2. Al-Baqara

O Children of Israel remember My favour wherewith I favoured you and that I have preferred you over all the worlds a similar verse has already been mentioned.

And beware of fear a day when no soul shall for another on this Day be requited that is when no soul for another shall be of any avail and no compensation no ransom shall be accepted from it nor any intercession shall benefit it neither shall they be helped against God’s chastisement.

And mention when his Lord tested tried Abraham Ibrāhīm also read Ibrāhām with certain words with certain commands and prohibitions with which He charged him it is said that these included the rituals of the Pilgrimage the rinsing of the mouth snuffing up water into the nostrils to clean them cleaning of the teeth trimming facial hair combing of the hair trimming the fingernails shaving armpit and pubic hair circumcision and washing one’s private parts after elimination; and he fulfilled them he performed them thoroughly; He God exalted said to him ‘I make you a leader an exemplar in religion for the people.’ Said he ‘And of my seed?’ my progeny make leaders from among them; He said ‘My covenant of leadership shall not reach the evildoers’ the disbelievers from among them this indicates that the covenant will reach only those who are not evildoers.

And when We appointed the House the Ka‘ba to be a place of visitation to which they flock from every direction for the people and a sanctuary of safety for them from the injustice and attacks that befall other places a person could come across his father’s killer there and yet not act violently against him; and ‘Take ittakhidhū is also read ittakhadhū making it a predicate O people to yourselves Abraham’s station the founding stone he used when building the House for a place of prayer’ so that you perform two units of prayer for the circumambulation; And We made a covenant with Abraham and Ishmael We commanded them ‘Purify My House of graven images for those that shall go round it and those that cleave to it in ritual residence to those who bow and prostrate themselves’ that is those who pray al-rukka‘ and al-sujūd are the plurals of rāki‘ ‘one bowing’ and sājid ‘one prostrated’ respectively.

And when Abraham said ‘My Lord make this place a land secure in which there is safety God granted him his request making it a sanctuary in which no human blood is shed no injustice is committed towards anyone no prey is hunted and which is never deserted in any of its parts; and provide its people with fruits something which actually happened when there came itinerants from as far as Syria whereas before it had been devoid of any vegetation or water; such of them as believe in God and the Last Day’ this phrase stands in place of its people and they are here singled out for mention in the request in accordance with God’s saying My covenant shall not reach the evildoers; He exalted said ‘And whoever disbelieves I will also provide with fruits to him I shall give enjoyment read either umti‘uhu or umatti‘uhu by granting him sustenance in this life a little the length of his life but then I shall compel him I shall drive him in the Hereafter to the chastisement of the Fire so that he cannot find an escape — how evil a journey’s end!’ a place to which to return.

And mention when Abraham raised up the foundations the supports or the walls of the House building it min al-bayt ‘of the House’ is semantically connected to yarfa‘u ‘raises up’ and Ishmael with him wa-Ismā‘īlu is a supplement to Ibrāhīmu both of them saying ‘Our Lord! Receive this building from us. Truly You are the Hearing of words the Knowing of deeds.

Our Lord! And make us submissive compliant to You and make of our seed our progeny a community a people submissive to You min in the phrase min dhurriyyatinā ‘of our seed’ here is partitive and is used here in accordance with God’s above-mentioned saying My covenant shall not reach the evildoers; and show us teach us our holy rites our ceremonies for worship or for the pilgrimage and relent to us. Surely You are the Relenting the Merciful they asked Him to turn towards them despite their moral impeccability out of humbleness and in order to teach their progeny.

Our Lord! And send among them the people of this House a messenger one of them and God granted him this petition with the sending of Muhammad (s) who shall recite to them Your signs the Qur’ān and teach them the Book the Qur’ān and Wisdom that is what the former contains of judgments and purify them cleanse them of idolatry; You are the Mighty the Victor the Wise in His creation.

Who therefore meaning ‘none’ shrinks from the religion of Abraham abandoning it except he who fools himself? that is to say either the one who ignores that his soul has been created for God and that it is obliged to worship Him or the one who treats it with frivolity and degrades it. Indeed We chose him We elected him in this world for prophethood and friendship and in the Hereafter he shall be among the righteous those of the high stations al-darajāt al-‘ulā cf. Q. 2075.