Appearance
Analysis of Question and Answer in the Verse
The dominant religion in ancient Egypt and the prevalent thought of that era was idolatry. Even Pharaoh, who claimed divinity and lordship for himself: “I do not know of any god for you other than myself”(367), “I am your most exalted lord”(368), would bow down before idols like others. This is why his courtiers said to him: If you give Moses respite, he will destroy you and your gods: “Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?”(369). Therefore, Pharaoh’s claim of divinity and lordship meant that his command and law were to be obeyed, not that he was the creator; this is the same claim that some of today’s autocratic rulers make. The point is that idolatry was prevalent even in the court of the Pharaohs of Egypt. The abominable innovation of worshipping idols and statues can be proven from the arguments of the Abrahamic prophets up to the time of Moses (a.s.), as Lot (a.s.) on one side, Shuʿayb (a.s.) on another, and Joseph (a.s.) who was between them and raised the issue of “Are diverse lords better…?”(370) on the third side, were all afflicted with the prevalent idolatrous thinking.
Jacob (a.s.), who witnessed these superstitious and polytheistic beliefs and thoughts, out of fear of their dangers, said to his children: “What will you worship after me?” (mā taʿbudūna min baʿdī).
Jacob’s (a.s.) intention at that moment was not to initially inform his children, as they were already monotheists both previously and at that time. Evidence of this is Joseph’s (a.s.) past arguments. This dialogue is, in fact, a re-education and renewal of allegiance and commitment.
The children of Jacob (a.s.), with the sincerity they had at the time of their father’s departure, said: “We will worship your God and the God of your forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac” (naʿbudu ilāhaka wa-ilāha ābāʾika Ibrāhīma wa-Ismāʿīla wa-Isḥāqa).
Polytheism was so prevalent in the era of ancient Egyptians that if someone spoke about the lordship of the Glorious God, faith in Him, and worship of Him, it was necessary to provide positive evidence to avoid confusion. For example, the repentant magicians said: “We believe in the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron”(371), just as Pharaoh himself said while drowning: “I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the Children of Israel believe”(372). This deplorable situation caused that within the scope of Jacob’s recommendation and the acceptance of his successors, they did not suffice with mere monotheism and the content of “There is no god but God” (lā ilāha illā Allāh). Instead, as a defining context, it was said: “Your God and the God of your forefathers…”
To prevent the misconception that Jacob’s God might be different from the God of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac, they continued in their speech: The One God is the object of worship for all, and we worship Him alone. Then they declared: Our firm quality and attribute is Islam: “And we are submissive to Him” (wa-naḥnu lahu muslimūn), the same Islam that our ancestor Abraham sought the honor of from God: “Our Lord, make us submissive to You and from our descendants a nation submissive to You”(373). And in response to the divine command to submit (aslim), he devotedly said: “I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds”(374). We will be the guardians of the Islam that has reached you from that noble one, and which you have enjoined upon us: “So do not die except as Muslims”(375).
The essence of this dialogue can be summarized as follows:
God said to Abraham: Submit (embrace Islam), and Abraham said: I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds.
Jacob said to his children: What do you worship? (meaning, embrace Islam and preserve it), and they said: We are submissive to God.
The final part of Jacob’s children’s words, “We are submissive to Him” (naḥnu lahu muslimūn), is consistent with “So do not die except as Muslims” (fa-lā tamūtunna illā wa-antum muslimūn) in the previous verse.
The central element of the aforementioned recommendations is the observance of Islam, as from the beginning to the end of this story, what serves as the connecting thread is the title of Islam. Islam is neither a mere ritual nor an empty belief or hollow creed, but a reality that is manifested in heart and form, in inner and outer aspects; that is, it has a comprehensive manifestation in belief, character, and righteous deeds. Therefore, the title of worship accompanies it to preserve its practical manifestation.
