Al-Baqarah: (131) When his Lord said to him...

Know that this is the fifth type of matter that Allah recounts concerning Abraham, peace be upon him. In this section, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The grammatical position of (إذ - idh)

The word idh is in the accusative case (nasb). There are two possible explanations for its governing factor:

1. It is governed by (اصطفيناه - iṣṭafaynāhu - We chose him): This means, "We chose him at the time when his Lord said to him, 'Submit' (aslim)." It is as if Allah mentioned the choosing (iṣṭifā’) and then followed it up by mentioning the reason for that choosing. When Abraham submitted himself to the worship of the Exalted Lord, humbled himself, and obeyed, Allah knew from his state that he would not change over time and would remain steadfast on this path. Furthermore, he was pure from all sins. At that point, Allah selected him for prophethood and singled him out for it, because Allah only chooses for prophethood someone whose state is like this in the beginning and the end. Thus, his submission to Allah and his good response are explicitly stated.
   • If one objects: The statement, "And indeed, We chose him" (Wa laqad iṣṭafaynāhu) is a report about the self (the Prophet/Abraham), while the statement, "When his Lord said to him, 'Submit'" (idh qāla lahu rabbuhu aslim) is a report about an absent entity (the Lord speaking). How can this structure be coherent?
   • Response: This is an instance of iltifāt (a shift in perspective/address) that we have mentioned repeatedly.

2. It is governed by an implied verb, Adhkur (Mention): It is as if the meaning is, "Mention that time," so that it becomes known that he was the righteous chosen one who would never turn away from the religion of someone like him.

Issue 2: When did Allah command him to submit (Aslim)?

There is a difference of opinion regarding when Allah commanded him, "Submit." The core of the difficulty is that the command "Submit" (Aslim) is typically given to someone who is not yet a Muslim. Was Abraham, peace be upon him, not a Muslim at some point for Allah to command him to submit at that time?

The majority hold that Allah commanded him this before prophethood and before puberty. This occurred when he was reasoning through the celestial bodies (the star, the moon, and the sun) and recognizing the signs of contingency in them, realizing their need for a Director who differs from them in corporeality and the signs of contingency. When he recognized his Lord, Allah said to him, "Submit," and he replied, "I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds" (Aslamtu li-Rabbil-ʿālamīn). This is because it is not permissible for Allah to command him this before he had recognized his Lord.

Another possibility is that the command, "Submit" (Aslim), occurred before his reasoning/deduction. In this case, the meaning of this command is not the literal utterance of the command itself, but rather the indication of the proof pointing toward it, following the style of the Arabs in this regard, like the poet who says:

A stronger evidence for this interpretation is Allah’s saying:

Here, the evidence/proof (burhān) is described as speech.

Some scholars say this command occurred after prophethood, and the meaning of the command, "Submit" (Aslim), is not submission in faith (Imān) but other matters:

1. Obedience to Allah's commands and hastening to accept them, abandoning aversion of the heart and tongue. This is what is meant by His saying: "Our Lord, and make us Muslims [submitting] to You" (Al-Baqarah: 128).
2. Al-Aṣamm said: "Submit" (Aslim) means dedicate your worship and make it pure from polytheism and the observation of others.
3. Be steadfast upon Islam and firm upon monotheism, like His saying: "So know that there is no deity except Allah" (Muhammad: 19).
4. Faith (Imān) is a quality of the heart, and submission (Islām) is a quality of the limbs. Abraham, peace be upon him, knew Allah with his heart, and Allah then commanded him with the actions of the limbs and organs by saying, "Submit" (Aslim).