Al Baqarah

وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلاَّ مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

And who turns away from Abraham’s creed but he who makes a fool of himself? Indeed, We chose him in this world, and in the Hereafter surely, he shall be among the Righteous. (2:130)

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit’, he said, ‘I have submitted to the Lord of all worlds’. (2:131)

وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إَلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

And this did Abraham bequeath to his sons, and (so did) Jacob, ‘My children, Allah has chosen for you the Faith, therefore die not unless you are Muslims’. (2:132)

Abraham (‘A), a Human Prototype

In the former verses, Abraham’s personality was partly introduced. Some of his services and quite a few of his comprehensive invocations, which included material and spiritual aspects, were discussed. From the totality of these words, it is concluded that this great Apostle can be a good model for all the truth-seekers throughout the world, and his school of thought can be an instruction guideline for all human beings. Based on this very matter, in the first verse of the above verses, it says:

And who turns away from Abraham’s creed but he who makes a fool of himself!... (2:130)

Is this not foolishness that one forsakes such a pure brilliant creed and goes astray along the misleading paths of polytheism, blasphemy, and corruption? This is a religion which is appropriate for and coinciding with the soul and nature of man. It is a process that parallels wisdom and logic. This creed is beneficial for man both in the present world and the next world. Then, it adds:

...Indeed, We chose him in this world, and in the Hereafter surely he will be among the Righteous… (2:130)

Yes, Abraham (‘a) is chosen by Allah, and he is among the ranks of the righteous and that is why he should be chosen as a model. The next verse, as an emphasis, refers to one of the other outstanding qualities which is, in fact, the origin of the rest of his qualities.

When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit’, he said, ‘I have submitted to the Lord of all worlds’. (2:131)

Yes, it is when Abraham (‘a), that pure true believer and self-sacrificer, hearkens to the call of his innate nature that the Lord enjoins him ‘Submit’, and he submits himself totally to His command. Abraham (‘a) sees that the stars, the moon, and the sun, all in all, have precise settings. Then he, with his mind and perception finds out that they are subject to the regulations of creation. Therefore, he proclaims that none of them can be his Lord, and he says:

For me, I have set my face firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall give partners to God (6:79)

In fact, the first step to attaining worthiness for a person is through purity and sincerity, and it was owing to this same quality in Abraham (‘a) that he was able to submit exclusively to the command of Allah, therefore He was pleased with him and chose him, and for this same reason He selected him to introduce His religion. The entirety of Abraham’s (‘a) deeds, throughout his life, from beginning up to the end, were unique. One of his expressions of faith was through his challenge with idol worshippers and star worshippers.

Another was when, while in the midst of fire, he showed such strength of faith that his hostile enemy, Nimrod, was so affected by him that he unwillingly said: If a person wants to take a god, he should take one similar to the God of Abraham (‘a).¹³ Also, bringing his wife and suckling son to that hot dry land, i.e. the Holy land, building the House of Ka’bah, and taking his beloved son into the place of sacrifice, each was an example of the resoluteness of his manner.

Abraham’s (‘a) bequest to his children at the last moments of his life was also a model, as the last verse of the verses under discussion says:

And this did Abraham bequeath to his sons, and (so did) Jacob... (2:132)

Each of them told their sons:

…‘My children, Allah has chosen for you the Faith, therefore die not unless you are Muslims’ (2:132)

It seems that the Qur’an by stating the bequest of Abraham (‘a) intends to reiterate the fact that you human beings are not only responsible for your children while they are with you, but you are responsible for their futures, too. When you are on your deathbed, do not think of only your financial affairs and that of your children after your death; you had better think about their spiritual life, too. Not only did Abraham (‘a) bequeath such a testament, but also his grandson, Jacob (‘a), imitated Abraham’s same manner and at the last moments of his life enjoined his children to attain the secret of victory, success and happiness via this short phrase: ‘Submit to the Lord of the worlds’.

The mentioning of Jacob from among all prophets, here in this verse, is perhaps with the aim of telling the Jews and Christians, who each in their own way used to join themselves to Jacob, that the blasphemic creeds which they followed and the lack of pure submission in the Truth that they showed by their actions, did not coincide with the manner of the one whom they joined themselves to.

Footnotes

1. 13. Al-Kafi, Vol. 8, p. 368, narration 559.