Indexed OCR Text

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 99 - 113
had to go in a certain direction for Jihad, he would, while coming out
of Madinah, rather than go in his intended direction, would start
marching towards some other direction - so that onlookers do not find out
the correct destination towards which he was really headed (Şahin
Muslim and others). This was practical tauriyah (equivocation) and
'iham.
On occasions of good cheer and light humor too, tauriyah stands
proved from the Holy Prophet . According to narration from the
Shama'il of Tirmidhi, the Holy Prophet & humorously said to an old
woman, "No old woman will go to Paradise." That woman became very
anxious. Then he explained that he meant that the old women will not go
Paradise in the state of their old age - yes, they will go there after having
turned young.
Verses 99 - 113
وَقَالَ إِنِّى ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى رَبِّىُ سَيَهْدِيْنِ ﴿٩٩) رَبِّ هَبُ لِىُ مِنَ
الصُّلِحِيْنَ ﴿١٠﴾ فَبَشِّرُنُهُ بِغُلْمٍ حَلِيْمٍ ﴿١٠١﴾ فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعُىَ
قَالَ يُبْنَىَّ إِنّى اَرِى فِى الْمَنَامِ أَنِّى اَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرُ مَاذَا تَرِى ﴿ قَالَ
◌ََّبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِىّ إِنْ شَآءَ اللهُ مِنَ الصُّبِيْنَ ﴿١٠٢﴾
فَلَمَّآ أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِيْنِ ﴿١٢٣) وَنَادَيْنُهُ أَنْ يُّأَبُرْهِيُمُ ﴿١٢٤﴾ قَدْ
صَدَّقُتَ الرُّءُ يَاء ◌ِنَّا كَذلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٠٥﴾ إِنَّ هذَا لَهُوَ
الْبَلْؤُا الْمُبِيْنُ ﴿١٠٦﴾ وَفَدَيْنُهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيْمٍ ﴿١٠٧﴾ وَتَرَكُنَا عَلَيْهِ فِى
الْآخِرِيْنَ ﴿١٠٨﴾ سَلَمٌ عَلَى إِبْرِهِيُمَ ﴿١٠٩) كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى
الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١١٠﴾ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١١١﴾ وَبَشَّرُنُهُ
بِسُحِقَ نَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصَّلِحِيْنَ ﴿١١٢﴾ وَبَرَكُنَا عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى اِسُحقَ ◌ُّ
ع
وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا مُحْسِنٌ وَّظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ مُبِيْنٌ ﴿١١٣﴾
And he said, "I am going to my Lord. He will show me
the way. [99] O my Lord, bless me with a righteous son."

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 99 - 113
[100] So, We gave him the good news of a forbearing boy.
[101] Thereafter, when he reached an age in which he
could work with him, he said, "O my little son, I have
seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so consider,
what do you think? " He said, "O my dear father, do
what you have been ordered to do. You will find me,
insha'Allah, (if Allah wills) one of those who endure
patiently." [102] So, (it was a great episode) when both
of them submitted themselves (to Allah's will), and he
laid him on his forehead [103] and then We called out to
him, "O Ibrahim, you did make the dream come true."
This is how We reward those who are good in deeds.
[104] This was indeed a trial that clearly demonstrated
(their obedience). [106] And We ransomed him with a
great sacrifice. [107] and We left for him (a word of
praise ) among the later people, [108] (that is,)" Salam
be on Ibrahim! [109] This is how We reward those who
are good in deeds. [110] Surely, he is among Our
believing servants. [111] And We gave him the good news
of Ishaq, a prophet from among the righteous. [112] And
We did bless him, and Ishaq - and among the progeny of
both of them, some are good and some are utterly
unjust to their own selves. [113]
Commentary
The sacrifice of a son
Another event in the blessed life of Sayyidna Ibrahim && has been
described in the verses cited above. This is the event of the sacrifice of his
first-born son in the way of Allah.
Explanatory Notes on the verses
The first verse (99) opens with the words :... وَقَالَ إِنِّى ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى رَبِّى (And he
said, "I am going to my Lord ... ). Sayyidna Ibrahim & said this at a time
when he was totally disappointed by his countrymen, for nobody except
Sayyidna Lut Stal, his nephew, was willing to believe in him. The
statement: KJIl (I am going to my Lord) means that he will leave the
abode of disbelief and go to a place whereto Allah Ta'ala has commanded
him to go, a place where he will be able to worship his Lord in peace. So,
he started on a journey accompanied by his blessed wife, Sayyidah Sarah
and his nephew, Sayyidna Lut. After having passed through رضى الله عنها
different areas of Iraq, he finally reached Syria. Sayyidna Ibrahim
had no children until then, therefore, he made the prayer mentioned in
the next verse (100).

