Questions and Answers

The Story of Ibrahim · Compiled by Tawheed Institute Australia from Tafsīr al-Tasnīm

The story of Abraham in Sūrat al-Baqarah (2:124–137) runs from his trials and imāmah to the building of the Kaʿba and his last advice to his sons, and al-Tasnim’s commentary on it is long. This page gathers the questions readers most often ask, in the order of the story, each with a short answer drawn from what Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says. Each answer links to the passage in al-Tasnim, so you can read more.

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Abraham’s trials and the “words” (2:124)

Why does the Qur’an tell Abraham’s story right after the Children of Israel?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī sees the two long stories as two sides of one coin. The story of the Children of Israel (2:40–123) shows covenant-breaking and a lack of God-consciousness, echoing the angels’ worry about a vicegerent who will cause corruption (2:30). The story of Abraham and the prophets of his line, which begins here, answers that worry: Indeed I know what you do not know.

It also reminds the People of the Book and the polytheists, who all claimed Abraham, what his religion really was.

What does it mean that God “tested” Abraham?

The word used, ibtilāʾ, comes from a root meaning wear and tear. Things show their real qualities once they have been worn, and people say “I have worn out so-and-so” when long contact has made someone’s character plain. So a test is something that brings out what is inside a person.

The related word fitna originally means melting gold in fire to see whether it is pure. The choice of ibtilāʾ, Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī adds, points to a deeper and more searching test than ordinary balāʾ.

Read more in al-Tasnim: Verse 2:124 · Detailed Exegesis · Verse 2:124 · Detailed Exegesis

If God already knows everything, why does He test anyone?

Human examiners test because they do not know. God’s testing is different: its purpose is to bring the hidden qualities and depth of faith of the one tested into the open, not to tell God something He did not know.

Divine tests perfect believers, show their merits to others, and purify their hearts. That is why a verse about those who fled from fighting and martyrdom ends: And God is Knowing of that within the breasts (3:154). Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī adds that testing belongs to God’s knowledge at the level of action, not to His eternal knowledge, which covers everything.

What were the “words” Abraham was tested with?

After weighing the views of other exegetes, some of which list up to thirteen items, Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī concludes that the “words” were great events Abraham had already lived through. They include leaving his people, fighting idolatry and breaking the idols, debating Nimrod, being thrown into the fire, leaving his homeland, hosting guests, and the command to sacrifice his son.

The pronoun used for them, hunna, shows they were real events and covenants, not just words, letters or ideas.

Were the “words” the ten practices of cleanliness?

One explanation says the “words” were ten practices of purity handed down from Abraham. Five concern the head and five the body: trimming the moustache, rinsing the mouth, using the miswāk, trimming the nails, circumcision, and so on.

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī does not accept this. Such simple practices cannot be the complete “words” by which God would test one of the prophets of great resolve, least of all a test that raised Abraham to imāmah. He also rejects reading them as the thirty or so qualities of believers listed in other sūrahs, since every believer is commanded to have those.

Why was the command to sacrifice his son such a great test?

Prophets are chosen, so their tests are chosen too, and they matter more than the ordinary tests everyone faces. The Qur’an itself calls the command to sacrifice Ishmael the clear trial (37:106). It was a test for both father and son: when Abraham told him of the dream, the son answered, O my father, do as you are commanded, and they had both submitted.

A narration names this test as one of the “words”. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī notes that the narration gives an important example of the words. It does not limit them to this one.

What do the narrations say the “words” were?

They give several answers. In one, Imam al-Ṣādiq says they are the words Adam received when he asked to be forgiven “by the right of Muḥammad, ʿAlī, Fāṭima, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn”. In another, the Prophet says Gabriel brought him seven words from the Torah in Hebrew, divine names such as “O Light of the heavens and the earth”.

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that such narrations usually give perfect examples, or reveal hidden meanings, rather than limiting the verse. So they do not contradict its plain meaning or each other.

Did Abraham earn imāmah by passing his tests?

Not in the sense of acquiring it. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says the essence of prophethood, messengership and imāmah cannot be acquired. What can be acquired is the preparation, moving up from one level until one is ready for the station.

The verse links the tests and the appointment like a condition and its result. But since God says He said, “I will make you…” without “then”, imāmah is still a pure gift. The tests prepared the ground for it.

Abraham made an Imam (2:124)

Abraham was already a prophet, so what was this imāmah?

Abraham had been a prophet and a model for his society for many years before this. Prophethood already includes leading society and setting an example. So, Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says, the imāmah given here mainly means inner and heavenly guidance: not just showing the way, but bringing people to the goal God has set.

The Qur’an describes such Imams as guiding by Our command. Their guidance reaches people’s hearts.

Read more in al-Tasnim: Verse 2:124 · Selected Exegesis

When in his life was Abraham made an Imam?

