نَّبِيًّا

38:46; 53:38.

Commentary:

ابراھیم (Abraham) means the father of nations. Originally Abraham’s name was ابرام (Abram) which may have been derived from ابرم. They say ابرمه i.e. he twisted it (the rope) well. He made it firm, strong, solid (Lane). Abraham might have been so called because he was endowed to an unusual degree with conversational ability of a high mark. He was an irresistible debater. His talk was very effective and his arguments strong. A reference to this quality of Abraham is to be found in 2:259 and 6:76-81. Or Abram may have come to be called Abraham after God had made His covenant with him and had promised to multiply him exceedingly. God said: "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for father of many nations have I made thee" (Gen. 17:4-5). In the Quran also Abraham has been called امة which means, "a nation", "a people", "a race" (16:121).

Abraham was a native of Ur of the Chaldees in Iraq. His people worshipped the sun and the stars. Their chief god was Merodach or (Madruk). It was also called Bel, i.e. Lord (Enc. Bib.).

Abraham was a great iconoclast. He preached the Unity and Oneness of God and strongly denounced and condemned idol-worship. By his iconoclastic activities he incurred the enmity of his father and so with his wife and his nephew Lot, he had to leave his native place for Canaan the land which God had promised to give to his seed (Gen 12:7). When Canaan suffered from a severe famine Abraham left it for Egypt where he married Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. For a detailed account of Abraham see 6:75.

الکتاب (the Book) in this verse means the Quran. The Holy Prophet is here directed to relate the story of Abraham as it is given in the Quran and not as it is related in the Bible. While the Quran depicts Abraham as a truthful man the Bible accuses him of telling lies (Gen. 20:13).

صدیق (a truthful man) is the intensified form of صادق which is active participle from صدقwhich means, he spoke the truth (Lane). صادق means one who speaks the truth. صدیق being the intensive form of صادق has four meanings; (a) one who very generally and often speaks the truth; (b) one who never tells a lie; (c) one who is so habituated to speaking truth that it becomes impossible for him to tell a lie; and (d) one who is truthful in his talk and substantiates the truth of his talk and beliefs by his actions and deeds. The speaking of truth becomes, as it were, a part of his being, a second nature with him (Lane). This is the highest stage of صدیقیت (the quality or condition of being truthful).

The word صدیق possesses a double connotation. While on the one hand it means one who is highly truthful, on the other it denotes a spiritual rank next only to the rank of prophethood. In fact, every quality possesses two connotations and two uses. It is used as an attribute and it also expresses a rank. In the present verse صدیق has been used to express only the attribute and quality of truthfulness and not the rank of صدیق which is included in the rank of نبی (a Prophet) which has also been mentioned in regard to Abraham in this verse. The verse means that Abraham was a Prophet of God and one of his most prominent and distinctive qualities was that he was truthful par excellence.

The Quran has laid great stress on the truthfulness of Abraham perhaps because in some future time lies were to be attributed to him by some commentators of the Quran.

It seems appropriate and pertinent to write here a few words about the order and arrangement of the verses of the present Surah because some Christian writers have found fault with the chronological order of the incidents mentioned in it. In fact the central theme of this Surah is to disprove and demolish the Christian dogma of godhead of Jesus Christ. The Surah opens with a brief mention of Zachariah, the father of Yahya who was a forerunner of Jesus. Zachariah’s mention is followed by a concise description of the birth of Yahya. Then a somewhat detailed description is given of the birth of Jesus who was the harbinger of the Holy Prophet and light is shed on the falsity of Christian beliefs and doctrines about him and his mother. This description of Jesus is followed by a narration of some important incidents in the life of Abraham. This seems to be a historical anachronism but in reality it is not. The Quran is not a book of history. It sometimes deliberately departs from the chronological order of events. The account of Abraham given in the present and the following verses is a case in point. The account of Jesus is followed by that of Abraham in order to drive home the point that when Abraham, the great progenitor of Moses who was the Founder of the Mosaic Dispensation of which Christianity is only an offshoot, was a firm believer in the Unity of God, how could Jesus depart from the Faith of his forefather, and claim to be God or son of God? Secondly, God had made a promise with Abraham that He would multiply him exceedingly through his two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. God’s promise with Abraham was fulfilled first through Isaac, and then when Isaac’s progeny disobeyed and defied Divine commandments and consistently rejected Divine Prophets and went so far as to kill John and crucify Jesus, God’s covenant with Abraham became transferred to Ishmael and was finally and fully fulfilled through the latter’s progeny. This is the real reason why the account of Jesus is followed by that of Abraham. After this a brief mention is made of Moses who was a descendant of Jacob and in whom God’s covenant with Abraham through Isaac found its highest fulfilment. After dealing with God’s covenant with Abraham through Isaac, the Surah proceeds to make a mention of the Divine promise with Abraham through Ishmael. This is why after Moses, mention has been made of Ishmael and this is the significance of the order which the Quran has kept in view while giving an account of the life of some Prophets and making only a brief mention of others and this is the right and natural order which should have been observed while dealing with the subject under discussion. The taunt of some Christian critics of Islam that the seeming historical anachronism was due to the Holy Prophet’s lack of the knowledge of history is absurd because elsewhere (chapter Hud) the Quran has given the accounts of some Prophets of very remote past in their proper chronological order which fact has been admitted by fair-minded Christian writers themselves.