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 99 - 113
He said: ◌َرَبِّ هَبُ لِىُ مِنَ الصُّلِحِين (O my Lord, bless me with a righteous
son."- 100). His prayer was answered and Allah Ta'ala gave him the good
news of the birth of a son.
Thus, by saying 'forbearing' in: فَبَشِّرُتُهُ بِعُلمِ حَلِيم (So, We gave him the
good news of a forbearing boy- 101), it was indicated that this newborn
would demonstrate such patience, control and forbearance in his life as
would be exemplary in the world. The birth of this son had a background
of its own. When Sayyidah Sarah رضى الله عنها realized that she is not being
blessed with children, she took herself to be barren. On the other hand,
the Pharaoh had given his daughter named Hajirah as gift to Sayyidah
Sarah, so that she could help her in household chores. Sayyidah Sarah
passed on this very Hajirah as gift to Sayyidna Ibrahim Med who married
her. Then the son mentioned here was born to this Hajirah and he was
named Ismail Xl.
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعُىَ قَالَ يُبْنَىَّ إِنِّى أَرَى فِى الْمَنَامِ آَنِّى أَذْبَحُكَ :In verse 102, it was said
(Thereafter, when he reached an age in which he could work with him,
he said, "O my little son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering
you, so consider, what do you think?"). From some narrations, it appears
that this dream was shown to Sayyidna Ibrahim es for three
consecutive days (Qurtubi). Then, it already stands settled that the dream
of blessed prophets is a revelation (wahy). Therefore, this dream meant
that Allah Ta'ala was asking Sayyidna Ibrahim Xel to slaughter his
firstborn son. For that matter, this command could have been revealed
directly through an angel. But, the wisdom behind communicating it
through a dream was to unravel the obedience of Sayyidna Ibrahim Sell
at its most sublime form. A command given through a dream could have a
lot of room for interpretations and excuses by the human self. But, this
was Sayyidna Ibrahim Syl. He did not take to the way of excuses. On
the contrary, he simply bowed down (sans interpretations, sans
hesitations) before the command of his Lord. (Tafsir Kabir)
In addition to that, the purpose of the great Creator here was neither
to have Sayyidna Isma'il da be slaughtered actually, nor was it to make
it binding upon Sayyidna Ibrahim del that he slaughters him
ultimately, instead, the purpose was to give the command that he should,
on his part, do everything necessary to slaughter him and take all steps
leading to his slaughter. Now, had this command been given to him

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verbally, it would disclose that the actual slaughter is not intended, and
the element of test would have remained missing. Therefore, he was
shown in a dream that he was slaughtering his son. From this Sayyidna
Ibrahim Med understood that what he was been commanded with is
slaughter - and he was all set for it literally and comprehensively. Thus,
the element of trial went the full circle, and the dream also came true. So,
as said earlier, if this thing were to come through a verbal command,
either there would have been no test, or the command would have to be
abrogated afterwards.
How hard this test was! It is to allude to this aspect that Allah Ta'ala
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعُىَ :has placed additional words in the statement here
(Thereafter, when he reached an age in which he could work with him, -
102). In other words, it could be said that he was commanded to sacrifice
his son he had so wistfully prayed for at a time when this son was old
enough to walk by the side of his father, and the days when he could
become the right arm of his father were not far. Commentators say that
the age of Sayyidna Isma'il & was thirteen years at that time. Some
others say that he had crossed the age of puberty. (Tafsir Mazhari)
In the next sentence of verse 102, it was said: فَانْظُرُ مَاذَا تَرى (So consider,
what do you think?) When Sayyidna Ibrahim el posed this question
before Sayyidna Isma'il & he really had no hesitation about carrying
out the Divine command. In fact, he wanted to accomplish two things by
doing so. Firstly, he wanted to test his son as to the extent to which he
was ready to face this trial. Secondly, the noble prophets ,.JI + always
have a way of their own - they are prepared to carry out Divine
commands at all times. But, they always opt for methods that are suitable
in such obedience, methods that are based on wisdom and all possible
convenience. Had Sayyidna Ibrahim Seal started laying down his son in
readiness for slaughter without having said any thing to him or having
heard any thing from him in advance, it would have caused difficulties
for both of them. Now, this thing that he said to him was in the spirit and
manner of a tender consultation with his son. What he intended thereby
was to let his son become aware of the command of Allah in advance, so
that he is all prepared to endure the pain of being slaughtered well before
the zero hour comes. Moreover, even if there emerged some hesitation in
the heart of his son, there will still be the time to make him understand

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the situation. (Rup-ul- Ma'ani and Bayan-ul-Qur'an)
But, that son was no less than the son of the Friend of Allah, and the
one who himself was bound to rise to the office and station of a prophet.
In his answer, he said: ◌ُيَا أَبَتِ افْعَلُ مَا تُؤُمَر (O my dear father, do what you have
been ordered to do - 102). Not only that this statement provides an
evidence of the unique passion of Sayyidna Ismail
to surrender his
life in the way of Allah, it also shows the kind of intelligence and
knowledge Allah Ta'ala had blessed him with at such a tender age. It
should be borne in mind that Sayyidna Ibrahim Sua had not referred to
any command from Allah before him, in fact, had mentioned a dream
only. But, Sayyidna Ismail & got the point. He understood that the
dream of a prophet is a revelation (way) - and this dream too was, in
reality, a form of Divine command as such. Hence, in his response, rather
than mention the dream, he referred to the Divine order.
The proof of 'revelation not recited' (ّوحى غيرمتلو :wahy ghayr
matluww)
Right from here comes a clear refutation of those who deny the
authority of Hadith and who do not accept the existence of any revelation
that is not recited. They say that wahy or revelation is only that which
has been revealed in the Scripture, the Book of Allah - other than that, no
other form or kind of revelation exists. You have already noticed that the
command to sacrifice his son was given to Sayyidna Ibrahim & through
a dream, and Sayyidna Ismail & had declared it to be the command of
Allah in very clear words. Now, if 'the revelation not recited' (wahy ghayr
matluww) is nothing, then where did this command come from and in
which Scriptures was it revealed?
After that, Sayyidna Ismail Meal also gave an assurance to his great
father from his own side by saying : ◌َسَتَجِدُنِيِّ إِن شَآءَ اللّهُ مِنَ الصُبِرِين (You will find
me, insha'Allah, [if Allah wills] one of those who endure patiently."- 102).
Just look at the extreme etiquette and modesty demonstrated by
Sayyidna Ismail & in this brief statement of his. First of all, by saying
"insha'Allah" (if Allah wills), he entrusted the matter with Allah Ta'ala,
and thus he eliminated any flair of having made a boastful claim through
this promise. Then, he could have also said: 'You will, insha'Allah, find
me enduring.' But, he did not say that. What he actually said was: "You
will find me one of those who endure patiently."). Thereby he released the

