Abraham’s (a.s.) Prayer for the Inhabitants of Mecca

The second part of Abraham, the Friend of the Merciful’s, prayer pertains specifically to the inhabitants of Mecca. Recognizing that the population of Mecca over the centuries has included both believers and disbelievers, Abraham (a.s.) did not make this part of the prayer unconditional, as he did with the first. Instead, in a particular supplication, he prayed: “O God! From the inhabitants of this city, bless the believers among them with various fruits; ‘and provide its people with fruits—whoever of them believes in God and the Last Day.’”(204) In this prayer, Abraham (a.s.) did not mention the disbelievers or their potential enjoyment or deprivation of these fruits.

The reasoning behind this type of prayer from Abraham (a.s.) might be rooted in his and his followers’ prior declaration of disassociation from the disbelievers: “Indeed, we are disassociated from you” [60:4]. Abraham (a.s.) even disassociated himself from Āzar, who was either his uncle or held another familial relationship with him: “And Abraham’s request for forgiveness for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to God, he disassociated himself from him” [9:114]. As a prophet with a sound and upright nature, Abraham (a.s.) would not pray for blessings or material enjoyment for the disbelievers, aligning with his consistent stance of disavowal toward disbelief.