“They say, ‘Become Jews or Christians, and you will be rightly guided.’ Say, ‘Rather, we follow the religion of Abraham, inclining to the truth; and he was not one of the polytheists.’ (135) Say, ‘We believe in Allah, in what has been sent down to us, in what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; in what was given to Moses and Jesus; and in what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.’ (136)

Allah Most High says: “They say, ‘Become Jews or Christians, and you will be rightly guided.’” Ibn Abbas said: This was revealed concerning the leaders of the Jews of Medina—Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, Malik ibn al-Sayf, Wahb ibn Yahuda, and Abu Yasir ibn Akhtab—and concerning the Christians of Najran: al-Sayyid, al-Aqib, and their companions. This was because they disputed with the Muslims about religion, each party claiming to have a greater right to Allah’s religion.

The Jews said: “Our prophet Moses is the best of the prophets, our Book, the Torah, is the best of the Books, and our religion is the best of religions.” They disbelieved in Jesus, the Gospel, Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the Quran. The Christians said: “Our prophet is the best of the prophets, our Book, the Gospel, is the best of the Books, and our religion is the best of religions.” They disbelieved in Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the Quran. Each of the two parties said to the believers, “Follow our religion, for there is no religion but that.” (1)

So Allah Most High said: “Say,” O Muhammad, “Rather, the religion of Abraham”—that is, rather, we follow the religion of Abraham. Al-Kisa’i said: It is in the accusative by way of exhortation, as though He were saying: “Follow the religion of Abraham.” It is also said that its meaning is: Rather, we shall be upon the religion of Abraham; the preposition “upon” was omitted, and so it became accusative.

“Inclining to the truth” is in the accusative as a circumstantial qualifier according to the grammarians of Basra. According to the grammarians of Kufa, it is accusative by disjunction. The meaning intended is: Rather, the religion of Abraham, the one inclining to the truth. When the definite article was dropped, the indefinite word could not qualify the definite one; it was therefore detached from it and placed in the accusative.

Mujahid said: The hanif way is to follow Abraham in the religious law that he brought, by which he was made an imam for the people. Ibn Abbas said: A hanif is one who turns away from all religions toward the religion of Islam. Its origin is hanaf, which is a bend and curvature in the foot;