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hint that all this endurance and patience is no feat of his all alone, rather,
there have been many more of those who have been enduring and
patient - insha'Allah, he too will hope to become one of them. Thus,
through this statement, he eliminated the possibility of any traces of
pride, arrogance, egotism and conceit, rather replaced it with the finest in
manners and modesty. (Ruh-ul-Ma'ani) From here we learn the lesson that
no matter how much confidence one has in one's own self, he should
never make tall claims that smack of pride and bragging. If there is a
compulsive need to have to say something of this nature, due attention
should be paid to the choice of words that are being said. The best course
is to shift the focus from one's own person and say what shows trust in
Allah. In manners and attitudes too, one should try not to cut loose from
the norms of modesty to the best of one's ability.
The word: AL (aslama: both of them submitted) in verse 103: Qui LE
means to submit, bow down, become obedient, rendered ready to carry out
the command. Hence, it releases the sense of having bowed down before
the Divine command, that is, in plain words, the father resolved to
slaughter the son and the son, to be slaughtered by him. At this place, the
word used is: LJ (lamma: when), but its apodosis or the complement of the
condition has not been mentioned - in other words, it has not been said
later on as to what happened when this thing came to pass. This releases
a hint towards the uniqueness of this bold initiative of self-submission
undertaken by the father and son - so unique that words just fail to
convey a fuller description.
Some historical and exegetical reports tell us that the Shaitan tried to
seduce Sayyidna Ibrahim SEAl away from it three times and every time
Sayyidna Ibrahim Scal pelted seven pebbles on him, and drove him
away. Right through up to this day, on the three pillars of Mina, pebbles
are thrown to commemorate this very endearing act. Finally, when both
father and son reached the place of slaughter to offer this unique act of
worship, Sayyidna Ismail El
said to his father, "My dear father, tie me
down well enough so that my body may not toss and turn too much; and
also keep your dress protected, lest the drops of my blood spoil it which
might reduce my reward with Allah, and moreover, if my mother were to
see this blood, she will be virtually smitten with sorrow. And sharpen your
knife, and run it fast over my throat, so that my last breath comes easy on

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me, for death is hard; and when you return to my mother, pay my
respects to her and should you wish to take my shirt to her, you are
welcome to do so, may be it would give her the comfort she needs."
Hearing these words coming from the lips of the only son a father has,
who can imagine what would have been going on in his heart. But, here
was Sayyidna Ibrahim Cell. Like a mountain of fortitude, he says to his
son, "Son, what a good helper you are for me in this task assigned by
Allah." Saying this, he kissed his son and, with wet eyes, he tied him.
(Mazharī)
And then came the stage about which the text says:Ul, (and he
laid him on his forehead - 103). According to an explanation of this
statement as reported from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4se, 'he laid him down on
his side in a manner that one edge of the forehead was touching the
ground' (Mazharī). Lexically, this explanation is weightier for the reason
that the word: " (jabin) is applied to the two curvatures of the forehead
while the middle part of the forehead is called: 4% (jabhah). Therefore,
Moulana Thanavi has translated it carrying the sense of 'laying down on
the side.' But, other respected commentators have explained it as 'laid him
down on the ground face down.' Whatever be the case, the reason given
in historical accounts for this manner of laying him down is that, initially,
Sayyidna Ibrahim & had laid him down face up. But, once he started
moving the knife on his throat, it would not cut despite repeated efforts,
because a copper plate had come as a barrier in between by the will of
Allah. At that time, the son himself requested his father that he be laid
down on the side face down for the reason that once he looked at him, his
filial compassion unnerved his hand, and the throat is not cut as required.
In addition to that, he said, when he looked at the knife, he too started
feeling nervous. So Sayyidna Ibrahim ACell started using his knife in the
manner he was told (Tafsir Mazhari). Allah knows best.
In verse 104, 105, it was said: وَنَادَيْنُهُ أَنْ تُأَبُرهِيُمُ قَدُ صَدَّقُتَ الرُّءُ يَا (and then We
called out to him, "O Ibrahim, you did make the dream come true."), that
is, in accomplishing the task entrusted with him in obedience to the
command of Allah, he left nothing undone, in fact, did it perfectly to the
letter (more likely so because in the dream too, it was shown that
Sayyidna Ibrahim && is simply moving his knife to slaughter his son).
Now that test was over, so he should let him go.