In his old age. Imam al-Bāqir said that God took Abraham as a servant before making him a prophet, a prophet before a messenger, a messenger before His intimate friend (khalīl), and a friend before an Imam. Only when all these were gathered did He say, Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people.

Abraham’s reply, And from my descendants?, shows he already had children, and he had them only late in life.

Was “And of my descendants?” a question or a request?

A request. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that Abraham was not asking whether imāmah would continue. He was asking God to continue it. Elsewhere, too, he prays for his children to be kept from idols and to establish prayer.

The wording shows his good manners in prayer. Knowing that some of his descendants would not be worthy, he asked only for “some of” them, since asking for the unworthy would have been improper.

Who are the “wrongdoers” God’s covenant does not reach?

Imam al-Ṣādiq explained the verse by saying: “Whoever worships an idol or image cannot be an Imam.” Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī notes the Imam put it in the past tense, “whoever worshipped”. So someone who once worshipped idols is barred too, even if he no longer does.

He adds that the verse covers more than imāmah. No part of God’s covenant, whether prophethood, messengership or succession, reaches a wrongdoer.

Did any of Abraham’s descendants become Imams?

Yes. The Qur’an divides his descendants into doers of good and those who are clearly unjust to themselves (37:113). Since God says His covenant does not reach the unjust, it must reach the doers of good. Otherwise the division would be pointless.

So, Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī concludes, all the righteous prophets and saints of his line attained imāmah, from Ishmael and Isaac to the Master of the Age, even where the Qur’an does not say so of each of them.

The House: a place of return and security (2:125)

What does it mean that the House is a “place of return” for people?

The Arabic mathāba comes from a root meaning return to an original or destined state. So the Kaʿba is the true homeland of humanity, and whoever visits it or turns towards it is returning to where they began.

People return by pilgrimage, or from afar by facing it in prayer. It stands for the monotheistic nature (fiṭra) in every person. That is why hearts long for it, and even those who have visited many times want to go back.

Why does God call the Kaʿba “My House”?

It is a mark of honour, like “God’s she-camel” or “the month of God”, though God is above time and place. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says that My House is even nobler than “the House of God”.

Imam al-Bāqir used the same idea to explain the narration that God created Adam “in His image”. God chose that form and linked it to Himself, just as He linked the Kaʿba and the Spirit to Himself: My House and I breathed into him of My Spirit.

Is the Kaʿba only for Muslims?

No. The verse says it is a place of return for the people. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī takes this to mean the Kaʿba is a sanctuary for all humanity. One shared centre lays the ground for unity among those drawn to it.

It is also a lesson in equality. Equal are the resident therein and one from outside (22:25). Those who circle it should leave behind any sense of racial, financial or personal privilege, since no one is better than another except through God-consciousness.

What kind of security does the Kaʿba have?

God made the Kaʿba secure as a first grace, before anyone asked. This is different from the security of Mecca, which came in answer to Abraham’s prayer. Mecca may at times lose its peace, but the Kaʿba as qibla and place of circling has a special, absolute security.

Whoever even intends to violate it is warned: whoever intends deviation therein by wrongdoing – We will make him taste of a painful punishment (22:25).

Can a criminal take refuge in the Kaʿba?

Yes, according to its legal security: whoever enters it shall be safe. A criminal who takes refuge in the Kaʿba may not be harmed or punished there. To make him leave, his water and food may be restricted.

But someone who knowingly breaks God’s limits inside the Sanctuary loses this protection, under the principle that violations are subject to retribution (2:194).

Read more in al-Tasnim: Verse 2:125 · The Security of the Kaʿba

If the Kaʿba is protected, why has it been damaged in history?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that what Muslims face and circle is not just the walls but the place where the Kaʿba stands. Floods, accidents or attacks may damage the building, but its role as qibla and place of circling stays untouched.

He gives the example of al-Ḥajjāj. Citing Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, he says al-Ḥajjāj’s main aim was to capture Ibn al-Zubayr, not to desecrate the Kaʿba. And since Ibn al-Zubayr had not sided with the Imams of his time, God did not extend His protection to him, even inside the sanctuary.

Why is it called the “Ancient House”?

The word ʿatīq means both ancient and free. Imam al-Bāqir said: “It is a free house, ancient and free from the people; no one has ever owned it.” No person, tribe or government has ever owned it, and even Abraham, who built it, called it Your sacred House (14:37), not his own.

So circling it, Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says, is a lesson in freedom: from inner desires and from outside oppressors, keeping only servitude to God.

The Station of Abraham (2:125)

What is the Station of Abraham?

It is a stone that miraculously keeps Abraham’s footprint. Accounts differ on how the print was made. He may have stood on it while raising the walls of the Kaʿba, or put his foot on it when visiting Ishmael’s family, or climbed it to call the people to pilgrimage.

