21:73 Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

ومن صلاحهم، أنه جعلهم أئمة يهدون بأمره، وهذا من أكبر نعم الله على عبده أن يكون إماما يهتدي به المهتدون، ويمشي خلفه السالكون، وذلك لما صبروا، وكانوا بآيات الله يوقنون. وقوله: { يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا ْ} أي: يهدون الناس بديننا، لا يأمرون بأهواء أنفسهم، بل بأمر الله ودينه، واتباع مرضاته، ولا يكون العبد إماما حتى يدعو إلى أمر الله. { وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ ْ} يفعلونها ويدعون الناس إليها، وهذا شامل لجميع الخيرات كلها، من حقوق الله، وحقوق العباد. { وَإِقَامَ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءَ الزَّكَاةِ ْ} هذا من باب عطف الخاص على العام، لشرف هاتين العبادتين وفضلهما، ولأن من كملهما كما أمر، كان قائما بدينه، ومن ضيعهما، كان لما سواهما أضيع، ولأن الصلاة أفضل الأعمال، التي فيها حقه، والزكاة أفضل الأعمال، التي فيها الإحسان لخلقه. { وَكَانُوا لَنَا ْ} أي: لا لغيرنا { عَابِدِينَ ْ} أي: مديمين على العبادات القلبية والقولية والبدنية في أكثر أوقاتهم، فاستحقوا أن تكون العبادة وصفهم، فاتصفوا بما أمر الله به الخلق، وخلقهم لأجله.

" وجعلناهم أئمة " أي يقتدى بهم " يهدون بأمرنا " أي يدعون إلى الله بإذنه ولهذا قال " وأوحينا إليهم فعل الخيرات وإقام الصلاة وإيتاء الزكاة " من باب عطف الخاص على العام " وكانوا لنا عابدين " أي فاعلين لما يأمرون الناس به ثم عطف بذكر لوط وهو بن هاران بن آزر كان قد آمن بإبراهيم عليه السلام واتبعه وهاجر معه.

The Migration of Ibrahim to Ash-Sham (Greater Syria), accompanied by Lut

Allah tells us that He saved Ibrahim from the fire lit by his people, and brought him out from among them, migrating to the land of Ash-Sham, to the sacred regions thereof.

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ نَافِلَةً

(And We bestowed upon him Ishaq, and Ya`qub Nafilatan.) `Ata' and Mujahid said, "Nafilatan means as a gift." Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah and Al-Hakam bin `Uyaynah said, "The gift of a son who has a son," meaning that Ya`qub was the son of Ishaq, as Allah says:

فَبَشَّرْنَـهَا بِإِسْحَـقَ وَمِن وَرَآءِ إِسْحَـقَ يَعْقُوبَ

(But We gave her glad tidings of Ishaq, and after Ishaq, of Ya`qub) 11:71. `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "He asked for one son, and said,

رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِنَ الصَّـلِحِينِ

("My Lord! Grant me from the righteous.") So Allah gave him Ishaq, and gave him Ya`qub in addition.

وَكُلاًّ جَعَلْنَا صَـلِحِينَ

(Each one We made righteous. ) means, both of them were good and righteous people.

وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً

(And We made them leaders,) means, examples to be followed.

يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا

(guiding by Our command,) inviting to Him by His leave. Allah says:

وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلوة وَإِيتَآءَ الزَّكَـوةِ

(and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, performing Salah, and the giving of Zakah,) Here the general is followed by the specific.

وَكَانُواْ لَنَا عَـبِدِينَ

(and of Us (Alone) they were the worshippers.) means, they did what they enjoined others to do.

The Prophet Lut

Then Allah mentions Lut, whose full name was Lut bin Haran bin Azar. He believed in Ibrahim and followed him, and migrated with him, as Allah says:

فَـَامَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ وَقَالَ إِنِّى مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَى رَبِّى

(So Lut believed in him. He (Ibrahim) said: "I will emigrate for the sake of my Lord") 29:26. Allah gave him wisdom and knowledge; He sent Revelation to him, made him a Prophet and appointed him to Sadum (Sodom) and its vicinity, but they rejected him and resisted him, so Allah utterly destroyed them, as He tells us in several places in His Book. Allah says;

وَلُوطاً آتَيْنَـهُ حُكْماً وَعِلْماً وَنَجَّيْنَـهُ مِنَ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِى كَانَت تَّعْمَلُ الْخَبَـئِثَ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَـسِقِينَ - وَأَدْخَلْنَـهُ فِى رَحْمَتِنَآ إِنَّهُ مِنَ الصَّـلِحِينَ

(and We saved him from the town who practised Al-Khaba'ith. Verily, they were a people given to evil, and were rebellious. And We admitted him to Our mercy; truly, he was of the righteous.)

And We made them leaders read a-immatan pronouncing both hamzas or substituting the second one with a yā’ whose example of good conduct is followed guiding people by Our command to Our religion and We inspired in them the performance of good deeds and the maintenance of prayers and the payment of alms that is We inspired that these good deeds be performed prayers be maintained and alms be payed by them and by their followers the final hā’ of iqāma has been omitted to soften the reading and they used to worship Us.

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ نَافِلَةً (And We blessed him with Ishaq and Ya` qub as gift - 21:72) That is, Allah Ta` la had bestowed upon him the son Ishaq (علیہ السلام) as per his supplication and in addition to that a grandson Ya` qub (علیہ السلام) as a gift. This is why he is referred to as نَافِلَةً nafilah which originally means 'extra'.