Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 129

(Ayah 129) This is the conclusion of the supplication of Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them). By { ”رَسُوْلًا“ } is meant the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), because among the descendants of Ismail (peace be upon him), there has been no other prophet except him (peace and blessings be upon him). The companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him to tell them about himself, so he said: "I am the supplication of my father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the glad tidings of Isa (peace be upon him), and when my mother conceived me, she saw that a light emerged from her (body) by which Busra was illuminated, and Busra is a land in Syria." (Mustadrak: 2/600, H: 4174) Imam Hakim narrated it, Imam Dhahabi agreed with him in declaring it Sahih, and Shaykh Albani also declared it Sahih. [سلسله الصحيحه : ۱۵۴۵] The specification of Syria is because, in the end times, Syria will become the center of Islam, Isa (peace be upon him) will descend in Syria, and the group mentioned in the hadith that will remain upon the truth until the Day of Judgment will also be in Syria. In Ibn Kathir, with reference to Sahih Bukhari, it is stated: [ وَهُمْ بِالشَّامِ ] "They will be in Syria." [بخاری: ۳۶۴۱، ۷۴۶۰] By { ”الْكِتٰبَ“ } is meant the Noble Qur'an, and by { ”الْحِكْمَةَ“ } is meant the noble hadith, and these two are the fundamental principles of Islam. Purification means to purify from shirk and sins and to teach obedience and sincerity. In {’’ اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ ‘‘}, besides repeating the pronoun, the use of alif-lam in {”الْعَزِيْزُ“} creates a double restriction, hence it is translated as "You alone."

129. 1 This is the final supplication of Ibrahim and Ismail (علیہما السلام). This too was accepted by Allah, and from the descendants of Ismail (علیہ السلام), Muhammad the Messenger ﷺ was sent. That is why the Prophet ﷺ said: I am the supplication of my father Ibrahim (علیہ السلام), the glad tidings of Isa (علیہ السلام), and the dream of my mother (Al-Fath Al-Rabbani, vol. 20, p. 181, 189).

129. 2 By "Book" is meant the Noble Quran, and by "Wisdom" is meant Hadith. The teaching of the recitation of verses, and the explanation of the Book and Wisdom, shows that the mere recitation of the Noble Quran is also intended and is a source of reward. However, if its meaning and purpose are also understood, then Subhan Allah, it is like gold upon gold. But if the translation and meaning of the Quran are not understood, even then, negligence in its recitation is not permissible. Recitation in itself is a separate and virtuous act. However, one should also try as much as possible to understand its meaning and purpose.

129. 3 After the recitation and teaching of the Book and the teaching of Wisdom, this is the fourth purpose of his ﷺ being sent: to purify them from the impurities of shirk and superstitions, and from shortcomings in morals and character.

129. Our Lord! Raise up among them a Messenger [160] from among themselves, who will recite to them Your verses, teach them the Book and wisdom [161], and purify them [162]. Surely, You are the Mighty, the Wise.

[160]
I am the prayer of Ibrahim (peace be upon him):

That is, send a Messenger from among the people of the city of Makkah. Thus, Allah Almighty also accepted this prayer of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and sent the Arab Prophet, the Last Messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), from the descendants of Ismail (peace be upon him). That is why the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I am the prayer of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)." [احمد، بحواله مشكوٰة، باب فضائل سيد المرسلين صلوات اللّٰه وسلامه عليه الفصل الثاني]

[161]
What is wisdom? And hidden revelation:

The literal meaning of the word "hikmah" (wisdom) is understanding and intelligence. Then, it also includes all those methods and ways that are necessary to practically accomplish a task. The first type is called theoretical wisdom, and the second type is called practical wisdom. Imam Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) has proven in his book 'Al-Risalah' with countless evidences that wherever the word "hikmah" comes with "the Book" in the Quran, it refers to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is also supported by the hadith in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "After me, no one should say out of pride that I do not find this command in the Book of Allah. Listen well! I have been given this Book (the Quran) and something like it along with it." (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, and others) Also, this verse of the Noble Quran ﴿وَمَآ اٰتٰكُمُ الرَّسُوْلُ فَخُذُوْهُ ۤ وَمَا نَهٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوْا﴾ [7: 59] makes following the Sunnah of the Messenger obligatory. The clear result of this is that whoever denies the Sunnah of the Messenger is, in reality, also a denier of the Quran.

[162]
The meaning of self-purification:

Self-purification is a well-known term, meaning to purify and refine them, and in refinement, everything is included: morals, habits, social life, civilization, politics—in short, everything. This means that practically training the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) was also the responsibility of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Here is a small example of this: Once, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) (who was among the earliest and foremost, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) loved him very much) said to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), "O son of a black woman." For just this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) severely reprimanded Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: « إِنَّكَ امْرُؤٌ فِيكَ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ» [ بخاري كتاب الايمان باب المعاصي من امر الجاهلية] (meaning: You are a person in whom there is still the effect of ignorance). This was his method of training, and this is the meaning of «يزكيهم». (For explanation, see Surah Al-Imran, verses 160 to 164.)