Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:120

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: It means he possessed, peace be upon him, of goodness what a nation—which is a large group—possesses. Applying this term to him, peace be upon him, is because he gathered perfections that are rarely found except scattered among a vast nation. (And it is not considered strange for Allah to gather the world into one person).

He, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, was the leader of the monotheists, the exemplar of the verifiers, who established the proofs of monotheism, raised its banners, lowered the flags of polytheism, and severed the heads of its falsehood with the blades of his arguments.

Mujahid said: He was called an Ummah because he was alone in faith during his time for a certain period. In Sahih al-Bukhari, it is narrated that he, peace be upon him, said to Sarah: "There is no believer on earth today other than me and you." It is mentioned in al-Qamus that one of the meanings of Ummah is one who is upon the truth, opposing all other religions. The apparent meaning is that it is a metaphor, making him as if he were the entirety of that era, because the disbelievers are considered as non-existent.

It is also said: Ummah here is in the form of fa'lah in the sense of a passive participle (maf'ul), like rihlah in the sense of marhul ilayh (a place to which one travels), and nukhbah in the sense of muntakhab (the chosen one). It is derived from amma (to intend/to lead) if one intends him or follows him; meaning he was a leader [followed by others] or one who is followed, as people used to head toward him for benefit and follow his way of life.

Ibn al-Anbari said: This is like the saying of the Arabs: "So-and-so is a mercy (rahmah), a sign ('alamah), and a genealogist (nassabah)," intending by the feminine form the extreme degree in the described attribute.

Mentioning him, peace be upon him, following the refutation of the polytheists' doctrines regarding shirk, the questioning of prophethood, and the prohibition of what Allah has made lawful, is to signal that the truthfulness of the religion of Islam and the falsehood of polytheism and its branches is a matter that is established and beyond doubt. There is also in this a rebuttal to the Quraysh, as they claimed that [they followed his path]. Since Allah has clarified the state of the polytheists and mentioned the Jews, He presented the way of Abraham, peace be upon him, to demonstrate the difference between his state, the state of the polytheists, and the state of the Jews.

{Devoutly obedient}: Obedient to Him, Glorified be He, steadfast in His command.

{Inclining toward truth}: Turning away from every false religion toward the true religion, never departing from it.

{And he was not of the polytheists}: In any matter of their religion, neither in principle nor in detail. He explicitly stated this despite its obviousness. It is said: This is in rebuttal to the disbelieving Quraysh regarding their claim: "We are upon the creed of our father Abraham." It is also said: This is for that reason, and to refute the polytheistic Jews in their claim that "Ezra is the son of God," and in their fabrication and assertion that he, peace be upon him, was like them. It is similar to the saying of Allah, the Exalted: "Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah], and he was not of the polytheists." With this, the matter of the previously mentioned prohibitions and the Sabbath is organized in the context of what precedes and follows it.