Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (1/248)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

He chose him and guided him to a straight path. (121)
We granted him good in this world, and in the Hereafter he shall surely be among the righteous. (122)
Then We revealed to you: “Follow the creed of Abraham, ever-upright; he was never one of the polytheists.” (An-Naḥl 16:120-123)

Al-Bukhārī relates (1): “Ibrāhīm ibn Mūsā told us—Hishām narrated to us—from Maʿmar, from Ayyūb, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās: When the Prophet ﷺ saw the images inside the House, he refused to enter until he had been ordered that they be erased. He noticed depictions of Abraham and Ishmael holding divination arrows, whereupon he said, ‘May Allah destroy them! By Allah, they never sought lots with arrows at all.’” Muslim does not record this report.

In another wording preserved by al-Bukhārī (2) he exclaimed: “May Allah destroy them! They certainly knew that our elder never practiced divination with arrows.”

Regarding His words: “a community” (ummah), it means a model leader, rightly guided and calling others to goodness, so that people might emulate him. “Devoutly obedient to Allah” (16:120) describes his humility before Allah in every moment—whether in action or repose. “Upright” denotes sincere devotion upon clear insight; “nor was he of the polytheists; (120) grateful for His favors” (16:120–121) means he showed gratitude to his Lord with every limb—heart, tongue, and deed. “He chose him” signifies that Allah selected him for Himself, elected him for prophethood, and made him an intimate friend, combining for him the best of this world and the next.

The Most High also says: “Who could have a better religion than one who submits his whole being to Allah, acts with excellence, and follows the creed of Abraham, the man of pure faith? For Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend.” (al-Nisāʾ 4:125) In this verse Allah urges us to follow Abraham, upon him be peace, for he trod the upright religion and the straight path, fulfilling everything his Lord commanded. Allah praised him, saying: “and of Abraham, who fulfilled” (an-Najm 53:37). For this reason Allah made him His intimate friend; khullah is the highest degree of love, as a poet said:

You have pierced the pathway of spirit within me—
Hence the khalīl is called an intimate friend.

In like manner the Seal of the Prophets and leader of the messengers, Muḥammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—attained this rank. It is established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs (4) and elsewhere, through Jundub al-Bajalī, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr, and Ibn Masʿūd, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “O people! Allah has taken me as an intimate friend just as He took Abraham as an intimate friend.”

He also declared at the end of one of his sermons: “O people! Had I taken anyone on earth as an intimate friend, I would surely have taken Abū Bakr as one; but your companion is the intimate friend of Allah.” The two Imams report this from Abū Saʿīd (5). It is likewise authentically transmitted from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Ibn Masʿūd.

(1) In Sahih al-Bukhari (no. 3352) under “The Prophets.” (2) Narrated by al-Bukhari (1601) in al-Hajj with the wording: “May Allah fight them! By Allah, they know that they never resorted to it at all.” (3) Mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim in Rawdat al-Muhibbin, p. 82 (Dar al-Kalima al-Tayyiba edition, ed. Muhyi al-Din Deeb Masto). (4) It does not appear in the two Sahih collections in this exact wording; the author conveys it by meaning only. (5) Rendered in meaning by al-Bukhari (no. 3904) in the chapter “Virtues of the Companions,” and by Muslim (2383) in “Virtues of the Companions.”

اجْتَبَاهُ وَهَدَاهُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ (١٢١) وَآتَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (١٢٢) ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ﴾ [النحل: ١٢٠ - ١٢٣] . وقال البخاري (١) : حَدَّثَنَا إبراهيم بن موسى، حَدَّثَنَا هشام، عن مَعْمر، عن أيُّوب، عن عكرمة، عن ابن عبَّاس: أنَّ النبيَّ ﷺ لما رأى الصُّوَرَ في البيت لم يدخلْ حتى أُمِر بها فمُحيت، ورأى إبراهيمَ وإسماعيلَ بأيديهما الأزلامُ، فقال: "قاتلَهم اللّه، واللّه إن استقسما بالأزلام قطّ" . لم يخرِّجْه مسلم. وفي بعض ألفاظ البخاري (٢) : "قاتلَهم الله، لقد علموا أن شيخنا لم يستقسمْ بها قطُّ" . وقوله: ﴿أُمَّةً﴾ أي: قدوة، إمامًا مهتديًا داعيًا إلى الخير، يُقتدى به فيه ﴿قَانِتًا لِلَّهِ﴾ [النحل: ١٢٠] أي: خاشعًا له في جميع حالاته وحركاته وسكناته ﴿حَنِيفًا﴾ أي مخلصًا على بصيرة: ﴿وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (١٢٠) شَاكِرًا لِأَنْعُمِهِ﴾ [النحل: ١٢٠، ١٢١] قائمًا بشكر ربِّه بجميع جوارحِه من قلبه ولسانه وأعمالِه ﴿اجْتَبَاهُ﴾ أي: اختاره اللّه لنفسه واصطَفَاه لرسالته، واتَّخذه خليلًا، وجمعَ له بين خيري الدنيا والآخرة. وقال تعالى: ﴿وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا﴾ [النساء: ١٢٥] يرغِّب تعالى في اتباع إبراهيم (عليه السلام) ، لأنه كان على الدِّين القويم والصِّراط المستقيم، وقد قام بجميع ما أَمر به ربُّه، ومدحَه تعالى بذلك، فقال: ﴿وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى﴾ [النجم: ٣٧] ، ولهذا اتَّخذه اللّه خليلًا، والخُفَةُ هي غاية المحبَّة، كما قال بعضُهم: [من الخفيف] قد تَخَلَّلْتَ مَسْلك الرُّوحِ مني … وبذا سُمِّي الخليلُ خليلًا (٣) وهكذا نالَ هذه المنزلة خاتمُ الأنبياء وسيِّدُ الرسل محمد صلواتُ اللّه وسلامه عليه، كما ثبت في الصحيحين (٤) وغيرهما: من حديث جُنْدب البَجليّ، وعبد اللّه بن عمرو، وابن مسعود، عن رسول اللّه ﷺ أنه قال: "أيها الناس إن اللّه اتَّخذني خليلًا، كما اتَّخذَ إبراهيمَ خليلًا" . وقال أيضًا في آخرِ خطبةٍ خطبَها: "أيُّها النَّاسُ لو كنتُ مُتَّخذًا من أهل الأرض خليلًا لاتَّخذتُ أبا بكر خليلًا، ولكنَّ صاحبَكم خليلُ اللّه" . أخرجاه من حديث أبي سعيد (٥) . وثبت أيضًا من حديث عبد اللّه بن الزبير وابن عباس وابن مسعود.

(١) في صحيحه (٣٣٥٢) في الأنبياء. (٢) أخرجه البخاري (١٦٠١) في الحج بلفظ "قاتلهم اللّه، أما والله قد علموا أنهما لم يستقسما بها قط". (٣) ذكره ابن القيم في روضة المحبين (ص ٨٢) طبعة دار الكلم الطيب تحقيق د. محيي الدين ديب مستو. (٤) ليس في الصحيحين بهذا اللفظ وإنما رواه المؤلف بالمعنى. (٥) أخرجه بالمعنى البخاري رقم (٣٩٠٤) في فضائل الصحابة، ومسلم (٢٣٨٣) في فضائل الصحابة.