Note: The secret behind the use of “what” (mā) instead of “who” (man) in Jacob’s question: “What will you worship after me?” is that the word “what” (mā) in some cases is general, encompassing both rational beings and others. For instance, in defining things and types, whether rational or irrational, the word “what” (mā) is used; such as: “What is man?” “What is a tree?” On the other hand, sometimes “what” (mā) is used to describe a rational being, as in: “What is Zayd, a jurist or a writer?” And what appears in the verse “What is the Lord of the worlds?” [Pharaoh’s question] may be of this kind.
Considering that the present has a merit that the absent lacks, in the phrase “your God and the God of your forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac,” the pronoun of address referring to Jacob is placed first, and his name comes before the names of his ancestors. Observing the context, which emphasizes the importance of the matter, a praiseworthy and desirable repetition is considered. The first expression “your God” would have been sufficient, but the mention of “the God of your forefathers…” is for the importance of the matter; similar to the repetition in the verses “And when they pass by futility, they pass by with dignity”(376), “If you do good, you do good for yourselves”(377), and “We have aided you with what you know”(378), “He has aided you with cattle and children”(379), and… is evident and accompanied by the insight of pure monotheism, which is free from the taint of Jewish dualism: “The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of God’”(380), and Christian trinity: “God is the third of three”(381).
In the verse under discussion, the word “father” (ab) is applied to grandfather, uncle, and father, as Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather, Ishmael was his uncle, and Isaac was his father. This application could be literal, or it might be a case of predominance (taghlīb). The point of this application is the necessity of respecting one’s grandfather and uncle, just as Joseph also referred to them as fathers: “And I have followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob”(382). However, Ishmael is not mentioned by name.
The reason for mentioning Ishmael before Isaac in the verse under discussion is his seniority in age compared to Isaac.
Response to an Objection
The state of dying is the most important stage of life, and Islam and monotheistic worship of the Lord is the most prominent life’s work. Similarly, the purity of the prophetic lineage from contamination and dualism, and the sincerity of heart, are the best divine blessings. Teaching human society to choose Islam in the most sensitive moments of life is among the sweetest outcomes of the prophets. The tradition of the prophets was to be vigilant about dying as a Muslim and to recommend Islam at the time of death. What the prophets sought in their prayers, desiring the religiosity of their lineage, they observed in their prophetic call, even in the form of a testament at the time of death. The sum of these glories has become the basis for arranging such a recommendation and such a testament.
It should be noted that the recommendation to Islam, which appears in the words of the prophets and divine guardians, is an invitation to a proven religion and an encouragement to proof and investigation, not blind imitation. This is because the Glorious God established proof for Islam, and Abraham and Jacob, after establishing that proof, invited their children to the proven Islam.
The point is that one of Jacob’s children, Joseph, years before his father’s testament and passing, was inviting people to Islam with proof in the prison of Egypt. In his dialogue, he established proof for the oneness of God and in his argumentation said: We have no right to associate partners with God, for we must only worship our Lord. It is not possible for the object of worship to be other than the Lord, and the Lord to be other than the Creator: “…It was not for us to associate anything with God… O my two companions of the prison! Are many diverse lords better or God the One, the Irresistible? You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named_—you and your fathers—_for which God has sent down no authority.”(383) One must verify anyone’s claim with proof or revelation, while polytheism and idolatry are compatible neither with rational proof nor with revelation, as Joseph said in this argumentation: You have no authority or proof for idol worship. Proof is called “authority” (sulṭān) because it dominates both imagination and illusion, as well as doubts and objections.
In conclusion, one cannot say that just as Abraham and Jacob advised their children to follow their tradition, and Jacob’s children emphasized following and preserving the religion of their fathers and grandfathers, others can also preserve the religion of their ancestors. The Noble Qur’an approves, sanctifies, and encourages the tradition of the prophets and divine guardians, which is a verified tradition in harmony with reason and revelation, not every tradition and intellectual heritage, even if it is superstitious.