Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 125-129
وَاِذۡ جَعَلۡنَا الۡبَيۡتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَاَمۡنًا ؕ وَاتَّخِذُوۡا مِنۡ مَّقَامِ اِبۡرٰهٖمَ مُصَلًّى ؕ وَعَهِدۡنَآ اِلٰٓى اِبۡرٰهٖمَ وَاِسۡمٰعِيۡلَ اَنۡ طَهِّرَا بَيۡتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِيۡنَ وَالۡعٰكِفِيۡنَ وَالرُّکَّعِ السُّجُوۡدِ
﴿2:125﴾
وَاِذۡ قَالَ اِبۡرٰهٖمُ رَبِّ اجۡعَلۡ هٰذَا بَلَدًا اٰمِنًا وَّارۡزُقۡ اَهۡلَهٗ مِنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ مِنۡهُمۡ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِؕ قَالَ وَمَنۡ كَفَرَ فَاُمَتِّعُهٗ قَلِيۡلًا ثُمَّ اَضۡطَرُّهٗۤ اِلٰى عَذَابِ النَّارِؕ وَبِئۡسَ الۡمَصِيۡرُ
﴿2:126﴾
وَاِذۡ يَرۡفَعُ اِبۡرٰهٖمُ الۡقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الۡبَيۡتِ وَاِسۡمٰعِيۡلُؕ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّا ؕ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ السَّمِيۡعُ الۡعَلِيۡمُ
﴿2:127﴾
رَبَّنَا وَاجۡعَلۡنَا مُسۡلِمَيۡنِ لَـكَ وَ مِنۡ ذُرِّيَّتِنَآ اُمَّةً مُّسۡلِمَةً لَّكَ وَاَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبۡ عَلَيۡنَا ۚ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيۡمُ
﴿2:128﴾
رَبَّنَا وَابۡعَثۡ فِيۡهِمۡ رَسُوۡلًا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتۡلُوۡا عَلَيۡهِمۡ اٰيٰتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الۡكِتٰبَ وَالۡحِكۡمَةَ وَ يُزَكِّيۡهِمۡؕ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡحَكِيۡمُ
﴿2:129﴾
(2:125) And We made this House (Ka'bah) a resort for mankind and a place
of security, commanding people: “Take the station of Abraham as a permanent
place for Prayer,” and enjoined Abraham and Ishmael: “Purify My House for those
who walk around it, and those who abide in devotion, and those who bow, and
who prostrate themselves (in Prayer).”126 (2:126) And when Abraham prayed: “O my Lord! Make this a place of security
and provide those of its people that believe in Allah and the Last Day with
fruits for sustenance,” Allah answered, “And I shall still provide him who disbelieves
with the wherewithal for this short life,127 and then I shall drive
him to the chastisement of the Fire; that is an evil end.” (2:127) Recall when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House,
praying: “Our Lord! Accept this from us; You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
(2:128) Our Lord! Make us submissive to You and make out of our descendants
a community that submits itself to You, and show us the ways of Your worship,
and turn to us in mercy. You are Much-Relenting, Most Compassionate. (2:129) Our Lord! Raise up in the midst of our offspring a Messenger from
among them who shall recite to them Your verses, and instruct them in the Book
and in Wisdom, and purify their lives.128 Verily, You are the Most
Mighty, the Most Wise.”129
Notes
126. 'Purify My House' does not merely mean keeping it clean of dirt and
filth. The real purity and cleanliness of the House of God rests in the fact
that in it the name of God alone should be glorified. If someone declares in
its sacred precincts that anything other than God is his Lord, his object of
worship and adoration, the dispenser of man's needs and requirements, the hearer
of man's supplications, then such a person is guilty of desecrating the House
of God.
This verse also contains a hint as to the evil-doing of the people of the Quraysh.
They boasted that they were the inheritors of the legacy of Abraham and Ishmael,
but instead of being faithful to that legacy, they actually trampled over it.
So, just as the Children of Israel were excluded from the promise made to Abraham,
so were the polytheistic children of Ishmael. (See also(n. 125 above - Ed.)
127. (Here a distinction is made between honouring a people by entrusting
it with the religious leadership and guidance of the world, and bestowing on
it an abundant means of livelihood - Ed.) When Abraham enquired who merited
world leadership it was made clear to him that only his truly believing and
righteous children, to the exclusion of the wrong-doing ones, were worthy of
it. This occasioned God to clarify that the religious leadership of the world
was quite distinct from its livelihood. Men of faith alone were entitled to
the former, whereas both believers and unbelievers would be provided the latter.
If someone enjoys abundant material wealth it should not be misconstrued to
mean that God is necessarily pleased with him and that he has been designated
by God to provide religious guidance to the world.
128. The term 'purification' used here embraces the purification of beliefs
and outlook, morals, habits and customs, and social, cultural and political
life; the purification of man's life in its totality.
129. This has been said in order to indicate that the advent of Muhammad
(peace be on him) was in fact God's response to the prayer of Abraham (peace
be on him).