In any case, his foot sank into the hard rock and left its mark, which is counted as one of his miracles. Anas ibn Mālik said he saw the marks of the toes, worn smooth by people’s hands.

Why are pilgrims told to pray at the Station?

The command Take the Station of Abraham as a place of prayer is about the prayer after circling the Kaʿba. The Kaʿba is circled again and again, each circling is followed by this prayer, and God made the spot where Abraham stood its permanent place.

A muṣallā is a place where prayer goes on all the time. Narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt say the prayer is said behind or beside the Station, not in front of it with the Station behind you, which would be disrespectful.

Has the Station always stood where it is today?

A narration says Abraham first set it by the wall of the House. In the Age of Ignorance it was moved to where it stands now, the Prophet returned it at the conquest of Mecca, and later ʿUmar restored it using a strap measurement a man had kept.

In another report, when a flood entered the mosque, Imam al-Ḥusayn told the worried people that God had made it a sign that such events would not move. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī notes that the Imams accepted its present place, so praying there is enough.

How did Abraham call the people to pilgrimage?

A narration says that when he finished the House, God told him to call people to Ḥajj. Abraham said his voice would not reach them, and God answered, “You make the call, and I will convey it.” He climbed the Station, which rose higher than the mountains, and called east and west. People answered labbayk from across the earth, and even from the loins of men and the wombs of women.

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says this account is more like the story of the divine covenant than an ordinary event.

Purifying the House (2:125)

What were Abraham and Ishmael told to purify the House from?

From everything. The command names no particular impurity, so Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī takes it as general. The whole sanctuary, inside and out, must be kept free of every kind of filth, physical or spiritual.

Abraham and Ishmael did this in two ways: removing the traces of polytheism others had left, and preventing new ones from entering. After Islam’s victory over idolatry, the Prophet’s first order was to purify the Kaʿba, and ʿAlī cleared it of the idols.

What does the purity of the House mean for the pilgrim?

The House is kept pure so that those who worship there are purified. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says that a pilgrim who comes home from that pure sanctuary still spiritually impure has not truly circled the Kaʿba. Likewise, one who prays without purity has not truly faced it.

Just as the Qur’an’s teachings need inner purity to be understood, the deeper realities of the House are hidden from those who have not become pure.

Who are “those who stay for worship” at the House?

The word ʿākifīn comes from ʿukūf, staying with a task without being distracted. Here it does not mean the people who live in Mecca. It means those engaged in devotion there, such as those in spiritual retreat (iʿtikāf), or those who stay in the mosque to gaze at the Kaʿba, which is itself an act of worship.

The command also shows that circling, bowing, prostration and prayer existed before Islam. People devoted to them came from far away to the Kaʿba.

Abraham’s prayer for a secure land (2:126)

What did Abraham ask for when he prayed for Mecca?

Mecca was an uncultivated valley (14:37), land with no natural means of growing anything. Abraham asked for two things in turn: that this barren place become a city, and that the city be secure.

Ordinary people would have thought such a prayer impossible. But Abraham had seen miracles, above all the news that he and his barren, elderly wife would have a son. So he trusted God’s power, and God turned the barren valley into a place with fields and livestock.

Was Mecca made safe for everyone, or only for believers?

For everyone. God answered the prayer for security without conditions. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī gives two reasons. God reports the prayer without objecting to it, and security that protected only some of a city’s people would not be real security.

The answer shows in the Qur’an, which calls Mecca this secure city (95:3) and speaks of its people being made secure from fear (106:4). This security is God’s decree and comes from reverence for the Kaʿba. It does not mean all of Mecca’s people were righteous.

Why did Abraham ask for security before food and pilgrims?

Because security is the most precious blessing, for each person and for society. Under its protection, lost blessings can be regained; without it, every existing blessing disappears.

Since the verse speaks of security without limits, Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī sees intellectual and cultural security as one of its main forms: the freedom for fair, well-grounded discussion between different views, which brings out the truth. Abraham himself, the builder of the Kaʿba, was a pioneer of such debate.

Provision for believers, and a little for those who disbelieve (2:126)

Why did Abraham ask for provision only for the believers?

Mecca’s people over the centuries would include believers and disbelievers, so this part of the prayer was not unconditional. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī links it to Abraham’s firm disowning of disbelief: Indeed, we are disassociated from you (60:4). He even disowned Āzar.

Some exegetes say Abraham learned this caution when God answered his request for his descendants with My covenant does not extend to the wrongdoers. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says this works only if the imāmah came before the building of the Kaʿba, and there is no firm evidence that it did.

Why does God provide for disbelievers at all?

Abraham did not pray for the disbelievers, but he did not curse them either. God gave them blessings too, out of respect for the Kaʿba and the Sanctuary.

