Al Naḥl

شَاكِراً لاَنْعُمِهِ اجْتَبَاهُ وَهَدَاهُ إِلَي صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

وَءَاتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَإِنَّهُ فِي الاَخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

121. “(He was) thankful for His blessings; He selected him and He guided him to a straight way.”
122. “And We gave him good in this world, and in the Hereafter he will definitely be among the righteous.”

Allah has cited five types of perfection for ‘Ibrahim in these verses, and then He offers him five favours and positions: He was a ‘nation’. He was obedient (to the Lord). He was not among the polytheists. He was ‘upright’ and was clear of all involvements in deviation matters. He was grateful. As for the five kinds of grace and positions which Allah had accorded him, they were as follows: Allah selected ‘Ibrahim for His prophetic mission and for the conveying of His message.

“(He was) thankful for His blessings; He selected Him…”

Allah led him to the right path and protected him from all types of misdemeanor and deviation.

“…and He guided him to a straight way.”

which in its broadest sense signifies all of what is good, including a wide range of meaning in connection with the prophetic mission as far as the ‘House of Ka‘bah and a long-lasting life, alongside the acceptance of his call by Allah, enormous wealth, decent sons, as well as a host of other blessings.

“…and in the Hereafter he will definitely be among the righteous.”

The Prophet of Islam (S) was ordered to follow his way of life. The Arabic term /’ijtaba/ is derived from /jababah/, which signifies ‘collecting’ and ‘assembling’. ‘Allah’s collecting’ means that Allah assembles individuals from a diversified range of different approaches, protecting and purifying them for Himself.