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By saying: ◌َإِنَّا كَذلِكَ نَجُزِى الْمُحْسِنِين (This is how We reward those who are
good in deeds - 110), the sense is, 'when a servant of Allah bows down
before the command of Allah and is ready to sacrifice all personal
thoughts and feelings, then, ultimately, We take care of him, so that he
remains safe from whatever could have afflicted him here in this world,
and as for the recompense and reward of the Hereafter, that We write
down in his book of deeds.'
In verse 107, it was said: ◌ٍوَفَدَيْنُهُ بِذِبُح عَظِيم (And We ransomed him with a
great sacrifice.). In Hadith reports, it is said that on hearing this voice
from the heavens, Sayyidna Ibrahim Meal looked up and saw Sayyidna
Jibra'il with a ram. From some reports, it appears that it was the same
ram that was offered as sacrifice by Habil (Abel), the son of Sayyidna
'Adam &&kell. Allah knows best. In short, a present of this ram of Paradise
was made to Sayyidna Ibrahim ), and he sacrificed it in lieu of his son
as commanded by Allah. This sacrificial animal was called: mike (azim:
great) because it had come by way of mercy from Allah, and no one can
entertain any doubt about the acceptance of its sacrifice. (Tafsir Mazhari,
and others)
Which son was to be slaughtered? Was it Sayyidna Ismail XE?
Or, was it Sayyidna Ishaq?
The Tafsir of the verses cited above has been described on the
assumption that the son who was to be slaughtered was Sayyidna Isma'il
Ell. But, the truth of the matter is that there is a severe difference of
opinion among commentators and historians about it. That this son was
Sayyidna Ishaq & has been reported from among the Sahabah by
Sayyidnā 'Umar, Sayyidna 'All, Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud,
Sayyidnā 'Abbas, Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas and Sayyidna Ka'b
al-Ahbar uge, and from among the Tabi'in by Said Ibn Jubayr, Qatadah,
Masriq, 'Ikrimah, 'Ata', Mugatil, Zuhri and Suddiy ¿le all pear, Counter
to this is the narrations from Sayyidna 'All, Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas,
Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, Sayyidna Abu Hurairah and Sayyidna
Abu-ț-Țufayl from among the Șahabah, and Said Ibn Musaiyyab, Said
Ibn Jubayr, Hasan al-Başrī, Mujahid, 'Umar Ibn 'Abd-ul-'Aziz, Sha'bi,
Muhammad Ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi from among the Tabi in from whom it has
been reported that that this son was Sayyidna Ismail . It is to be
noted that the names of Sayyidna 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas and Sa;id ibn Jubayr

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 99 - 113
appear in both groups. This is because reports of both views are attributed
to them. (Usmani)
Out of the latter commentators, Hafiz Ibn Jarir at-Țabari has
preferred the first view, while Hafiz Ibn Kathir and others have not only
gone by the second view, but have also refuted the first one. Here, it is
not possible to present a critique of arguments advanced by the two
groups. Nevertheless, in terms of the descriptive arrangement of the noble
Qur'an and the strength of Hadith narrations, the weightier view seems
to be that the son of Sayyidna Ibrahim & dl who was commanded to be
slaughtered was but Sayyidna Isma'il &&dl. Relevant proof appears below:
1. After having reported the whole event relating to the sacrifice, the
noble Qur'an says in verse 112:َوَبَشْرُنُهُ بِاِسُحقَ نَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصُلِحِين (And We gave him
the good news of Ishaq, a prophet from among the righteous). This clearly
tells us that the son who was to be sacrificed under Divine command was
someone else - other than Sayyidna Ishaq - and the glad tidings of the
birth of Sayyidna Ishaq &a was given after the event of the sacrifice.
2. Mentioned in this very glad tidings relating to Sayyidna Ishaq
is that he will be a prophet. In addition to this, it has been said in another
verse that along with the glad tidings of the birth of Sayyidna Ishaq ,
it was also said that, later on, Sayyidna Ishaq will have a son - Sayyidna
Yaqub فَبَشِّرُنَا هَا بِاِسُحقَ وَمِنُ وَّرَآءِ اِسُحقَ يَعُقُوبَ: الشََّال (so, We gave her the good
news about Ishaq, and about Ya'qub after Ishaq - Hud, 11:71). It clearly
shows that he will live a long life to the extent that he will be blessed with
an offspring. How could he, then, be commanded to slaughter that very
offspring - before becoming a prophet - which would have given Sayyidna
Ibrahim & the understanding that he has to become a prophet and the
birth of Sayyidna Ya'qub & is due to come from his loins, therefore, the
act of slaughtering cannot bring death to him. It is obvious that, in this
situation, neither would this have been some major trial, nor had
Sayyidna Ibrahim been deserving of any praise on its implementation.
This element of trial is possible only in a situation that Sayyidna Ibrahim
Suhl fully realizes that his son will die as a result of this act of
slaughtering, and only then he takes the initiative of slaughtering him.
This whole thing perfectly falls into place in the case of Sayyidna Ismail
ställ, because Allah Ta'ala had made no prediction about his remaining
alive and becoming a prophet.

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3. From the statement of the Qur'an it seems that the son who was to
be slaughtered under Divine command was the first son of Sayyidna
Ibrahim Se. Therefore, while migrating from his homeland, he had
prayed for a son. In answer to this prayer, he was given the good news
that he will have a son who will be forbearing. Then, about this very boy
it was said that, by the time he grew old enough to work with his father,
came the Divine order that he be slaughtered. This whole chain of events
is telling us that this boy was the first son of Sayyidna Ibrahim XE.
Now, it was Ismail Me who was the first son of Sayyidna Ibrahim Stal,
while Sayyidna Ishaq
Meel was his second son. After that, no doubt
remains about the fact that the son who was to be slaughtered under
Divine order was but Sayyidna Ismail El.
4. Then, it is also nearly settled that this event of the sacrifice of a son
has come to pass within the environs of Makkah al-Mukarramah. It is for
this reason that the custom of sacrifice during the period of Hajj
pilgrimage prevailed among the people of Arabia. In addition to that, the
horns of the ram sent from Paradise as ransom for the son of Sayyidna
Ibrahim & have remained hanging in the Holy Ka'bah for years. Hafiz
Ibn Kathir has reported several narrations in support, and has gone on to
even quote 'Amir Sha'bi as saying: 'I have personally seen the horns of
this ram in the Ka'bah' (Ibn Kathir, p. 18, v. 4). And Sufyan says: "The horns
of this ram remained hanging in the Ka'bah continuously until when
(during the time of Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf) there was a fire in Ka'bah during
which these horns were also burnt to ashes' (Ibn Kathir, p. 17, v. 2). Now it
becomes fairly obvious that Sayyidna Ismail adel was the one living in
Makkah al-Mukarramah - not Sayyidna Ishaq 8. Therefore, it is
equally obvious that the command to slaughter related but to Sayyidna
Ismail Sell - and not to Sayyidna Ishaq Sal.
As for the narrations in which it has been said that different
Şahaabah and tabi'in have declared Sayyidna Ishaq Mal as the dhabih
(the one to be slaughtered), Ibn Kathir has said:
'Allah knows best, but evidently all these sayings have come from
Ka'b al-Ahbar. When he embraced Islam during the period of
Sayyidna 'Umar 40, he started telling him reports from his old
(Jewish) books. On occasions, Sayyidna 'Umar listened to what he
had to say. This provided room for others too. They too heard his