More generally, in this world God’s all-embracing mercy makes no difference between believers and disbelievers in material blessings, which are themselves a test. When it rains or a spring flows, the wicked are not left out. Spiritual blessings are another matter. Those, like imāmah, reach only the righteous.

What does “I will let him enjoy a little” mean?

It does not mean disbelievers get only small or short-lived blessings. It means all worldly enjoyment is little compared with the Hereafter. However much a disbeliever enjoys for however many years, it counts for little in God’s sight.

God even says that, but for the risk of everyone turning to disbelief, He would give disbelievers houses with silver roofs and gold ornaments (43:33–35). So wealth is no sign of nearness to God. The same fruit is a good for the believer and becomes a burden for the disbeliever in the Hereafter.

Why are disbelievers “forced” to the Fire?

Because, as Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains, their actions were freely chosen but the result is not. The outcome of their deeds is harmful in itself, and they cannot escape it. The Qur’an speaks of them being thrust and dragged towards Hell.

The punishment is not only outward burning. Wretched is the destination points to an inner change. Just as fruit rots or overeating makes a person ill, their nature changes in the Hereafter, showing what they had become inside.

What are the “fruits” Abraham asked for?

The narrations give more than one meaning. Imam al-Bāqir said they are “fruits brought from various horizons”, goods arriving from far-off lands. Imam al-Ṣādiq said they are the fruits of the hearts: people drawn to the sanctuary with love.

A narration from Imam al-Riḍā says a piece of land from Jordan circled the Kaʿba seven times and became al-Ṭāʾif. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī is careful here: it is a single narration, and if it cannot be interpreted, its knowledge should be left to the Ahl al-Bayt.

Raising the foundations of the House (2:127)

Did Abraham build the Kaʿba for the first time?

No. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that the Kaʿba and its sanctity go back long before Abraham’s prophethood, so he was neither its original founder nor its first builder. God showed him where the House had stood and gave him the plan to rebuild it. So “raising the foundations” means reconstruction, not something new.

Abraham’s earlier prayer shows this. When he settled his family in Mecca, Ishmael was still a small child, yet Abraham already spoke of Your sacred House.

What do the narrations say about the Kaʿba before Abraham?

Several narrations from the Imams trace it back to Adam. In one, God placed the Sacred House on earth in line with the Frequented House (al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr) in heaven, which the angels circled. In another, the Black Stone was sent down from Paradise for Adam, and the House was first a white pearl. Later God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build on the foundations that remained.

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī notes that this alignment with the Frequented House is a correspondence between the physical world and the higher realms, not a literal matter of geography.

Why does the verse mention Ishmael separately, after Abraham?

The verse says when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House, and Ishmael. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī gives two possible reasons. The wording may show that Ishmael was his father’s assistant, while Abraham led the main work of designing and building the Kaʿba.

Or it may be out of respect for Abraham’s rank as one of the resolute prophets (ulū l-ʿazm). Ishmael was also a prophet, and this does not mean the two of them built in different ways.

What were Abraham and Ishmael saying as they built?

Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing (2:127). Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī points out that the verb “raising” is in the present tense, which shows continuity. They repeated this prayer the whole time they were building, not only once at the end. So every part of the Kaʿba was raised with this remembrance.

They did not name the deed they wanted accepted. He sees this as humility: they did not regard building the Kaʿba as remarkable. In answer, God called it My House.

What makes a deed acceptable to God?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī names two pillars: the deed itself must be good, and the doer must be righteous, as in God only accepts from the righteous. Full righteousness in every respect is a condition for perfect acceptance, not for basic acceptance. Otherwise most people’s deeds would be void.

He also separates validity from acceptance. Whether an act is valid is a question for jurisprudence. Whether God accepts it is a question for theology. The Kaʿba, built by two great prophets, combined the highest goodness of deed and doer.

“Make us submissive to You … and show us our rites” (2:128)

Abraham and Ishmael were already Muslims. Why ask God to make them submissive?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that Islam has levels. The lowest is accepting God’s oneness, the resurrection and prophethood. Above that comes faith. These two prophets were themselves teachers of faith, so they were not asking for either of these.

They asked for the highest level: complete submission and obedience, detachment from everything other than God, and a heart with nothing in it but His remembrance and love. In effect, he says, they were asking for a sound heart. This station is higher than contentment. For them it was an honour, not a duty.

Why did Abraham pray so much for his descendants?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī suggests it was because he knew the story of Noah’s son, who ignored his father’s teaching despite nine and a half centuries of prophetic struggle. Had Noah had a righteous son, his teaching might have spread further. Abraham wanted a goodly mention among later generations, and he may have prayed this way so that his own children would not share the fate of Noah’s son.

He also notes that the moment of prayer was chosen well. They prayed while doing one of the best acts of worship, rebuilding the Kaʿba.

