which appear onwards from here (48-51), the text re-
turns to the awe-inspiring happenings of the day of Qiyamah. It is said:
يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمُوْتُ وَ بَرَزُوْا لِلْهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
The day on which this earth will be turned into some other
earth, and the skies as well. And they all shall appear before
Allah, the One, the All-Dominant.
The statement that the earth and the sky will be turned into some
other earth and sky may also mean that their distinctive characteristics
and appearances will be changed. There are other verses of the Holy
Qur'an, and narrations from Hadith, which say that the whole earth will
be transformed into a levelled surface having no house, tree, mountain
and mound blocking the view, nor shall there remain any cave and
abyss. It is this very state of change which the Qur'an refers to else-
where in the following words: لاَ تَرَى فِيهَا عِوَجًا وَّلا آمنًا (you will not see in it any
crookedness, or curvature - 20:107). It means that things will not remain
the way they are. Roads and pathways we see today wind their way past
buildings and mountains negotiating all sorts of twists and turns on sur-
faces high and low. This will change and the whole thing would turn into
flat, unobstructed ground.
And this act of changing the earth and the sky could also be taken to