33:70.

Commentary:

The account of Abraham is followed by that of Moses—Isaac and Jacob having been mentioned only casually and by the way in v. 50 above. In Moses, God’s covenant with Abraham about the progeny of Isaac, found its fullest and completest manifestation. The visible mark of this divine covenant was the bestowal of Canaan on Abraham’s progeny (Gen. 17:8) which took place in the time of Moses’ Successor. The Israelite Prophets who came after Moses were only Reformer-Prophets who carried on and fulfilled his work and mission. This is why after Moses God adverts to His promise to Abraham about Ishmael which saw its sublimest and most complete and perfect manifestation and consummation in the Holy Prophet of Islam who was a descendant of Ishmael.

The words, he was a Messenger and a Prophet, explain and remove a popular misconception. According to popular notion a رسول (Messenger) is one who brings a new Law and a new Book and a نبی (Prophet) is one who is commissioned by God only for the reformation of his people. He also receives Divine revelation but brings no Law or Book containing new commandments and ordinances. According to this popular notion every رسول (Messenger) is necessarily a نبی (Prophet) but not every نبی a رسول. The verse under comment, however, demolishes this wrong notion because if a رسول (Messenger) is one who brings a new Book and a new Law and as such is necessarily a نبی (Prophet), then the addition of the word نبی to the word رسول in this and other verses is superfluous and redundant. In fact, every رسولis a نبی and every نبی a رسول. These two words represent two aspects of the same office and two functions of the same person. A Divine Reformer is a رسول inasmuch as he receives messages from God (رسالت meaning a message) and he is a نبی in the sense that he conveys those Messages to the people to whom he is sent (نبوت meaning the conveying of a message). Thus every رسول(Messenger) is a نبی (Prophet) because after receiving Divine Messages he conveys them to his people and every نبی is a رسول because he conveys to his people those Messages which he receives from God. Only the functions of نبی follow those of رسول. In his capacity as رسولhe first receives messages from God and then in his capacity as نبیhe conveys them to his people. This is why here and everywhere in the Quran when these two words—رسول and نبی occur together, invariably the word نبی follows the word رسول because that is the natural order.

See also 7:158, 159; 19:31, 55. The bringing of a new Book or a new Law, therefore, is not the necessary concomitant of a نبی or a رسول. A رسول or a نبیmay or may not bring a new Law. All Messengers (رسول) and Prophets (نبی) are of two categories—(a) those that bring a new Book and a new Law and (b) those that do not. This classification of رسول and نبی into two categories is supported by the Quranitself. See 5:45.

Commentary:

God was well pleased with Abraham. He chose him and his seed for the bestowal of His special favours and blessings and for that purpose He established a covenant with him. The covenant is given in the Bible as follows:

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation (Gen. 17:19, 20).

