Overview (Verse 124)

So far in the sūrah, the debate with the people of earlier revelations, i.e. the Jews and the Christians, has mainly focused on the historical record of the Israelites and their response to the Prophets who came to lead them, the teachings that these Prophets preached, and the covenants and pledges to which the Israelites committed themselves. This covered a historical span from the era of Moses to the time of Muĥammad (peace be upon them both). The argument so far was in the most part with the Jews, shorter ones with the Christians, with a few references to the idolaters, particularly when they shared certain features with the other two groups.
 
In this section we are taken farther back in history, to the era of Abraham. The events and amount of detail presented here fall neatly into context with the subject matter of the sūrah as a whole. They are also immediately relevant to the long and hard debate that was taking place between the Muslims and the Jews in Madinah when these verses were revealed.
 
The people of earlier revelations trace their origins back to Abraham by way of his son Isaac (peace be upon them). Understandably, they have always been proud of this relationship, just as they have cherished the promises God made to Abraham to bless him and his seed, and the covenant God made with them. This has led them to make exclusive claims to righteousness and custodianship of God’s message to mankind. It has also misled them into believing that heaven is exclusively theirs, whatever they do.
 
The Quraysh Arab tribe living in Makkah were also Abraham’s descendants through his other son, Ishmael. They were also just as proud of their ancestry as the Jews were of theirs. It gave them the privilege of being the custodians of the sacred shrine of the Ka`bah in Makkah, which had, in turn, given them the religious authority, honour, power and position they enjoyed over the rest of the Arabs.
 
Towards the end of the last passage we saw how the Qur’ān refuted Jewish and Christian claims to exclusive righteousness and salvation: “They declare: ‘None shall enter Paradise unless he is a Jew or a Christian.’“ (Verse 111) Hard did they try to convert Muslims to Judaism or Christianity: “They say: ‘Follow the Jewish faith’ — or, ‘Follow the Christian faith’ — and you shall be rightly guided.’” (Verse 135) It also condemned those who prevent people from worshipping in God’s places of worship — which, as we said, was probably linked to the issue of changing the direction Muslims face in prayer from Jerusalem to the Ka (bah in Makkah — and efforts to exploit that issue to create division and confusion within Muslim ranks.
 
In this section, and still within the same context of Jewish, Christian and pagan claims, the sūrah recounts parts of the history of Abraham and his sons Ishmael and Isaac, and gives a final ruling on the qiblah issue. The occasion is also used to establish the truth regarding the religion of Abraham, which was based purely on the belief in God’s absolute oneness. Thus it remains at complete variance with the distorted beliefs adopted by those three groups, while its affinity to the message of the Prophet Muĥammad was total. It denounces the monopoly of religious righteousness by any nation or racial group, stressing that religion resides in the believer’s heart; it is not inherited through blood or ancestral lineage. Religion belongs to God Almighty, who is not related through blood or ancestry to any human individual or group. Those who believe in His religion and practise it properly shall be its rightful custodians and trustees, at all times, regardless of their race or ethnic origin.
 
The Qur’ān presents these facts, which form some of the most basic tenets of Islamic belief, in a fine, clear and elegant style. It takes the reader step by step through the long span of history starting at the time God entrusted Abraham with the religious leadership of mankind, upon successfully completing the test to which God put him. It goes up to the early formation of the Muslim community which believes in the message of Muĥammad. Its rise is seen as fulfilment of Abraham’s and Ishmael’s prayers while they were laying the foundations of the Ka`bah. Thus, it is the Muslim community that is the legitimate heir to God’s religion, solely by virtue of their faith in God and by their true and sincere following of Abraham’s teachings.
 
Those who depart from it, choosing to turn away from Abraham’s faith in God’s absolute oneness, renege on their commitments to God and, as such, cannot be the heirs to the divine faith.
 
The Qur’ān further establishes that Islam, in the sense of submission to God alone, was the first and the last divine message to mankind. It was the religion of Abraham and of Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Hebrew tribes who came after him, and was handed down to Moses and Jesus until it was eventually inherited by the Muslims. All true and faithful followers of those and other prophets and messengers belong to the same nation and share in all the merits and rewards of following the religion of Islam in its wider, universal version. All those who reject the religion of Abraham or renege on any of their covenants with God forfeit their claim to those privileges and rewards.
 
