• Abraham prays for himself and his sons to be kept always on the right path of prayer and devotion

• He prays for the land (Mecca) in which he houses his family, to be secure and attracted by the faithful ones among men

• Prayer for one’s self, his parents, and all the faithful ones for pardon on the Day of Reckoning

Ibrahim (Abraham) Verses 35 – 41

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ

And when said1Abraham: “My Lord! make this city secure,2and keep3me away and my sons from worshipping idols.” (14:35)

رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

“My Lord! Verily they4have led many of the people astray; so whosoever followeth me he is surely of me, and who soever disobeyeth me, then verily Thou art the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” (14:36)

رَبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُمْ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ

“O’ Our Lord! Verily I have housed a part of my offspring in a valley uncultivable, nigh unto Thy Holy House, Our Lord! that they may establish prayer; so make Thou the hearts of some of the people yearn unto them, and provide them with fruits, that they may be grateful.” (14:37)

رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مَا نُخْفِي وَمَا نُعْلِنُ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ

“O’ Our Lord! Verily Thou knowest what we hide and what we manifest5and is not hidden from God, of any thing in the earth, and nor (any thing) in the heaven (is hidden from Him) (14:38)

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ

“Praise is God’s, Who hath granted unto me in6old age, Ishmael and Isaac: Verily my Lord is the Hearer of Prayer.” (14:39)

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ

“O’ my Lord! make me establish prayer and (also) some from my offspring (to do the same); O’ Our Lord! accept thou my prayer!” (14:40)7

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ

“O’ Our Lord! Forgive8me and my parents and the believers on the day when the reckoning shall be established!” (14:41)

Commentary

Verse 35

The prayer of Abraham to make the city a sanctuary was heard and the result was that even the wild animals of the Sahara which have to be chased out and which when they see men run away, were neither chased nor were they afraid of any chase, nor did they ever run away from men. Thus neither men killed any animal nor even a beast, used to hurt any one.

Abraham was an Apostle of God and the prayer of an Apostle of God never goes unheard. Abraham prayed for his sons to be protected from getting astray into idolatry but Quraish who were the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael were idolatrous, which proves that by the term ‘Buniyya’, i.e., my sons, does not include every one of his issues. It therefore naturally infers that the prayer was for those of his issues who would be like him in purity and excellence for in the prayer he includes himself, for he begins the prayer with first person, saying, ‘Wajnubni’, i.e., save or protect me. Abraham was already a monotheist and he seeks protection against getting misled and getting astray. Thus, the prayer would be only for those of his issues who would be like him.

Verse 36

This verse supports the meaning of the previous verse. Abraham clarifies as to who he wanted to be saved, i.e., “whomsoever follows him they alone would be his” (14:36) i.e., his Ahl al-Bayt and not all. Thus, all those Ishmaelites and such of his issues who were identical with Abraham in his excellence and followed him in his purity and the correctness of his faith were certainly saved from getting astray and were directly preserved as strict monotheists. Abraham’s goodness did not spare even the others who would get astray, he prayed to God for them for their being forgiven, invoking His Mercy. This prayer would be effective only when such individuals discard their false faith, amend their corrupted conduct and character and embrace Abraham’s faith and its practice.

The qualification of this prayer is made further clear in verse 40 which contains the prayer for Abraham and his issues to be made as those who establish prayer. Thus this prayer would logically and naturally be applied only to those who own the quality of establishing prayer only to God and do not worship any one else besides Him.9 When Abraham prayed for the ‘Imamate’ and it was granted to him to be in his issues also, the Lord accepted his prayers but with the reservation that it will not reach the iniquitous in his seed.

The greatest iniquity being polytheism10 the covenant of the ‘Imamate’ will not reach those who were ever in their life polluted by polytheism. All the issues of Abraham through Ishmael through whom passed the Divine Light of the purity and the excellence of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, were only those who were ever guarded and never went astray from the path of Abraham. This light of the divinely endowed purity and excellence came in a single flow until Abd al-Muttalib and from this great descendant of Abraham, it ran into two channels, one in the descent of Abdullah and the other in the issues of Abu Talib.

