14:35 Ibrahim (Abraham)

أي: { و } اذكر إبراهيم عليه الصلاة والسلام في هذه الحالة الجميلة، إذ قَال: { رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ } أي: الحرم { آمِنًا } فاستجاب الله دعاءه شرعا وقدرا، فحرمه الله في الشرع ويسر من أسباب حرمته قدرا ما هو معلوم، حتى إنه لم يرده ظالم بسوء إلا قصمه الله كما فعل بأصحاب الفيل وغيرهم. ولما دعا له بالأمن دعا له ولبنيه بالأمن فقال: { وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ } أي: اجعلني وإياهم جانبا بعيدا عن عبادتها والإلمام بها، ثم ذكر الموجب لخوفه عليه وعلى بنيه بكثرة من افتتن وابتلي بعبادتها فقال:

يذكر تعالى في هذا المقام محتجا على مشركي العرب بأن البلد الحرام مكة إنما وضعت أول ما وضعت على عبادة الله وحده لا شريك له وأن إبراهيم الذي كانت عامرة بسببه آهلة تبرأ ممن عبد غير الله وأنه دعا لمكة بالأمن فقال " رب اجعل هذا البلد آمنا " وقد استجاب الله له فقال تعالى " أولم يروا أنا جعلنا حرما آمنا " الآية وقال تعالى " إن أول بيت وضع للناس للذي ببكة مباركا وهدى للعالمين فيه آيات بينات مقام إبراهيم ومن دخله كان آمنا " وقال في هذه القصة " رب اجعل هذا البلد آمنا " فعرفه لأنه دعا به بعد بنائها ولهذا قال " الحمد لله الذي وهب لي على الكبر إسماعيل وإسحاق " ومعلوم أن إسماعيل أكبر من إسحاق بثلات عشرة سنة فأما حين ذهب بإسماعيل وأمه وهو رضيع إلى مكان مكة فإنه دعا أيضا فقال " رب اجعل هذا بلدا آمنا " كما ذكرناه هنالك في سورة البقرة مستقصى مطولا.وقوله " واجنبني وبني أن نعبد الأصنام " ينبغي لكل داع أن يدعو لنفسه ولوالديه ولذريته ; ثم ذكر أنه افتتن بالأصنام خلائق من الناس وأنه تبرأ ممن عبدها ورد أمرهم إلى الله إن شاء عذبهم وإن شاء غفر لهم كقول عيسى عليه السلام " إن تعذبهم فإنهم عبادك وإن تغفر لهم فإنك أنت العزيز الحكيم " وليس فيه أكثر من الرد إلى مشيئة الله تعالى لا تجويز وقوع ذلك.

brahim's Supplication to Allah when He brought Isma`il to Makkah

Allah mentions here, while bringing forth more evidences against Arab polytheists, that the Sacred House in Makkah was established on the worship of Allah alone, without partners. He also states that Ibrahim, who establsihed the city, has disowned those who worship others besides Allah, and that he begged Allah to make Makkah peaceful and secure,

رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَـذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا

(O my Lord! Make this city (Makkah) of peace and security,) and Allah accepted his supplication. Allah said in other Ayat,

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَماً ءامِناً

(Have they not seen that We have made (Makkah) a secure sanctuary.) 29:67 and,

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكاً وَهُدًى لِّلْعَـلَمِينَ فِيهِ ءَايَـتٌ بَيِّـنَـتٌ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَهِيمَ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ ءَامِناً

(Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamin. In it are manifest signs, the Maqam of Ibrahim; whosoever enters it, he attains security.)3:96 Allah said here that Ibrahim supplicated,

رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَـذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا

(O my Lord! Make this city (Makkah) a of peace and security, ) saying, "this city", after he established it, and this is why he said afterwards,

الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ الَّذِى وَهَبَ لِى عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَـعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـقَ

(All praise is due to Allah, Who has given me in old age Isma`il and Ishaq.) 14:39 It is well-known that Isma`il was thirteen years older than Ishaq. When Ibrahim took Isma`il and his mother to Makkah, while Isma`il was still young enough to nurse, he supplicated to Allah,

رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَـذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا

(O my Lord! Make this city (Makkah) a place of peace and security.) 2:126 as we in explained in Surat Al-Baqarah. Ibrahim then said,

وَاجْنُبْنِى وَبَنِىَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الاٌّصْنَامَ

(and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.) It is proper for whoever supplicates to Allah to also ask for the benefit of his parents and offspring, as well as himself. Ibrahim next mentioned that many among mankind were led astray because of idols, and he disowned those who worship them and referred their matter to Allah; if Allah wills, He will punish them, and if He wills, He will forgive them. `Isa, peace be upon him, said similar words,

إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

(If You punish them, they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You are the Almighty, the All-Wise.)5:118 This supplication refers this and all matters to Allah, not that it is actually going to happen. `Abdullah bin `Amr narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited Ibrahim's supplication,

رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ

(O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind.), and the supplication of `Isa,

إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ

(If You punish them, they are Your servants.) 5:118 then raised his hands and said,

«اللَّهُمَّ أُمَّتِي، اللَّهُمَّ أُمَّتِي، اللَّهُمَّ أُمَّتِي»

(O Allah, Save my Ummah! O, Allah, Save my Ummah! O, Allah, Save my Ummah!) and cried. Allah said to the angel Jibril, "O Jibril, go to Muhammad ﷺ, and Your Lord has more knowledge, and ask him what makes him cry." Jibril came to the Prophet and asked him, and he repeated to him what he said (in his supplication). Allah said, "Go to Muhammad ﷺ and tell him this; `We will make you pleased with your Ummah, O Muhammad, and will not treat them in a way you dislike."'