Thus we can see how Jewish and Christian claims to an exclusive possession of God’s true religion, by virtue of lineage to Abraham, are totally groundless. They lost that right the moment they deviated from the true faith based on total submission to God alone. For the same reason, the idolater Arabs of the Quraysh forfeited their claim to the exclusive custodianship of the Ka`bah. Likewise, the Jewish argument for opposing the designation of the Ka`bah as the qiblah for the Muslims falls apart, because the Ka`bah was the original qiblah of their forefather Abraham, and therefore it was theirs also.
 
Following this brief introduction, let us now take a closer look at the account of Abraham, his covenant with God, and its significance in the history of the religion of Islam.
 
Abraham’s Covenant
 
When his Lord tested Abraham with certain commandments and he fulfilled them, He said, I have appointed you a leader of mankind.’ Abraham asked, And what of my descendants?’ God said, ‘My covenant does not apply to the wrongdoers.’ (Verse 124)
 
The Prophet is here reminded of how God had imparted certain commandments and obligations to Abraham in order to test his faith, loyalty and resolve. Elsewhere in the Qur’ān, he is described as “Abraham, who was faithful to his trust.” (53: 37) This is a recognition by God of Abraham’s faithful and complete fulfilment of those obligations, according him a very high rank in God’s estimation. Hence, God’s promise: “I have appointed you a leader of mankind” Thus, Abraham becomes the leader to be followed, the one who shows people the way to all goodness.
 
Being human, Abraham is immediately prompted to wish for that blessing and privilege to be extended to his offspring. What Abraham expressed was a natural instinctive human reaction, because man is always eager to multiply and perpetuate his achievements and attainments. By the passing of knowledge and experience from one generation to the next, the human lot is improved and life is preserved. This natural and necessary human process has been a target for criticism and attack, while Islam recognizes its importance, and promotes it through its law of inheritance, so that it serves human society to the full.
 
The misguided efforts made in some societies to undermine this natural progression in fact try to suppress human nature altogether. Such efforts betray short-sightedness, inhumanity and arbitrary methods in tackling social and moral ills. Unless remedied, these will lead to the fragmentation and destruction of society. However, solutions that run contrary to human nature will inevitably end in failure. What is needed is a solution that rectifies deviation and social ills without contradicting human nature. Such methods can only be adopted and made to work within a framework of divine guidance and faith. They require a profound and enlightened understanding of human nature and the human mind, and an unbiased outlook, free of all grudges and destructive tendencies.
 
The answer to Abraham’s question, “And what of my descendants?” reiterates an already stated major principle: that religious leadership and authority are granted purely on merit, in reward for sincere faith and diligent work. They are not inherited through ancestral lineage. God said: “My covenant does not apply to the wrongdoers.”
 
“Wrongdoing” takes various forms: it might be directed at oneself, by associating partners with God, or it might be oppression directed at fellow human beings. The leadership denied to wrongdoers includes all the meanings covered by the Arabic term imām, which include prophethood, political authority, and the leading of congregational prayers. Equity and justice make up the foremost qualification for this lofty vocation, and no one who deviates from these qualities deserves any form of leadership, in its widest sense.
 
This is the clear essence of the covenant made with Abraham. According to it, the Jews, as a result of their repeated wrongdoing, self-indulgence and waywardness, could never have an exclusive monopoly of the leadership of mankind. Similarly, and for the same reasons, some so-called Muslims today would also be barred from that covenant.
 
Islam gives no credence to ties or relationships not based on faith and sincere action. It places a sharp distinction between one generation and another when the later one deviates from the faith, despite their common ancestry. Indeed, according to Islam, faith can separate father and son, and man and wife. Thus the Arabs who adopted Islam are distinguished from those who did not, just as Jews and Christians who believed in the religion of Abraham, Moses and Jesus are distinguished from those who deviated from them. Ancestors and offspring only become one family or nation when they are all believers united by the same faith, regardless of colour and geographic or ethnic origins.