(84–90) “And We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob; each of them We guided. And We had guided Noah before. And among his descendants were David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron. Thus do We reward those who excel in good. * And Zechariah, John, Jesus, and Elijah—each was among the righteous. * And Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah, and Lot—each We favored above all peoples. * And from among their forefathers, descendants, and brothers, We chose them and guided them to a straight path. * That is Allah’s guidance, by which He guides whomever He wills of His servants. Had they associated partners with Him, all their deeds would have come to nothing. * Those are the ones to whom We gave the Scripture, sound judgment, and prophethood. If these people reject them, We have already entrusted them to a people who will not reject them. * Those are the ones Allah guided, so follow their guidance. Say, ‘I ask no reward of you for this. It is only a reminder to all peoples.’”

After mentioning His servant and intimate friend Abraham, peace be upon him, and the knowledge, calling to Allah, and patience that He had graciously bestowed upon him, Allah Most High mentioned how He honored him with righteous descendants and goodly offspring. Allah made the choicest of creation arise from his lineage. What a magnificent distinction and immense honor, without equal! He said: “And We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob”—Jacob being Isaac’s son, Israel, and the father of the people whom Allah favored above all others.

“Each of them We guided” to the straight path in knowledge and action.

“And We had guided Noah before.” His guidance was one of the types (1) of special guidance attained only by select individuals among mankind: the messengers of firm resolve, of whom he was one.

“And among his descendants.” The pronoun may refer to Noah, since he is the nearest person mentioned and because Allah included Lot among those listed. Lot was a descendant of Noah, not of Abraham, for he was Abraham’s nephew.

It may also refer to Abraham, since the context concerns his praise and commendation. Although Lot was not one of his descendants, he was among those who believed through him. This was a greater distinction and virtue for Allah’s intimate friend than if Lot had merely been his son.

“David and Solomon”—Solomon being the son of David—“and Job and Joseph”—Joseph being the son of Jacob—“and Moses and Aaron,” the two sons of Imran. “Thus,” just as We made the descendants of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend, righteous because he excelled in worshipping his Lord and in benefiting His creation, “do We reward those who excel in good”: We grant them honorable renown and righteous descendants in proportion to the good they do.

“And Zechariah and John”—John being his son—“and Jesus,” son of Mary, “and Elijah—each” of these “was among the righteous” in character, deeds, and knowledge. Indeed, they were the foremost of the righteous, their leaders and exemplars.

“And Ishmael,” son of Abraham and father of the finest nation—the Arab people—and ancestor of the master of Adam’s descendants, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; “and Elisha and Jonah,” son of Mattā; “and Lot,” son of Haran, Abraham’s brother. “Each” of these prophets and messengers “We favored above all peoples.” This is because there are four ranks of virtue, which Allah mentioned in His words: “Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous.” These belong to the highest rank; indeed, they are the best of all the messengers. The messengers whose accounts Allah ⦗264⦘ relates in His Book are undoubtedly superior to those whose accounts He has not related to us.

“And from among their forefathers”—that is, the forefathers of those just mentioned—“their descendants, and their brothers”; that is, We also guided some of their forefathers, descendants, and brothers. “We chose them,” meaning that We selected them, “and guided them to a straight path.”

“That”—the guidance just mentioned—“is Allah’s guidance,” and there is no true guidance except His. “By which He guides whomever He wills of His servants.” Therefore, seek guidance from Him, for if He does not guide you, there is no other guide for you. Those whom He willed to guide included the people just mentioned. “Had they associated partners with Him”—by way of hypothesis and supposition—“all their deeds would have come to nothing.” Polytheism nullifies deeds and causes one to abide forever in the Fire. If the deeds of these chosen, virtuous people would have been nullified had they committed polytheism—far above such a thing were they—then this applies all the more to others.

“Those are the ones Allah guided, so follow their guidance.” That is: O noble Messenger, follow in the footsteps of these virtuous prophets and adhere to their way. He did so, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: he followed the guidance of the messengers before him and combined within himself every perfection found in them. Their virtues and distinctions were thus brought together in him, by which he surpassed all peoples. He became the master of the messengers and the leader of the God-fearing. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and upon them all. On this basis, some Companions cited this verse as evidence that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the greatest of all the messengers.

“Say” to those who have turned away from your call: “I ask no reward of you for this.” That is, I seek no payment or wealth from you in return for conveying the message to you and calling you, which might otherwise be a reason for your refusal. My reward is with Allah alone.

“It is only a reminder to all peoples.” Through it, they are reminded of what benefits them and therefore do it, and of what harms them and therefore avoid it. Through it, they are reminded to know their Lord by His names and attributes. They are also reminded of praiseworthy character and the paths leading to it, as well as blameworthy character and the paths leading to it. Since it is a reminder to all peoples, it is the greatest blessing Allah has bestowed upon them. They must therefore accept it and give thanks for it.