Through Abdullah was brought forth by the Lord the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Last of His Apostles, and through Abu Talib was sent into the world the First Holy Imam Ali, the first vicegerent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Last Apostle of God. The identity of these two, being of one and the same Divine Light, is borne out by the declaration of the Holy Prophet who said: “I and Ali are of one and the same Light.” The Holy Prophet was the Prophet promised to mankind through Moses11 and the Prophet for whom the world waited and asked John the Baptist if he was the one in reply to which John said ‘No’12 the Holy Ghost, the Comforter and the Spirit of Truth prophesied by Jesus.13 With the Holy Prophet came the apostleship of God to a conclusion and with Ali started the serial of the ‘Imamate’ or the divine guidance towards the correct interpretation of the Final Word of God and the proper practice of God’s own prescribed faith for mankind, viz, Islam.14

Once a man taunted the Sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq, saying, ‘If thou art truly an issue of your father, thou art from the descendant of the idolaters; to which the Holy Imam replied: “What thou sayest is wrong - for neither Abraham, nor his son Ishmael nor those of Ishmael's issues for whom Abraham prayed did ever worship any one other than God. Did not Abraham say in his prayer ‘Faman Tabe-ani’, i.e., Those who follow me - the prayer was for protection of those who faithfully followed Abraham in his faith and his practical life as for those who defied Abraham in belief and conduct are those for whom he prayed for the pardon and the mercy of the Lord.”

The Sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq continued, “By God, those referred to by Abraham as those who followed him are we, Ahl al-Bayt.”15

This supports the view that all the ancestors of the Holy Prophet in his lineage up to Abraham were safe from idolatry and were the strict adherers of the monotheistic creed of Abraham as otherwise the continuity is severed. In support of this is the famous saying of the Holy Prophet that God hath selected his lineage from the selected ones up to Adam. (A.P).

Verse 37

Abraham had no issues from his wife Sarah. Sarah presented her handmaid ‘Hajara’ (Hagar) to Abraham and when Hajara delivered a son, i.e., Ishmael, Sarah got envious of her and began to treat her harshly. God commanded Abraham to take Hajara and the baby-son Ishmael away from Sarah. Abraham accordingly brought Hajara and Ishmael to the place now called Mecca which was then a barren land without any vegetation or water. A cloth was put over a low tree and under its shade was left Hajara with her baby Ishmael.

When Abraham wanted to return, Hajara asked as to why he leaves her and her baby in the wilderness which does not contain even water to drink. Abraham replied that it was in compliance with the command of the Lord. While returning Abraham prayed to God for his family and his issue which he was leaving in the valley without any vegetation. When Abraham had left, Ishmael the baby got restless of thirst and as no water could be found anywhere around, Hajara began to wander around in search of water, running from one place to another. She ran seven times particularly between the two hillocks nearby called Safa and Marwa.

Whenever she got upon the one mound there appeared to her something like water near the other mound, and when she went there and once again turned towards the former mound, there it seemed to her to be something like water. At last, after running for seven times the agony of maternal anxiety for her baby son dying of thirst in the hot sun, she abandoned the innocent totally to God’s will. Suddenly she found fresh water gushing out from under the feet of the baby and flowing into a small stream.16 She collected some mud around the spring and collected the water and gave the baby a drink. The water began flowing with greater force. People around the area finding fresh water available there sought permission of Hajara to settle at the place. When Abraham next visited Hajara, she obtained the permission and a settlement arose there. When Abraham next visited Hajara, Ishmael had grown into a youth and Abraham was commanded by God to renew the First House which was exclusively erected on earth for remembering God17

“Most surely the First House made for mankind is at Bakka (Mecca), a Blessing and Guidance for the worlds.” (3:95).

About the building of the House, i.e., the Holy Ka’ba, by Abraham and Ishmael see the following verse,

“And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundation of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower.” (2:127).

About the prayer of Abraham for the hearts of some people to be made to yearn towards his issues - the Fifth Holy Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Baqir addressing his devotees said: “Those towards whom Abraham prayed the hearts of the people to be made to yearn are we Ahl al-Bayt and the people mentioned in the prayer are not all men sinful and sinless but only those who remain faithfully attached to the Holy Ahl al-Bayt who identify themselves as their Shias or their devout followers.”

Verse 38

This is also a hint that some of his issues may be forced by circumstances to hide their true faith, but God knows the truth. It is said that Abraham himself concealed his true faith in God due to circumstances. (As did Abu Talib, father of Ali, in his seed to save the Holy Prophet from the hands of his enemies). (A.P.).

• 1. Prayed.
• 2. Refer to verse 3:96.
• 3. Save me and my sons.
• 4. Idols - Of his issues those who worship idols, Abraham disowns them in the same way the son of Noah was disowned - So only those few are honoured by God for not yielding to any one besides Him. (A.P.).
• 5. Do openly.
• 6. In spite of.
• 7. This indicates that there shall always be one of the offspring of Abraham as a true believer in God.
• 8. Arabic: Ighfirli Lit - grant protection against sins - Since the prayers is for the dead also the appropriate will He forgive.
• 9. See verse 2:124.
• 10. See verse 31:13.
• 11. Deut. 18/18.
• 12. John 1/21.
• 13. John 14/14; 14/26; 16/13.
• 14. See verse 3:18.
• 15. Umdat al-Bayan (commentary [Urdu] by Maulvi Syed Ammar Ali).
• 16. Refer to Gen. 21/15-20.
• 17. See verse 3:95.