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 99 - 113
narrations and started passing them on. These narrations were a
bunch of absurdities. This ummah does not need even one word out of
it. Allah knows best. - Tafsir Ibn Kathir, p. 17, v. 4)
This reasoning of Hafiz Ibn Kathir is fairly acceptable, because the
basis of taking Sayyidna Ishaq & a to be the dhabih (the one to be
slaughtered) rests on Isra'ilite reports that take Sayyidna Ishaq al as
dhabih instead of Sayyidna Ismail &&. This event has been described in
the current Bible in the following words:
"After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him,
'Abraham,' And he said, 'Here am I.' He said, "Take your son,
your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the
mountains of which I shall tell you." (Genesis 22: 1,2)
Here, the event of the slaughter has been attributed to Sayyidna
Ishaq &cell. But, a little justice and proper investigation would reveal that
the Jews have, following their traditional prejudice, interpolated in the
text of the Torah - because, the word "your only son" in the very text of
Genesis quoted above is telling us that the son whose sacrifice Sayyidna
Ibrahim as was ordered to make was his 'only' son. Later on, in the
chapter, it also appears:
"you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."
(Genesis 22:12)
In this sentence too, it is explicitly said that this son was the 'only' son
of Sayyidna Ibrahim fall. On the other hand, it is already established
that Sayyidna Ishaq & was not his 'only' son. If the word 'only' can be
applied to anyone, it has to be Sayyidna Ismail & alone. There are
several other textual evidences from the Book of Genesis itself that bear
testimony to the fact that the birth of Sayyidna Ismail a had taken
place much before the birth of Sayyidna Ishaq . For example:
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an
Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar; and Sarai said to
Abram, ' Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing
children; go in to my maid; it may be that I shall obtain
children by her .... And he went in to Hagar, and she
conceived .... And the angel of the Lord said to her, 'Behold, you
are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name
Ishmael ;... Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore
Ishmael to Abram." (Genesis 16: 1-4 and 10-16)

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 99 - 113
In the next chapter, it appears:
"And God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, ... I will bless
her, and moreover I will give you a son by her ;... Then Abraham
fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, " Shall a child
be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who
is ninety years old, bear a child? And Abraham said to God, ' O
that Ishmael might live in thy sight!' God said, 'No, but Sarah
your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name
Isaac." (Genesis 17:15-20)
After that, the birth of Sayyidna Ishaq del has been described as
follows:
"Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was
born to him." ( Genesis 21:5)
It becomes very clear from the texts quoted above that Sayyidna
Ishaq Sa was fourteen years younger than Sayyidna Ismail fall - and
during this period of fourteen years, he was the 'only' son of Sayyidna
Ibrahim Mel. Contrary to this, there was no time in the life of Sayyidna
Ishaq && when he could be taken as the 'only' son of his father. Now,
after that, when the Book of Genesis mentions the sacrifice of the son in
chapter 22, we see that the word 'your only son' as used here is testifying
to the fact that it means Sayyidna Ismail &Cal while some Jewish scribe
has added the word: "Issac" with it so that the line of Ishaq - and not the
line of Isma'il Sal - receives this honor.
In addition to that, in this very Book of Genesis in the Bible, where
Sayyidna Ibrahim al has been given the good news of the birth of
Sayyidna Ishaq dell, it has also been mentioned there:
"I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of
people shall come from her"(Genesis 17:16) *
Now, in the matter of a son about whom it has already been
announced that he will have children and nations will come from his
progeny, how can an order be given that he should be sacrificed? This too
*. These extracts are taken from the revised standard version of the Bible published by
the British and Foreign Bible Society 1952. And the next sentence in Genesis 17:19 is
more clear on the point that the long life of Sayyidna Ishaq was predicted well
before his birth. It says, " I will establish my covenant with him (Isaac) as an
everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

471
Sūrah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 99 - 113
tells us that this command related to Sayyidna Ismail Seal and not to
Sayyidna Ishaq Xl
After having seen these statements in the Bible, one comes to realize
the truth of what Hafiz Ibn Kathir has said:
"It has been clearly stated in the sacred books of the Jewish people
that, at the time Sayyidna Ismail & was born, the age of Sayyidna
Ibrahim was eighty six years and when Sayyidna Ishaq was
born, his age was one hundred years. Then, it is also written in their
books that Allah Ta'ala had commanded Sayyidna Ibrahim to
slaughter his only son - and in another copy of the text, the word
"firstborn" has been used instead of "only." So, the Jews have added
the word "Ishaq" on their own by way of malignant imputation. There
is no justification in declaring it as correct, because it is counter to
what their books clearly say. They have added this word for the
reason that Sayyidna Ishaq * is their venerable forefather, while
Sayyidna Ismail & is that of the Arabs. So envy drove them to add
this word, while now they explain "only" as meaning: "the son, other
than whom, there is no one else present with you at that time" -
because, Sayyidna Ismail @ and his mother were not present there
at that time (therefore, given that sense, Sayyidna Ishaq could be
called "only"). But, this interpretation is totally wrong amounting to
a distortion of the text, because the word "only" is applied to a son
whose father has no son other than him." - Tafsir Ibn Kathir, p. 14, v. 4.
The same Ibn Kathir has also reported that someone from among the
Jewish scholars had converted to Islam during the time of the pious
caliph, 'Umar Ibn 'Abdul-'Aziz who asked him, "Which of the sons of
Sayyidna Ibrahim Sua was it who was commanded to be slaughtered?"
He said, "By Allah, O Commander of the faithful, he was Sayyidna
Ismail Nell. The Jews know it well. But, they say so because of their envy
for you Arabs." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, p. 14, v. 14)
In the light of these proofs, it is almost certain that Sayyidna Ismail
Hell was the dhabih (the son Sayyidna Ibrahim & was commanded to
slaughter). Allah is Pure and He knows best.
In the last verse, it was said: ◌ٌوَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا مُحْسِنٌ وَّظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ مُبِين (and among
the progeny of both of them, some are good and some are utterly unjust to
their own selves .- 37:113). Refuted through this verse is the false pride of
the Jews that being among the progeny of these noble prophets .Jte

