Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:130-131)
By: Mohammad Sobhanie
Prophet Ibrahim Religion
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿١٣٠﴾ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٣١﴾
Translation: 2:130 And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous.
2:131 When his Lord said to him, “Submit”, he said “I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds.”
Commentary: Prophet Ibrahim’s life and legacy embodies ultimate submission to Allah (SWT). Pinnacle examples of his submission to the Lord of the universe includes 1) campaign at a young age against the idolaters of Babylon which cost him to be thrown alive into a huge fire, 2) relocation of his infant child (Ismaeel) and wife (Hajer) to the barren land of Mecca for the sole purpose of preparing the ground for building the House of Ka’bah, and 3) fulfilling the dream that he was offering Ismaeel in sacrifice to Allah (SWT).
The Quran introduces Prophet Ibrahim as a role model and great example [Al-Mumtahina 60:4 (قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ)], and indeed one has to be a complete fool to turn away from emulating the life and legacy of his way of living and submitting to Allah (SWT):
وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ ……. ﴿١٣٠﴾
2:130 And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim except one who makes a fool of himself.
When his Lord told Ibrahim “Submit”, he replied: “I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds.”
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٣١﴾
2:131 When his Lord said to him, “Submit”, he said “I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds.”
For this reason, Allah (SWT) chose him as one of His distinguished servants [(وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا)] in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous [(لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ)].
اللَّهُمَّ أَحْسِنْ عَاقِبَتَنَا فِي الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا وَأَجِرْنَا مِنْ خِزْيِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَذَابِ الْآخِرَة
Word-for-Word Translation:
2:130 [وَمَن] and who [يَرْغَبُ] turn away [عَن] from [مِّلَّةِ] the religion of [إِبْرَاهِيمَ] Ibrahim [إِلَّا] except [مَن] he (who) [سَفِهَ] befooled [نَفْسَهُ] himself [وَلَقَدِ] and truly [اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ] we choose him [فِي] in [الدُّنْيَا] the world [وَإِنَّهُ] and verily he [فِي] in [الْآخِرَةِ] the hereafter [لَمِنَ] would be among [الصَّالِحِينَ] the righteous
2:131 [إِذْ] when [قَالَ] said [لَهُ] to him [رَبُّهُ] his Lord [أَسْلِمْ] submit [قَالَ] said [أَسْلَمْتُ] I submitted [لِرَبِّ] to Lord [الْعَالَمِينَ] of the world
Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:47) By Mohammad Sobhanie