Is the “submissive nation” only Abraham’s physical descendants?

The words from our descendants show that only some would reach this station. Literally the prayer is for his physical lineage, but Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī argues that anyone who sincerely follows these leaders counts as their family, as in “Salmān is of us, the People of the House.” So the station of submission is not limited to the infallibles or to Abraham’s descendants.

One narration says the community of Muhammad is the Hashemites. He explains that the Prophet’s message is universal. The believers of Banū Hāshim are part of the community, but the community is not limited to them.

What does “show us our rites” mean?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī points out that they did not say “teach us our rites.” “Showing” here means seeing it done in front of them, not learning it as concepts. The rites of Hajj were not passed on through words alone. They were acted out.

According to the narrations, Gabriel came and performed the acts of Hajj before the two prophets, and they repeated them. He led them in circling the House seven times and prayed with them at the Station of Abraham. In another narration, ʿArafāt is where Abraham was told to “recognise” (ʿarafa) his rites.

Why would two infallible prophets ask God to accept their repentance?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that repentance (tawba) does not always mean turning back from sin. Repentance from sin is impossible for the infallibles. Their request was for divine grace, a higher rank and further favour. A creature’s repentance is a return from deficiency to perfection, and God’s “repentance” is the return of His grace.

Calling on Him as the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful shows that He will certainly accept, since mercy never shows unkindness. It also shows that acceptance comes from His mercy, not because He is bound to accept.

The prayer for a messenger (2:129)

Who is the messenger Abraham and Ishmael prayed for?

The well-known view is that it is only the Prophet Muhammad. Since Ishmael joined in the prayer, the messenger must come from his line, and the Prophet said: “I am the prayer of my father Abraham and the glad tidings of Jesus.”

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī finds a second view closer: the messenger includes the Prophet and also the other Abrahamic prophets. Abraham prayed for all his descendants, through Isaac and through Ishmael. Muhammad is one of the best examples of its answer, not the only one. Wanting the messenger “from them” is, he adds, a praiseworthy bias.

What is the “wisdom” the messenger teaches?

The Qur’an calls the goods of this world “little” but calls wisdom much good. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that it uses “wisdom” for rational knowledge, moral advice and legal rulings alike, because they are firm and solid. In Sūrat al-Isrāʾ, about twenty teachings that begin and end with God’s oneness are called wisdom.

So God’s oneness is the foundation and beginning of wisdom. Luqmān’s first wise words were do not associate anything with God. In a narration the Prophet says God gave him the Qur’an and as much wisdom again. Wisdom may mean the Sunnah, or rational proofs.

How does the Prophet “purify” people?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that purification is different from teaching. When the Prophet explains rulings and ethics, that is teaching the Book and wisdom. His practical conduct, which cleanses society of vices, is purification. For example, taking zakāt frees the wealthy from attachment to wealth.

Fakhr al-Rāzī held that the Prophet cannot reach people’s inner selves, and that doing so would be compulsion. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī disagrees. By God’s permission, the Prophet can influence souls through his existential guardianship. This is not compulsion, because it is given as a reward to someone already striving on the path.

Why does Abraham’s prayer put teaching before purification, when other verses reverse the order?

In Abraham’s prayer the messenger teaches them the Book and wisdom and purifies them. In the verses on its answer, purification comes first. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī notes that no word of sequence is used, so the order is only the order of mention, though what comes first can show what matters more.

Teaching comes first in the prayer as a prerequisite: no one can purify a soul they do not know. Like a farmer clearing land before sowing, one must first know the soul, its faculties and its harms. Yet every teaching is also preceded by a kind of purification.

Why did Jesus call the coming of Muhammad “glad tidings”?

The Prophet said he was “the prayer of my father Abraham and the glad tidings of Jesus.” The Qur’an reports Jesus bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Aḥmad.

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī notes that God approved this word, which is used for something new and more perfect. If the coming prophet and his law were only on the same level, announcing him would just report that prophethood goes on. It would not be good news. So Jesus was also telling his people that the coming prophet was greater than himself.

Read more in al-Tasnim: Verse 2:129 · A Discussion of the Narrations

Who turns away from Abraham’s religion? (2:130)

What is “the religion of Abraham”?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says it is Islam, not the particular law given to each prophet. Its core is knowing God’s oneness, revelation and prophethood, the afterlife, and religious rulings. The pagan Arabs turned away from all of these. The Jews and Christians turned away from God’s oneness through belief in two or three.

Fakhr al-Rāzī reported an objection: because of abrogation, Muhammad’s religion is not exactly Abraham’s. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī rejects it. He also rejects al-Rāzī’s own answer that Abraham’s religion here means his prayer for a messenger.

Why does the Qur’an call turning away from it “foolishness”?

