Al-An'am (The Cattle): Verses (84 - 88)

And We granted him Isaac...

In this verse, there are several issues to discuss:

When God Almighty recounted the story of Abraham (PBUH), He mentioned the proofs of His Oneness that Abraham demonstrated, defended, and supported. God then enumerated the types of His favors and graces bestowed upon him.

1. The First Favor: His saying: {And that was Our argument which We gave to Abraham} (6:83). This means We granted him that proof, guided him to it, and made his intellect grasp its reality. God referred to Himself using the plural form (We), which signifies majesty, similar to how great kings speak (e.g., "We did," "We said"). Since God referred to Himself with this form indicating greatness, that greatness must be complete, sublime, and noble. This indicates that God granting Abraham this proof was one of the noblest blessings and the highest rank of gifts and endowments.
2. The Second Favor: God singled him out for elevation and connection to high, sublime ranks: {We raise in degree whom We will}.
3. The Third Favor: God made him honored in this world because He made the noblest of people—the Prophets and Messengers—from his lineage. This honor remained in his descendants until the Day of Judgment. Knowing that prophets and kings will come from one's offspring is a great source of joy.

The purpose of these verses is to enumerate the types of God's blessings upon Abraham (PBUH) as a reward for his defense of the proofs of Monotheism. Thus, He said: {And We granted him Isaac, and Jacob, a grandson after him}.

Objection: Why was Ishmael (PBUH) not mentioned alongside Isaac, but rather mentioned later in rank?

Answer: The focus here is on the Prophets of the Children of Israel, all of whom are descendants of Isaac and Jacob. As for Ishmael, no Prophet emerged from his loins except Muhammad (PBUH). It was not appropriate to mention Muhammad (PBUH) in this context because God commanded Muhammad (PBUH) to argue against the Arabs regarding the rejection of polytheism by stating that when Abraham abandoned polytheism and insisted on Monotheism, God granted him great blessings in religion and the world. One of the great worldly blessings was granting him children who became Prophets and kings. Since the one presenting this proof is Muhammad (PBUH), it was impossible for him to mention himself in this setting. For this reason, Ishmael was not mentioned with Isaac.

Regarding His saying: {And Noah, We guided him before}, this means that God placed Abraham in the noblest lineage, as He granted him sons like Isaac and Jacob, from whose descendants the Prophets of the Children of Israel arose. Furthermore, He brought him forth from the loins of pure fathers like Noah, Idris, and Seth. The intent is to clarify the honor of Abraham (PBUH) concerning both his descendants and his forefathers.

Concerning His saying: {And of his descendants, David, and Solomon}, it is said that this refers to the descendants of Noah. This is supported by several points:

1. Noah is the closest mentioned figure, and referring the pronoun to the nearest is obligatory.
2. In the list, God mentioned Lot, who was Abraham's nephew, not his direct descendant. Lot was from the lineage of Noah and was a Messenger during Abraham's time.
3. A person's son is not typically called his dhurriyyah (offspring/descendants) in this context. Therefore, Ishmael (PBUH) was not from Abraham's dhurriyyah but from Noah's.
4. It is said that Jonah (PBUH) was also not from Abraham's lineage but from Noah's.

The Second Opinion: The pronoun refers back to Abraham (PBUH), meaning: {And of the descendants of Abraham, David, and Solomon}. Those who hold this view argue that Abraham is the primary subject of these verses. God mentioned Noah because Abraham being among Noah's descendants is one reason for Abraham's high status.

Note that God first mentioned four Prophets: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then, He mentioned fourteen Prophets from their descendants: David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Zechariah, John, Jesus, Elijah, Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah, and Lot. The total is eighteen.

Objection: The order of mention is usually obligatory, either by virtue or by time. This order is not observed here based on either virtue or time. What is the reason?

Answer: The truth is that the conjunction waw (and) does not necessitate sequence. One proof for this is this very verse, where waw is present, yet it conveys no sequence, neither by honor nor by time. However, I believe there is a rationale for the sequence based on the specific honor granted to each group of Prophets:

1. Kingship, Sovereignty, and Power: This is a rank highly esteemed by the majority of people. God granted David and Solomon a great share of this.
2. Severe Tribulation and Great Ordeal: God specialized Job with this rank and characteristic.
3. Combining Both States: This applies to Joseph (PBUH), who endured severe affliction initially and attained kingship in the end.
4. Strength of Miracles, Abundance of Proofs, Great Awe, and Strong Authority: This was characteristic of Moses and Aaron, whom God specifically honored and drew near to Himself.
5. Extreme Asceticism, Turning Away from the World, and Avoiding Association with People: This applies to Zechariah, John, Jesus, and Elijah. This is why God described them as righteous (Salihin).
6. Prophets Whose Followers and Disciples Have Vanished Among People: These are Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah, and Lot.

If we consider this criterion we have explained, the sequence in mentioning these Prophets (PBUH) is established according to this framework.