The covenant began with Isaac and in fulfilment of it God raised a long line of Prophets among his descendants, and also gave them worldly dominion, power and wealth. The covenant found its highest fulfilment in Moses. When, however, the long line of Prophets who came after Moses as his successors terminated with Jesus, the second part of the covenant which was to be fulfilled through Ishmael came into operation and prophethood passed from the House of Israel to that of Ishmael and this was quite in harmony with the covenant which God had established with Abraham regarding the conferring of His favour upon him and his progeny. This is why after Moses’ mention has been made of Ishmael. The account of Ishmael is introduced with the words واذکر (and relate) which shows that one chapter of religious history—that of the House of Israel, is closed and a new one has begun. The Christians have been further told in this verse that the divine covenant has not terminated with Jesus but in keeping with the promise of God with Abraham has only been transferred to the progeny of Ishmael.

Important Words:

إدریس (Idris) is derived from أدرس which is the transitive form of درس. They say أدرس الکتاب i.e. he read the book or he read it repeatedly so as to remember it; or he made it easy to remember by much reading; or he learned or studied it. درسه الکتاب(darrasahul-kitab) or ادرسه means, he taught him the book (Lane). إدریس which means, one who reads much or teaches much is derived from ادرس as یعقوب is from عقب and اضحاک is from ضحک and یسوع is from ساع and as اسماعیل is the combination of سمع and ایل (meaning God heard) and اسرائیل is the, combination of یسر and ایل (meaning the warrior of God).

Much difference of opinion exists among lexicologists about the origin of the word إدریس. According to Lisan it is a non-Arabic proper noun. According to Asma‘i, Qurtubi and Ibn Hayyan, it is not Arabic. Ibn Sikkit, however, is of the opinion that إدریس (Idris) is an Arabic name. He says that it is derived from أدرس as ابلیس is derived from أبلس. But whatever the difference of opinion the Arabs were familiar with this name even before Islam.

Commentary:

Now who is this Idris? Most of the commentators of the Quran are of the opinion that he is Enoch of the Bible.حنوکand إدریس closely resemble each other in their meanings and significations. Whereas إدریس means one who reads much or instructs much, حنوک means instruction or dedication (Enc. Bib.). Moreover, the account of Enoch given in the Bible and in Jewish religious literature closely resembles that of Idris as given in the Quran. In the Bible we have: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him (Gen. 5:24). In Targum, a famous book of Jewish traditions he has been called a holy man of God whom He gave the titles of "Safra Rabba" and "Metatron"(both words meaning a learned man or religious savant) and took up to heaven (Jew. Enc.). In the Jewish book named "Sefer Hanok" (the book of Hanuk) it is written that inhabitants of the earth became wicked, therefore God took up Hanuk to heaven and made him a guardian of the heavenly treasures and the chief of angels. In another book named "Hayye Hanok" it is written that he was a holy and righteous priest whom God sent to the world for its reformation, but when it became full of sins, God raised him up to heaven (Jew. Enc.). This account of Enoch resembles very much the picture of Idris as given in the Quran in the words: He was a truthful man and a Prophet and We exalted him to a lofty station. These commendatory expressions about Idris serve to demolish the false notions held about Jesus. The godhead of Jesus, more than anything else, rests on the belief that he was taken up to heaven alive. Now if, as Christians believe, God took up Jesus to heaven according to the present verse, Idris too was exalted to a very high station in heaven, and according to the Bible Enoch (Idris) also walked with God and was taken up to heaven (Gen. 5:24). If Jesus could be regarded as Divine and is entitled to a special spiritual status on the assumption of his having been taken up to heaven, then Idris of the Quran or Enoch of the Bible, on that very score is entitled to even a higher spiritual station. If Jesus has been called son of God in the Bible, Enoch has been called the father of the sons of God in Jewish literature. The Book of Enoch which was originally written in Hebrew and later on was translated into Greek and then into Latin contains a full account of Enoch’s life. Its translation in Russian makes very useful and interesting reading.

Ishmael and Idris have been mentioned together in the verse under comment and in 21:86, the only two places where mention has been made of Idris in the Quran. It is so because Ishmael bears a very close resemblance to him. According to the Quran Ishmael was a truthful man and so was Idris. God had raised Idris to a lofty spiritual station and so had He raised Ishmael. About Enoch we read in the Bible that God walked with him (Gen. 5:24) and about Ishmael the Bible says: "Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!" (Gen. 17:18).