God gave Abraham sound judgement, so his way became the measure of reason and maturity. Turning away from maturity can only be foolishness, since nothing else stands opposite it. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī compares it to the sun: whoever does not see it is blind.

The verse says such a person makes a fool of himself. He explains that harm always falls first on the one who does it, and only its shadow reaches others. Someone who turns from Abraham’s religion loses his own self, which is his real capital. Narrations also call the wine-drinker a fool, however worldly his success.

Did the Prophet Muhammad turn away from Abraham’s religion when some of its laws changed?

No. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that the “aversion” the verse condemns is turning away without God’s command or divine proof. In Abraham’s time, his religion had, besides the central elements of Islam, its own particular law.

Muhammad kept those central elements and left some minor branches of the earlier law. Because that change came by God’s command, it is praiseworthy, and it is called abrogation (naskh). So the objection that he partly turned away from Abraham’s religion does not stand.

Why was Abraham “chosen in this world” but “among the righteous in the Hereafter”?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says the difference is deliberate. Both qualities belong to Abraham in both worlds. Abraham was chosen because he accepted the religion God chose.

Righteousness has degrees. Some people are so purely righteous that prophets like Abraham and Joseph prayed to be joined with them: join me with the righteous. God answered by promising that Abraham would be among them in the Hereafter. In the narrations he suggests, as a possibility, that these may be the Ahl al-Bayt, whose light was the first manifestation, and that other prophets may reach their station in stages.

“Submit” — “I submit to the Lord of the worlds” (2:131)

Why would God tell a prophet like Abraham to “submit”?

Abraham had been a Muslim since his youth. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that submission has levels. Some levels he already had. Higher ones he did not yet have and could still reach. This command came after his prophethood, late in his life, after hard tests, and it called him to a special submission: complete obedience and absolute surrender to God’s will. Like his imāmah, it came in stages.

It showed in the sacrifice of his son: when they both submitted. In the fire too, he did not seek help from the angels.

Read more in al-Tasnim: Verse 2:131 · Detailed Exegesis · Verse 2:131 · Detailed Exegesis

Why did he say “to the Lord of the worlds” and not “to my Lord”?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that Abraham saw that the whole of creation is submissive to God. His answer means: just as the whole world submits, so do I. It is the same politeness as the heavens and earth answering We come willingly, counting themselves part of the caravan of creation.

Seeing this has a result. Someone who sees everyone as submissive and helpless before God relies on no one else. A drowning person grabs at every rope only because he thinks it is tied to something.

Do all Muslims have the same level of Islam?

No. In one narration Imam al-Ṣādiq ranks them: Islam, then faith above it, then piety, then certainty. In another, his servant said they disowned people who did not share their views. The Imam replied that Muslims have from one to seven shares, and the one with one share should not be burdened with what is on the one with two.

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī concludes that the minimum level is enough for Muslims to live together, and each should tolerate others with open-mindedness. This is a praiseworthy social pluralism. It does not mean that truth itself is many or relative.

Abraham’s and Jacob’s last advice: “die not except as Muslims” (2:132)

How can anyone be told not to die except as a Muslim?

Death itself is certain, so it cannot be commanded or forbidden. But its voluntary side can: one can be told not to die as a disbeliever.

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that no one knows when or where they will die. So a person must stay a Muslim in every state, lest death come in heedlessness. That is why the opening of prayer teaches us to say that my living and my dying are for God. The line is not meant only for the start of prayer.

Why does the advice mention death at all?

To show the need for faith that is firmly settled (īmān mustaqarr). Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that the pressure of death is so overwhelming that faith which is only “lent” is stripped away at death. It does not go with the person into the intermediate realm.

This, he says, is why many cannot answer even the simplest questions in the grave about their Lord, Prophet and religion. Those with settled faith feel no such pressure. What makes faith settled is continuing righteous and sincere deeds, based on sound knowledge.

Not here. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that Abraham and Jacob invited their children to a religion already proven by argument. Recommending Abraham’s religion is really recommending reason: be intelligent, not foolish. Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons, was already arguing for God’s oneness in the prison of Egypt.

So the verse cannot be used to say that anyone may keep their ancestors’ religion. The Qur’an approves the tradition of the prophets because it agrees with reason and revelation, not every inherited tradition, even a superstitious one.

Jacob’s question to his sons (2:133)

Why did Jacob ask his sons “What will you worship after me?”

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that idol worship was the dominant religion of ancient Egypt. Even Pharaoh, for all his claims, bowed to idols. Jacob saw these beliefs and feared their danger for his children.

He was not teaching them something new, since they were already monotheists. The exchange was a renewal of their pledge and commitment. Their answer, and we are submissive to Him, matches the advice of the previous verse, do not die except as Muslims.

Why did they say “your God and the God of your fathers” instead of just “God”?