The Almighty said: {And We granted him Isaac, and Jacob, We guided them all}. There is disagreement on what God guided them to. The same applies to {And Noah, We guided him before} and the end of the verse: {That is the guidance of Allah, He guides therewith whom He wills of His servants}.

Some profound scholars state that this guidance refers to the great reward, which is guidance to the path of Paradise. This is supported by the subsequent verse: {And thus do We reward the doers of good}, indicating that this guidance was a recompense for their good deeds. A reward for good deeds can only be the reward itself. Thus, the intended meaning of this guidance is guidance to Paradise.

As for instruction in religion and acquiring knowledge in their hearts, this is not a reward for an action. However, it is not impossible that the intended meaning is guidance to religion and knowledge, and this was a reward for the effort they exerted in seeking the truth. God rewarded them for their excellent seeking by leading them to the truth, as He says: {And those who strive in Our cause, We will surely guide them to Our paths} (Al-'Ankabut: 69).

The Third Opinion: The intended meaning of this guidance is guidance to Prophethood and Messengership, as the specific guidance reserved for Prophets is nothing other than that.

Objection: If that were the case, then saying {And Aaron... and thus do We reward the doers of good} would imply that Messengership is a reward for an action, which you deem false.

Answer: We interpret the phrase {And thus do We reward the doers of good} as referring to the reward and honor, and the difficulty is resolved. And Allah knows best.

Those who argue that the Prophets (PBUH) are superior to the Angels use the Almighty's saying after mentioning these Prophets: {And to each We gave preference over the worlds}. The term al-'Alamin (the worlds) refers to every existing thing besides God, thus including the Angels. Therefore, {And to each We gave preference over the worlds} implies their superiority over all the worlds, which necessitates their superiority over the Angels.

A ruling derived from this verse is that the Prophets (PBUH) must be superior to all saints (Awliya), because the generality of the statement {And to each We gave preference over the worlds} necessitates this.

Some have said that {And to each We gave preference over the worlds} means We preferred him over the people of his time. The Judge (Al-Qadi) suggests that it could mean: "And each of the Prophets is preferred over everyone else besides them among the worlds." The discussion about which Prophet is superior to another is a separate matter not related to this point. And Allah knows best.

Hamzah and Al-Kisai recited {Wa al-Yasa'a} with a shaddah (doubling) on the Lam and a sukun (vowelization) on the Ya. The rest recited it with a single Lam as {Wa al-Yasa'a}. Al-Zajjaj said that both al-Laysa' (with doubling) and al-Yasa' (with single Lam) are used.

This verse indicates that Hasan and Husayn are from the progeny of the Messenger of God (PBUH). This is because God included Jesus (PBUH) among Abraham's descendants, even though Jesus is only related to Abraham through his mother. Similarly, Hasan and Husayn must be from the progeny of the Messenger of God (PBUH) even if their lineage is traced through their mother (Fatimah). It is narrated that Abu Ja'far al-Baqir used this verse as evidence in an argument with Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf.

This phrase yields several rulings:

1. God mentioned fathers (origins), descendants (branches), and brethren (branches of the origins). This indicates that God singled out everyone connected to these Prophets with a type of honor and grace.
2. God said: {And of their fathers}, where the particle min (of/some) implies partiality (some, not all).
   • If we interpret the guidance as guidance to reward, Paradise, faith, and knowledge, then this word indicates that among the fathers of these Prophets, there were some who were not believers and did not reach Paradise. If we interpreted the guidance as Prophethood, this implication would not arise.
3. If we interpret this guidance as Prophethood, then the phrase {And of their fathers, and their descendants, and their brethren} implies that a condition for being a Messenger from God is being a male, meaning a woman cannot be a Messenger. The subsequent phrase {And We chose them} implies Prophethood, because when Ijtiba' (choosing/selection) is mentioned concerning the Prophets (PBUH), it is appropriate only to interpret it as Prophethood and Messengership.

Then God Almighty said: {That is the guidance of Allah, He guides therewith whom He wills of His servants}. We must understand that the intended meaning of this guidance is the knowledge of Monotheism and the purification of God from polytheism, because He immediately follows it with: {If they associated others with Allah, then surely all that they did would be vain} (6:88). This indicates that the intended guidance is something that acts as the opposite of polytheism.

Once it is established that this guidance is the knowledge of God's Oneness, and God explicitly stated that this guidance is from Him, it is established that faith is only achieved through God's creation. Finally, God concluded this verse by negating polytheism: {If they associated others with Allah}, meaning if these Prophets had committed polytheism, all their acts of obedience and worship would have become void. The purpose is to affirm Monotheism and invalidate the path of polytheism. As for the discussion on the reality of nullification (Iḥbāṭ), we have detailed it in Surah Al-Baqarah, so there is no need to repeat it here. And Allah knows best.

7 < { Those are the ones to whom We gave the Scripture, and judgment, and prophethood. But if these [people] disbelieve in it, then We have entrusted to it a people who are not disbelievers in it. } > 7

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