And mention when Abraham said ‘My Lord make this land Mecca secure — God granted him this petition and thus made it Mecca a sanctuary in which no human blood is shed no person is wronged prey is not hunted and one which is never deserted in any of its parts — and turn me and my sons away from serving idols.

Commentary

Stated in the previous verses was the rational strength and cardinal position of Tauhid, the belief in the Oneness of Allah. And also mentioned there in contrast was the gross ignorance of Shirk, the ascribing of partners in the pristine divinity of Allah, and a condemnation thereof. Among the group of prophets (علیہم السلام) the most successful Jihad waged to establish pure monotheism was that of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . Therefore, the religion preached by him is known particularly as the upright religion.

In view of this, reference has been made to the story of Sayyidna Ibrahim علیہ السلام in the cited verses. However, there is another reason too. In a previous verse (28): الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ كُفْرً‌ا (those who changed the favour of Allah with disbelief), condemned were people from among the disbelievers of Makkah who had changed faith for disbelief and Tauhid (Oneness of Allah) for Shirk (ascribing of partners to Allah) because that was what their forefathers have been doing. They have been told in these verses about the belief and behaviour of their patriarch, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) so that these people so eager to follow the lead of their ancestors would just look at this model and would, hopefully, abstain from their disbelief. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)

And as it is already clear to us that by describing the stories and conditions of blessed prophets, the Qur’ an never aims to narrate their history only. Instead of that, in them there are guiding principles for every department of human life. It is to make them become available continuously that these events about prophets are repeated in the Qur'an time and again.

At this place, there are in the first verse (35) two prayers made by Sayyidna Ibrahim (1) رَ‌بِّ اجْعَلْ هَـٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا 'My Lord, make this city (of Makkah) peaceful.' This prayer appears in Sarah Al-Baqarah (2:126) as well. But, there the word: بَلَد (balad : city) appears as: بَلَداً (baladan) without the definite article Alif Lam which means an indefinite city. The reason is that this prayer belonged to a time when the city of Makkah was not inhabited. Therefore, the words of the prayer made were general when he said: 'My Lord, make this a city of peace.'

In the prayer which he made when Makkah was already a populated city, he made a definite reference to the city of Makkah saying: 'My Lord, make this city peaceful.'

(2) The second prayer made by him was: 'and keep me and my children away from worshiping idols.'

Though, prophets on whom be peace are protected by Allah, so Shirk, idol-worship, or a sin cannot issue forth from them. But, in this prayer, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has included himself as well. The reason for this is either that prophets too live under a constant fear of being in danger, or that his main purpose was to pray for the safety of his children against the danger of disbelief and idol-worship. It was to impress his children with the gravity of the matter that he included himself too with-in the prayer.

Allah jalla thana'uh granted the prayer of His 'friend.' His children remained protected from Shirk and idol-worship. This brings up a question. The people of Makkah are generally from among the progeny of

Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . Idol-worship was very much present with them. Tafsir Al-Bahr Al-Muhit answers it on the authority of Sufyan ibn ` Uyaiynah that no one from among the progeny of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) did really take to idol-worship. In fact, when people of the tribe of Jurhum took over Makkah and expelled the children of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) from the حَرَم Haram, they carried away with them some stones from there out of love and respect for the sacred place. These they used to keep as a momento of the sacred House of Allah before them when they worshipped or went round them making Tawaf. Initially, in doing so, they had no desire to turn back from Allah. They thought that the way making prayers turning towards Baytullah or making Tawaf round it was nothing but devoting to the worship of Allah, so when they turn to that stone from there and make their Tawaf round it, that would not be counter to the worship of Allah. After a passage of time, this very method became the cause of idol-worship.

And when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this land secure, and keep me and my sons away from worshiping idols.” In this verse Abraham asked two things from the Real: First, Mecca's security from mastery by enemies, and second, the heart's security from domination by the ruling power of caprice. He said, “Lord God, make this city of Mecca into a secure sanctuary far from the hand of any tyrant and free of fear for all the people.” The Lord of the Worlds responded to his supplication and made it into a blessed sanctuary and a place of security, as He says, “[And when We made the House] a place of gathering for the people, and a sanctuary” [2:125]. Never will the hand of any tyrant reach it; whoever goes into the sanctuary-whether Adamite or non-Adamite, wild prey or bird of the air-will have no fear. He asked for the heart's security in terms of allusion with his words, “Keep me and my sons away from worshiping idols.” Whenever something holds you back from the Real, that is your idol. Whenever your heart inclines and looks to something other than the Real, that is your caprice. The Exalted Lord says, “Hast thou seen him who has taken his caprice as his god?” [25:43]. One person looks to property and trade, another to wife and children, another to position and respect. One person has remained in the bonds of venerating piety and self-restraint and has not taken a step beyond that. Another has made obedience and worship his kiblah-looking at it and leaning on it have become the veil of his road. The Lord of the Worlds says, “And repent all together to God, O you who have faith! Perhaps you will prosper [24:31]. O you who have faith, if you want Me to make your hearts the sanctuary of My gaze and to keep you secure from the veil of severance, turn your faces totally to Me and turn away from everything else!” Sometimes He calls to His road with the tongue of the artifacts to make people realize familiarity. Sometimes He calls to Himself with the tongue of unveiling to confirm friendship. He is saying: “Turn away from yourself and totally to Him so as to recognize what is right- fully due to Him.