Polytheism was so widespread in Egypt that simply speaking of “God” could be misunderstood. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī compares it with the repentant magicians, who said the Lord of Moses and Aaron. Jacob’s sons named the God of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac to make clear which God they meant, and then said one God, so no one would think Jacob’s God was different from his fathers’.

Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather, Ishmael his uncle and Isaac his father, yet all are called “fathers.” He sees in this a lesson in respecting one’s grandfather and uncle.

What is the point of asking “Were you witnesses when death came to Jacob?”

Some Jews and Christians claimed that Jacob had advised his children to follow their religion. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that God answers: you were not there, and at that scene there was only talk of Islam.

To prove their claim, they would have needed either to have witnessed his testament or to find it in the Torah or the Gospel, and they had neither. Not being there does not by itself prove the other side, since not knowing something does not show it does not exist. But it can never prove their claim either.

“That was a nation that has passed” (2:134)

Does being descended from prophets save anyone?

No. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that many of the People of the Book believed their descent from Abraham would save them in the Hereafter, and that their ancestors’ good deeds would cover their own sins. The verse answers that every person and nation owns the results of its own deeds: It will have what it earned, and you will have what you have earned.

The Prophet warned the Hashemites not to come to him with lineage while others came with deeds, and told Fāṭima, “I cannot avail you against God in any way.” Mere lineage, he says, has no effect.

“Be Jews or Christians” and the religion of Abraham, the upright (2:135)

What did they mean by “Be Jews or Christians, you will be guided”?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that it does not mean both groups agreed that either religion saves. The Jews said “be Jews and nothing else,” and the Christians said “be Christians and nothing else.” Each excluded the other, and Muslims too, from salvation, so each claimed Paradise for itself.

He says this rested on prejudice, not proof. The Qur’an also reports that they each said the other has nothing to stand on, and that neither would be pleased with the Prophet until he followed their religion.

What does “upright” (ḥanīf) mean, and why is it the answer?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that being upright is part of human nature. Human nature is not neutral between truth and falsehood. It leans only towards truth. Abraham’s upright religion is the religion of human nature on which God created people (30:30).

So the reply does more than call a ceasefire. It rejects their condition for guidance and invites everyone to Abraham’s religion, which is both rational and accepted by all. Fakhr al-Rāzī called the reply merely persuasive. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says it is demonstrative, because the truth of Abraham’s religion had already been shown by proof.

Why stress that Abraham “was not of the polytheists”?

No one suspected Abraham of polytheism. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that the point is to show that the Judaism and Christianity of that time were not his religion, since they had fallen into polytheism by calling Ezra or the Messiah “son of God.” It also blocks the idea that if he was neither Jew nor Christian, he must have been a polytheist.

Does Islam say Jews and Christians are entirely wrong?

No. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī contrasts the Qur’an’s fair approach with the mutual condemnations of the two groups. Islam does not judge Judaism or Christianity as false outright. A Jew who acts on the original, unaltered Torah is on the truth, and so is a Christian who acts on the original Gospel. Those who do not act on them are in error. That is why the Qur’an praises an upright community among the People of the Book.

He adds that anyone who truly revives the original Torah and Gospel will accept Islam, because the Prophet is described in them.

“We believe in God and what was sent down to us …” (2:136)

Why must believers accept every prophet without distinction?

The Jews and Christians accepted only prophets from their own tribe. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says that shows they were self-centred, not truth-centred. Believers are told to believe in all prophets and all scriptures, whatever their race or tribe.

He explains that all prophets are messengers of the one God, so the chain of prophethood is like a single act of worship whose parts are bound together. Rejecting one prophet is in effect rejecting the source. Prophets differ in rank, but not in prophethood itself.

Why does the verse say “sent down” for some prophets and “given” for Moses and Jesus?

It may be just for variety. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī also suggests a possible reason: “giving” is broader than “sending down.” Sending down covers the scripture. Giving also covers the prophet’s rank and his miracles.

So believing in what was given to Moses and Jesus includes believing in them as prophets, in the Torah and the Gospel, and in their miracles, such as the white hand, the staff, raising the dead and healing the blind. The word “given” also shows that the prophets had nothing of their own. All they had came from God.

Were “the Tribes” — Jacob’s sons — prophets?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī says no. Revelation is linked to the Tribes because each of the twelve tribes had a prophet, not because Jacob’s twelve sons were prophets. According to a narration from Imam al-Bāqir, only Joseph among them was a prophet. The narrations on the subject conflict, and the one that agrees with the Qur’an’s principle of the prophets’ infallibility is preferable.

“If they believe as you believe … God will suffice you” (2:137)

Why does the verse say “the like of what you believe” rather than “what you believe”?

Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that this wording avoids imposing on the People of the Book, so they could not stubbornly reply, “We do not believe in what you believe.” It invites them with honour to the principles shared by all divine laws, as in come to a word that is equitable between us and you.