472
Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 114 - 122
is in itself sufficient to bless one with merit and salvation. This verse
openly declares that having lineal connection with a man of virtue is not
a sufficient guarantee of one's salvation, in fact, this thing depends on
one's own beliefs and deeds.
Verses 114 - 122
وَلَقَدْ مَنَنَّا عَلَى مُؤُسَى وَهُرُونَ ﴿١١٤﴾ وَنَجَّيُنْهُمَا وَقَوْمَهُمَا مِنَ
الْكَرُبِ الْعَظِيُمِ ﴿١١٥﴾ وَنَصَرْنُهُمُ فَكَانُوا هُمُ الْغُلِيْنَ ﴿١١٦﴾
وَأَتَيْنُهُمَا الْكِتْبَ الْمُسْتَبِيْنَ ﴿١١٧﴾ وَهَدَيْتُهُمَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيُمَ
﴿١٨﴾ وَتَرَكُنَا عَلَيْهِمَا فِى الْآخِرِيْنَ ﴿١٩﴾ سَلْمٌ عَلى مُؤُسى
وَهِرُونَ ﴿١٢٠﴾ إِنَّ كَذلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُحْسِنِيْنَ ﴿١٢١﴾ إِنَّهُمَا مِنُ
عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٢٢﴾
And We did bestow favors upon Musa and Harun, [114]
and We delivered them and their people from the great
agony, [115] and We helped them, so they became
victors, [116] and We gave them the clear book, [117] and
guided them to the straight path. [118] And We left for
them (a word of praise) among the later people , [119]
(that is,) Salam on Musa and Harun! [120] This is how
We reward those who are good in deeds. [121] Surely,
both of them are among Our believing servants. [122]
Commentary
Described in the verses cited above is the third event relating to
Sayyidna Musa & and Harun . It has appeared in details at
several places. Here it serves as an indicator. The purpose is to tell how
Allah Ta'ala helps out His sincere and obedient servants, and how He
bestows so many of His rewards on them. Mentioned here are His favors
bestowed upon Sayyidna Musa Meal and Harun Mal. These favors are of
two kinds. First come positive favors that bring benefits as in: da aa,
.(37:114 - And We did bestow favors upon Musa and Harun) مُوسَى وَهِرُوُنَ
This points out towards those beneficial favors. Then there are negative
favors that save from loss or harm. Later verses spell out details of the
other kind.

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 123 - 132
Verses 123 - 132
وَإِنَّ إِلْيَاسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرُسَلِيْنَ ﴿١٢٣﴾ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ اَلَاتَتْقُونَ ﴿١٢٤﴾
أَتَدْعُوُنَ بَعْلًا وَ تَذَرُوْنَ أَحْسَنَ الْخُلِقِيْنَ ﴿١٢٥﴾ اللّهَ رَبَّكُمْ وَرَبَّ
أَبَائِكُمُ الْأَوَّلِيْنَ ﴿١٢٦﴾ فَكَذَّبُوُهُ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ ﴿١٢٧﴾ إِلَّ عِبَادَ
اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِيْنَ ﴿١٢٨﴾ وَتَرَكُنَا عَلَيْهِ فِى الْآخِرِينَ ﴿١٢٩) سَلْمٌ
عَلَى إِلَ يَاسِيْنَ ﴿١٣٠﴾ إِنَّ كَذلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٣١) إِنَّه"
مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٣٢﴾
And surely, Ilyas ( Eliah ) is one of the messengers. [123]
(Remember) when he said to his people: "Do you not
fear Allah? Do you invoke Ba'l, and ignore the Best of
the creators, [125] that is, Allah who is your Lord and
the Lord of your forefathers?" [126] Then they rejected
him. Therefore, they will be arraigned - [127] except the
chosen servants of Allah. [128] And We left for him (a
word of praise) among the later people, [129] (that is,)
"Salam on Ilyasin (Ilyas). [130] This is how We reward
those who are good in deeds. [131] Surely, he is from
among Our believing servants. [132]
Commentary
Sayyidnā Ilyas lı
Described in the verses cited above is the fourth event relating to
Sayyidna Ilyas el. Before we take up the explanation of these verses, a
few bits of information about Sayyidna Ilyas & are being given below.
Sayyidna Ilyas & has been mentioned in the noble Qur'an only at
two places: Firstly, in Surah Al-An'am (6:85) and secondly, in these very
verses of Surah As-Saffat (37:123) and (37:130). As for the reference in
Surah Al-An'am, his good name appears there only as part of a list of
righteous prophets, and no event finds mention there. However, at this
place in the present Surah, an event relating to his mission and call has
been described very briefly.
Since details about the personal antecedents of Sayyidna Ilyas Sal do
not find mention in the noble Qur'an, nor do these appear in authentic

