(130–134) “Who would turn away from the way of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself? We certainly chose him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will surely be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit,’ he replied, ‘I have submitted to the Lord of all worlds.’ Abraham enjoined this upon his sons, as did Jacob: ‘My sons, Allah has chosen this religion for you, so do not die except as Muslims.’ Or were you present when death came to Jacob, when he asked his sons, ‘What will you worship after me?’ They replied, ‘We will worship your God and the God of your forefathers—Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac—the One God; and to Him we submit.’ That was a community that has passed away. They will have what they earned, and you will have what you earn; you will not be questioned about what they used to do.”
That is, no one turns away from “the way of Abraham,” after his excellence has become known, “except one who makes a fool of himself”; that is, one who is ignorant of his own soul, debases it, accepts an inferior lot for it, and trades it away in a losing bargain. Conversely, no one is more rightly guided or complete than one who embraces the way of Abraham. Allah then described Abraham’s standing in this world and the Hereafter, saying: “We certainly chose him in this world”; that is, We selected him and enabled him to perform the deeds by which he became one of the ⦗67⦘ elect and virtuous.
“And in the Hereafter he will surely be among the righteous,” who will attain the highest ranks.
“When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit,’ he replied”—in obedience to his Lord—“I have submitted to the Lord of all worlds,” with sincerity and exclusive worship, love, and penitently turning to Him. Thus, worshipping Allah alone was his defining characteristic.
He then passed this on as an inheritance to his descendants, enjoined it upon them, and made it an enduring word among his posterity. It was handed down among them until it reached Jacob, who enjoined it upon his sons.
Therefore, O descendants of Jacob, your forefather enjoined this upon you in particular. You must submit completely and follow the Seal of the Prophets. For he said: “My sons, Allah has chosen this religion for you”; that is, He selected and preferred it for you as a mercy and kindness to you. So uphold it, adopt its laws, and be imbued with its virtues. Remain steadfast upon it so that death comes to you only while you adhere to it, for whoever lives upon something will die upon it, and whoever dies upon something will be resurrected upon it.
Since the Jews claimed that they followed the way of Abraham and, after him, Jacob, Allah denied their claim, saying: “Or were you present”—that is, in attendance—“when death came to Jacob?” This refers to its precursors and causes. He asked his sons, by way of testing them and so that he might be comforted during his lifetime by seeing them comply with what he had enjoined upon them: “What will you worship after me?”
They gave the answer that brought him comfort, saying: “We will worship your God and the God of your forefathers—Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac—the One God.” Thus, we will associate nothing with Him and set no one on an equal footing with Him. “And to Him we submit.” They thereby combined worshipping Allah alone with righteous action.
It is evident that they were not present with Jacob, since they had not yet come into existence. Since they were not present, Allah has informed us that Jacob enjoined the pure monotheistic faith upon his sons, not Judaism.
Allah then said: “That was a community that has passed away”; that is, it is gone. “They will have what they earned, and you will have what you earn”; that is, everyone has his own deeds, and everyone will be recompensed for what he has done. No one will be held accountable(1) for another’s sin, and nothing will benefit anyone except his own faith and piety. Your preoccupation with them, your claim that you follow their way, and your contentment with mere words therefore amount to something hollow and devoid of reality. Rather, what you must do is examine your own condition and determine whether it is fit to bring salvation or not.