Their faith becomes like the believers’ faith only when they leave behind ideas of God as a son or one of three, and come to pure transcendence. The words they have been guided answer their claim, be Jews or Christians, you will be guided.

What does it mean that those who turn away are “in dissension”?

Shiqāq comes from a root meaning to split. It means discord, strife and enmity: standing on the other side of a divide. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī notes that the word “in” pictures it as a pit into which they have fallen.

The path of guidance is one. Those who turn away from it, wholly or in part, divide society, place themselves on the other side from the believers and fall into hypocrisy. A narration from Imam al-Ṣādiq says it means “in disbelief.” Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī explains that this refers to the theological side of turning away.

Was “God will suffice you against them” just the kind of promise any leader makes?

Some atheists said so. Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī answers that it was a definite promise, made in hard conditions, and it came true in front of enemies eager to catch any falsehood. That shows knowledge of the unseen and overwhelming power, which are signs of prophethood.

The phrase promises the believers victory and warns those in dissension of defeat. Because the verb shows continuity, the promise is not limited to one generation. In any time and place, true Muslims fall under it. God hears the words of both groups and knows what is in their hearts.

Verse 2:124

Verse 2:125

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Verse 2:127

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Questions and Answers ​

Abraham’s trials and the “words” (2:124) ​

Why does the Qur’an tell Abraham’s story right after the Children of Israel? ​

What does it mean that God “tested” Abraham? ​

If God already knows everything, why does He test anyone? ​

What were the “words” Abraham was tested with? ​

Were the “words” the ten practices of cleanliness? ​

Why was the command to sacrifice his son such a great test? ​

What do the narrations say the “words” were? ​

Did Abraham earn imāmah by passing his tests? ​

Abraham made an Imam (2:124) ​

Abraham was already a prophet, so what was this imāmah? ​

When in his life was Abraham made an Imam? ​

Was “And of my descendants?” a question or a request? ​

Who are the “wrongdoers” God’s covenant does not reach? ​

Did any of Abraham’s descendants become Imams? ​

The House: a place of return and security (2:125) ​

What does it mean that the House is a “place of return” for people? ​

Why does God call the Kaʿba “My House”? ​

Is the Kaʿba only for Muslims? ​

What kind of security does the Kaʿba have? ​

Can a criminal take refuge in the Kaʿba? ​

If the Kaʿba is protected, why has it been damaged in history? ​

Why is it called the “Ancient House”? ​

The Station of Abraham (2:125) ​

What is the Station of Abraham? ​

Why are pilgrims told to pray at the Station? ​

Has the Station always stood where it is today? ​

How did Abraham call the people to pilgrimage? ​

Purifying the House (2:125) ​

What were Abraham and Ishmael told to purify the House from? ​

What does the purity of the House mean for the pilgrim? ​

Who are “those who stay for worship” at the House? ​

Abraham’s prayer for a secure land (2:126) ​

What did Abraham ask for when he prayed for Mecca? ​

Was Mecca made safe for everyone, or only for believers? ​

Why did Abraham ask for security before food and pilgrims? ​

Provision for believers, and a little for those who disbelieve (2:126) ​

Why did Abraham ask for provision only for the believers? ​

Why does God provide for disbelievers at all? ​

What does “I will let him enjoy a little” mean? ​

Why are disbelievers “forced” to the Fire? ​

What are the “fruits” Abraham asked for? ​

Raising the foundations of the House (2:127) ​

Did Abraham build the Kaʿba for the first time? ​

What do the narrations say about the Kaʿba before Abraham? ​

Why does the verse mention Ishmael separately, after Abraham? ​

What were Abraham and Ishmael saying as they built? ​

What makes a deed acceptable to God? ​

“Make us submissive to You … and show us our rites” (2:128) ​

Abraham and Ishmael were already Muslims. Why ask God to make them submissive? ​

Why did Abraham pray so much for his descendants? ​

Is the “submissive nation” only Abraham’s physical descendants? ​

What does “show us our rites” mean? ​

Why would two infallible prophets ask God to accept their repentance? ​

The prayer for a messenger (2:129) ​

Who is the messenger Abraham and Ishmael prayed for? ​

What is the “wisdom” the messenger teaches? ​

How does the Prophet “purify” people? ​

Why does Abraham’s prayer put teaching before purification, when other verses reverse the order? ​

Why did Jesus call the coming of Muhammad “glad tidings”? ​

Who turns away from Abraham’s religion? (2:130) ​

What is “the religion of Abraham”? ​

Why does the Qur’an call turning away from it “foolishness”? ​

Did the Prophet Muhammad turn away from Abraham’s religion when some of its laws changed? ​

Why was Abraham “chosen in this world” but “among the righteous in the Hereafter”? ​