سُوْرَةُ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ
Surah Ibrahim (14) — Ayah 35
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ رَبِّ ٱجْعَلْ هَـٰذَا ٱلْبَلَدَ ءَامِنًا وَٱجْنُبْنِى وَبَنِىَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ ٱلْأَصْنَامَ ﴿35﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said: "O my Lord! Make this city (Makkah) one of peace and security, and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَ
qāla
said
إِبْرَٰهِيمُ
ib'rāhīmu
Ibrahim
رَبِّ
rabbi
My Lord
ٱجْعَلْ
ij'ʿal
Make
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
this
ٱلْبَلَدَ
l-balada
city
ءَامِنًۭا
āminan
safe
وَٱجْنُبْنِى
wa-uj'nub'nī
and keep me away
وَبَنِىَّ
wabaniyya
and my sons
أَن
an
that
نَّعْبُدَ
naʿbuda
we worship
ٱلْأَصْنَامَ
l-aṣnāma
the idols
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
35. And (remember) when Abraham said: "My Lord! Make this city (Makkah) secure, and keep me and my children away from worshipping idols [38].
[38]
The Supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to Make Makkah a Secure City:
A few verses earlier, the mention was made of the polytheist leaders of Quraysh and how they led their people to the brink of destruction. Since these Quraysh considered and called themselves followers of the way of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the mention of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is brought up to show them how averse he was to shirk. Also, to question how they can claim to follow him. He had supplicated for this city of Makkah to be made secure, saying: "O my Lord, keep me and my offspring safe from the filth of shirk and the worship of idols. For most people have gone astray because of idol worship. My follower is only the one who accepts my way of tawheed, and as for the idol-worshipper, I have nothing to do with him. Whoever disobeys me and, leaving the path of tawheed, gets entangled in the filth of idols, he is certainly deserving of punishment, but O Lord! You are Forgiving and Merciful, if You wish, You may also forgive them." His supplication for the polytheists was only due to his soft and merciful heart, but when it became clear to him that the forgiveness of a polytheist is not possible, he even stopped supplicating for his father. The Quraysh of Makkah, for all their claims of being the descendants of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and followers of his religion, had fallen into several fundamental errors, such as:
1. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had prayed, "O Allah, make this city of Makkah secure," and this supplication was accepted. The Quraysh of Makkah were reaping many economic, social, and political benefits due to the city's security, but their own conduct was such that in this very secure city, they committed extreme oppression and persecution against Allah's Messenger and the Muslims, making life unbearable for them, to the extent that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims were forced to leave Makkah.
2. The second supplication of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was, "O Allah, keep me and my sons (i.e., descendants) safe from idol worship." But the idol worship of the Quraysh of Makkah had reached such an extent that there were three hundred and sixty idols placed in the very House of Allah, among which were images of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Sayyiduna Isma'il (peace be upon him), and even divining arrows were placed in their hands.
3. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had settled his wife and children in this barren land so that he and his progeny would keep the Sacred House populated and perform worship, tawaf, Hajj, and 'Umrah therein. But the Quraysh, merely because the Muslims were not polytheists, imposed the restriction that they could neither pray in the Ka'bah, nor perform tawaf, nor fulfill Hajj and 'Umrah.
4. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had prayed, "O our Lord! Forgive me, my parents, and all the believers on the Day of Resurrection." But the Quraysh of Makkah did not even believe in the Day of Resurrection.
5. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had clearly stated that whoever obeys me is certainly of me, and whoever disobeys me has nothing to do with me. Yet, in all the above matters, the Quraysh of Makkah opposed Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Despite all this, they still called themselves the descendants and followers of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
[38]
The Supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to Make Makkah a Secure City:
A few verses earlier, the mention was made of the polytheist leaders of Quraysh and how they led their people to the brink of destruction. Since these Quraysh considered and called themselves followers of the way of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the mention of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is brought up to show them how averse he was to shirk. Also, to question how they can claim to follow him. He had supplicated for this city of Makkah to be made secure, saying: "O my Lord, keep me and my offspring safe from the filth of shirk and the worship of idols. For most people have gone astray because of idol worship. My follower is only the one who accepts my way of tawheed, and as for the idol-worshipper, I have nothing to do with him. Whoever disobeys me and, leaving the path of tawheed, gets entangled in the filth of idols, he is certainly deserving of punishment, but O Lord! You are Forgiving and Merciful, if You wish, You may also forgive them." His supplication for the polytheists was only due to his soft and merciful heart, but when it became clear to him that the forgiveness of a polytheist is not possible, he even stopped supplicating for his father. The Quraysh of Makkah, for all their claims of being the descendants of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and followers of his religion, had fallen into several fundamental errors, such as:
1. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had prayed, "O Allah, make this city of Makkah secure," and this supplication was accepted. The Quraysh of Makkah were reaping many economic, social, and political benefits due to the city's security, but their own conduct was such that in this very secure city, they committed extreme oppression and persecution against Allah's Messenger and the Muslims, making life unbearable for them, to the extent that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims were forced to leave Makkah.
2. The second supplication of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was, "O Allah, keep me and my sons (i.e., descendants) safe from idol worship." But the idol worship of the Quraysh of Makkah had reached such an extent that there were three hundred and sixty idols placed in the very House of Allah, among which were images of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Sayyiduna Isma'il (peace be upon him), and even divining arrows were placed in their hands.
3. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had settled his wife and children in this barren land so that he and his progeny would keep the Sacred House populated and perform worship, tawaf, Hajj, and 'Umrah therein. But the Quraysh, merely because the Muslims were not polytheists, imposed the restriction that they could neither pray in the Ka'bah, nor perform tawaf, nor fulfill Hajj and 'Umrah.
4. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had prayed, "O our Lord! Forgive me, my parents, and all the believers on the Day of Resurrection." But the Quraysh of Makkah did not even believe in the Day of Resurrection.
5. Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had clearly stated that whoever obeys me is certainly of me, and whoever disobeys me has nothing to do with me. Yet, in all the above matters, the Quraysh of Makkah opposed Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Despite all this, they still called themselves the descendants and followers of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