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ahadith, different sayings and variant narrations about him are found in
books of Tafsir, most of which have been taken from Isra'ili narratives.
A small group of commentators holds that 'Ilyas' is simply another
name of Sayyidna Idris && (Enoch), and there is no difference between
these two persons. Some others have also said that there is no difference
between Sayyidna Ilyas Meal and Sayyidna Khadir al (ad-Durr-ul-
Manthur, pp. 285, 286, v. 5). But, researchers have refuted these sayings. The
Qur'an too has mentioned Sayyidna Idris and Sayyidna Khadir Sa
separately in a manner that it leaves no room for declaring these two as
being the same. Therefore, what Hafiz Ibn Kathir has adjudged as correct
is but that both of them are two separate messengers (al-bidayah
wa-n-nihāyah, p. 339, v. 1).
When and where did he appear?
The Qur'an and Hadith also do not tell us as to when and where he
appeared. But, historical and Isra'ilite narratives almost concur that he
was sent to the Bani Isra'il after Hizqil &kl (Ezekiel), and before Al-Yasa'
Well. This was a time when the kingdom of Bani Isra'il had split into two
states. One part was called Yahudiyah (Judah) with its capital at
Baytul-Maqdis (Jerusalem) while the other part was known as Isra'il, and
its capital was Samaria (present Nablus). Sayyidna Ilyas && was born at
Jal'ad in Jordan. The name of the king who ruled the Isra'il has been
given as Ahab in the Bible and Ajib or Akhib in Arab historical and
exegetic writings. His wife Isabelle worshiped an idol called Ba'l, and it
was she who had put the entire Bani Isra'il on the path of idolatry by
raising a huge altar dedicated to Ba'l in the country of Isra'il. Allah Ta'ala
commanded Sayyidna Ilyas & to go in that area, preach pure
monotheism and dissuade Israelites from indulging in idol worship (please
see Tafsir Ibn Jarir, p. 53, v. 23; Ibn Kathir, p. 19, v. 4; Tafsir Mazhari, p. 134, v. 8 and
the Bible: Kings I: 16:29-33 and 17:1).
Sayyidna Ilyas Well: The struggle with his people
Very much like other noble prophets hul pede Sayyidna Ilyas well too
had to engage in a severe struggle with his people. Since the noble
Qur'an is no book of history, therefore, rather than describe details of this
struggle, it restricts itself to saying only that which was necessary for
taking a lesson. In other words, his people belied him, and no one except a
few chosen servants of Allah listened to Sayyidna Ilyas Sul, therefore,

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 123 - 132
they will have to face their terrible fate in afterlife.
At this stage, some commentators have described this struggle in
details. Out of the customary books of Tafsir, the most exhaustive mention
of Sayyidna Ilyas && appears in Tafsir Mazhari with reference to
'Allamah al-Baghawi. The events mentioned there have almost all been
taken from the Bible. Some parts of these events in other books of Tafsir
as well have been described with reference to Wahb Ibn Munnabih and
Ka'b al-Ahbar 42, being those who report Isra'ili narratives mostly .
In sum, the common factor that emerges from all these narratives is
that Sayyidna Ilyas Stel, by asking Ahab, the king of Isra'il, and his
people to shun idolatry, invited them towards pure monotheism. But,
except for a few votaries of truth, no one listened to him, in fact, tried to
harass him in all sorts of ways, so much so that Ahab and his wife,
Isabelle planned to kill him. He took refuge in a far out cave where he
stayed for a considerably long period of time. After that he prayed that
the people of Isra'il be seized with famine, so that he may show them
some miracles at his hand for removing the famine, may be, they would,
then, come to believe. So, they were struck with a famine.
After that, following a command of Allah Ta'ala, Sayyidna Ilyas al
met Ahab and told him that the famine was there because of disobedience
to Allah, and if he were to abstain from it even that late, that punishment
could stand removed. Then this was, he told him, the best opportunity for
him to test his veracity. He said, 'you say your god Ba'l has four hundred
and fifty apostles in this part of Isra'il. Gather them together before me on
a day of your choice. Let them offer their sacrifice in the name of Ba'l, and
I shall offer my sacrifice in the name of Allah. The one whose offering the
heavenly fire would come and burn to ashes will be the one whose faith
will be true'. Everyone readily agreed to this proposal.
So, they gathered at Mount Carmel, the appointed place. The false
apostles of Ba'l offered there sacrifice and remained busy with their
entreaties before Ba'l from morning till afternoon. But, no answer came.
After that, Sayyidna Ilyas
offered his sacrifice whereupon came the
fire from the heavens and burnt the sacrifice offered by Sayyidna Ilyas
العَلِيم
reducing it to ashes. Seeing this, many people fell prostrated in
sajdah - the truth laid manifested before them. But, the false apostles of

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 123 - 132
Ba'l still remained adamant. Therefore, Sayyidna Ilyas & had them
killed in the valley of Kishon.
After this event came heavy rains. The whole region turned verdant.
But Isabelle, the wife of Ahab, was still not ready to learn her lesson.
Rather than believe in the message of Sayyidna Ilyas full, she actually
turned more hostile against him by preparing to have him killed. When
Sayyidna Ilyas Sa came to know about it, he left Samaria, and went
into hiding once again. After the passage of some time, he started
preaching in Judah, the other country of the Bani Isra'il - because, the
epidemic of idolatry had gradually reached there as well. Jehuram, the
king out there also did not listen to him until he was destroyed following a
prophecy of Sayyidna Ilyas & ... A few years later, he returned to Isra'il
once again, and tried to reform Ahab and his son, Ahaziah. But they
continued to stick to their misdeeds until came the time when they were
hit by foreign intrusions and fatal diseases. Thereafter, Allah Ta'ala
recalled His prophet back unto Him.
Is Sayyidna Ilyas &&A alive?
Also debated among historians and commentators there is the issue
whether Sayyidna Ilyas X is alive, or has he died? In the lengthy
narrative reported in Tafsir Mazhari with reference to 'Allamah
al-Baghawi, it has also been mentioned that Sayyidna Ilyas aus was
lifted towards the heavens mounted on a horse of fire, and that he is alive
there like Sayyidna 'Isa Mal (Mazhari, p. 141, v. 8). 'Allamah as-Suyuți has
also reported several narratives from Ibn 'Asakir, Hakim and others
which indicate that he is alive. It has been reported from Ka'b al-Ahbar
that four prophets are still alive: two on the earth - Sayyidna Khadir and
Sayyidna Ilyas &C; and two in the heavens - Sayyidna 'Isa and
Sayyidna Idris (ad-durr-ul-manthur, p. 285, 286, v. 5). Indeed, some have gone
to the extent of saying that Sayyidna Khidr and Sayyidna Ilyas get
together in Baytul-Maqdis during the month of Ramadan and keep fasts.
(Tafsir Qurțubỉ, p. 116, v. 15)
But, authentic scholars like Hafiz Ibn Kathir have not declared these
narratives to be sound. About narratives of this nature, he writes:
وهو من الاسرائيليات التى لا تصدّق ولا تكذب بل الظاهر أن صحّتها بعيدة (البداية
والنهاية، ص ٣٣٨ ج١)

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 123 - 132
This is one of those Isra'ili (Judaic) narratives that are neither
confirmed nor falsified. Instead, what is obvious is that (the
proposition of) its soundness is remote.
In addition to that, he says:
"Ibn 'Asakir has reported several narratives of people who have
met Sayyidna Ilyas . But, none of these is satisfactory -
either for the reason that the chain of authority cited therein is
weak, or for the reason that people to whom these events have
been attributed are unknown" - al-bidayah wa-n-nihayah, p.
339, v. 1)
It is fairly evident that this idea of Sayyidna Ilyas as having been
lifted towards the heavens has been taken invariably from the Isra'ili
narratives. The Bible says:
"And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire
and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah (Ilyas)
went up by a whirlwind into heaven."(2 Kings 2:11)
For this reason, came the belief among Jews that Sayyidna Ilyas all
will return to the earth once once again. Hence when Sayyidna Yahya
was sent as a prophet, they doubted if he was Sayyidna Ilyas Sell. It
appears in the Bible:
"And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I
am not." (Gospel of John 1:21)
It seems that scholars like Ka'b al-Ahbar and Wahb Ibn Munabbih
who were well versed in the religious background of the People of the
Book would have described these very narratives before Muslims as a
result of which this idea of Sayyidna Ilyas all being alive found
currency among some Muslims. Otherwise, there is nothing in the Qur'an,
or the Hadith, that provides any proof of his being alive or having been
raised up unto the heavens. What we have here is only one narrative
found in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim where it has been said that, on his
way to Tabuk, the Holy Prophet 5 met Sayyidna Ilyas al. But, this
report is, as held by Hadith experts, 'mawdu' or fabricated or technically
apocryphal. Hafiz adh-Dhahabi says:
بل هو موضوع قبّح الله من وضعه وما كنت احسب ولا أُجوّز انّ الجهل يبلغ
بالحکام الی ان یصحّح هذا (درمنثور، ص ٢٨٢ جھ)

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 123 - 132
"In fact, this is fabricated. Cursed be whoever fabricated it. I
had never imagined that the inadvertence of al-Hakim could
overtake him to the extent that he would admit this thing as
sound - ad-Durr-ul-Manthur, p. 286, v. 5.
In short, it is not proved from any authentic Islamic report that
Sayyidna Ilyas Ma is alive. Hence, in this matter, the safest (and the
sanest) course is to observe silence. Particularly, in the case of Isra'ili
(Judaic) narratives, one should follow the teaching of the Holy Prophet
: 'neither confirm, nor falsify these.' The reason is that the Qur'an has
a purpose - that is, it should be understood, provide lessons and give good
counsel. This purpose can be achieved fully even without having to do
something like this. And Allah is Pure and High - He knows best. Now,
we can turn to an explanation of the verses.
The word : بعل (bal) in verse 125 :اتَدُعُونَ بَعْلًا (Do you invoke Ba'l ... )
literally means husband, master etc. But, it was the name of a particular
idol that the people of Sayyidna Ilyas & had taken to as the object of
their worship. The history of the worship of bal (Baal) goes way back in
time. It was worshipped in the country of Syria during the time of
Sayyidna Musa Mall and it used to be the most popular idol-god they had.
Ba'labakk, (Baalbek or ancient Heliopolis in present Lebanon), the once
famous city of Syria was also named after it. Some people think that
Hubal, the well-known idol of the pre-Islam people of Hijaz, was this very
ba'l (Qasas-ul-Qur'an, p. 28, v. 2).
وَتَذَرُونَ أَحْسَنَ الْخَالِقِينَ :In the next sentence of the same verse, it was said
(Do you invoke Ba'l, and ignore the Best of the creators,). This refers to
Allah Ta ala while the expression: ◌َأَحْسَنَ الْخَالِقِين (ahsanul-khaligin: the best
of the creators) never means that there could be, God forbid, some other
creator as well. On the contrary, the drive and the sense of the statement
is that He is the one most exalted of all those false objects of worship they
had taken to as being some sort of a creator (Qurtubi). Some commentators
have said that the word: JU (khaliq: creator, maker) has been used here
in the sense of Le (sani' : maker), that is, 'He is far ahead and far better
than all other makers.' What do all other makers really do? They do no
more than take different components, put them together and here is
something they have made. Bringing something out from nothingness
into existence is what they do not have under their power and control -