Sūrah Ibrāhīm

Overview

Sūrah Ibrāhīm is a Makkan sūrah with 52 āyāt. It is named after the Khalīl of Allah, Prophet Ibrāhīm. Allah recounts events related to Ibrāhīm throughout the Qur’an. In this sūrah, he is quoted making a lengthy invocation to the Almighty, hence the title. After the discrete letters alif-lām-rā, Sūrah Ibrāhīm speaks about the Qur’an, specifically as a light with which the Prophet ﷺ takes people out of the darkness (14:1-2). It is a differentiator and criterion: it does not have this desired effect on those who favour the worldly life over the Afterlife (14:3). Allah highlights the universality of monotheism and the unity of the messengers—they all addressed their people with their own tongue, calling them to the same message of tawḥīd (14:4). Mūsā with the Children of Israel is an example of this, and his reminding them of Allah’s favours upon them when He saved them from the tyranny of Firʿawn (14:5-6). The people of Nūḥ are also cited along with ʿĀd and Thamūd, all as a single entity. Their messengers—Nūḥ, Hūd, and Ṣāliḥ—are collectively spoken of since their mission and their challenge were one (14:9-12). The discourse then transitions to all divinely sent messengers generally, and how they were threatened by their people, but Allah’s help was always near (14:13-14). The state of the disbelievers and their experiencing the torment of Hellfire is perhaps most vividly, succinctly, and agonisingly described in this sūrah (14:16-18). The scene shifts to another exchange in the Hereafter, where blame will be thrown around as to who misguided whom, but it is too little too late—the punishment will befall all the prideful deniers. Even the devil will be part of the lampoonery (14:21-22).

Allah strikes a parable of truth and falsehood—one tree is blessed with good fruits, and the other is rotten, dishevelled, and uprooted (14:24-27). The cosmological signs of Allah are recounted for mankind so that perhaps they will take heed and praise Him for His bounties (14:32-34). One of the most beautiful supplications of the Qur’an is quoted in the sūrah; that of Ibrāhīm. He makes duʿā for Makkah, his progeny, and that they all be devoted worshippers (14:35-41). The sūrah concludes with one of the harshest expositions against tyrants and the unjust in general—theirs is a terrible end and there will be no escaping their doom (14:42-52).

Context

The exact context wherein Sūrah Ibrāhīm was revealed upon the Prophet ﷺ is not known. Perhaps it was revealed around the same time as the surrounding sūrahs, but we do not know for sure.

Themes

• Monotheism, especially in light of the virtue of shukr—thankfulness. Allah is the giver of gifts, and man is an ungrateful slave. (14:7-8, 32-34)
• The story of prophecy as a thematic seam across time and space. (14:4-14)
• The horrifying fate of the haughty truth-rejectors and the wicked, unjust oppressors. (14:16-22, 42-52)

Unique Features

• For aspiring ḥuffāẓ (memorisers of the Qur’an), it is noteworthy that, in mentioning Mūsā and the Israelites (14:6), Allah says: yasūmūnakum sūʾa al-ʿadhābi wa yudhabbiḥūna abnāʾakum… Other renditions of this qur’anic locution do not have the wa.
• Sūrah Ibrāhīm uniquely cites the devil’s lamentation on the Day of Judgement. (14:22)
• Ibrāhīm is quoted to make two duʾās about Makkah in the Qur’an, one in Sūrah al-Baqarah (2:126) and the other in Sūrah Ibrāhīm (14:35). The former reads: “My Lord, make this a secure city (baladan āminā)”; and the latter reads: “My Lord, make this city secure (al-balada āminā)”. Of course, this is not haphazard. In the first instance, Makkah is yet to be a city, so the duʿā is for it to become a safe place with sustenance for its inhabitants. In the second, Makkah is now a city, so the duʿā is for it to be secure and for Allah to save him—Ibrāhīm—and his offspring from idolatry.

Lessons

• Gratitude leads to increase. This is such a profound spiritual reality that even disbelievers have caught on to its tangible effects, such that many large business owners designate a portion of their wealth for charity as an expression of thankfulness. While they do not appreciate to whom they are being thankful, we direct our thanks, praise, and devotion to the Bestower, the Lord of the Worlds, the Owner of Dominion. To Allah belongs everything, and whatever He gives us is a gift from Him. When we are grateful, He blesses our provisions with plenitude: “Your Lord declared, ‘If you give thanks, I will surely give you more.” (14:7)
• Another lesson in gratitude is given in the sūrah. Have you ever paused to try and count your blessings? Try it. You’ll run out of fingers pretty quickly. No ink suffices nor is any parchment long enough to list the favours of Allah upon us. Still, we forget. Every inhale and exhale, every heartbeat, every moment of being is a blessing from the Divine: “He has given you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favours of Allah, you would not enumerate them. Indeed, man is most unjust, an ingrate.” (14:34)
• The tyrants’ days are numbered. When their depraved savagery comes to the fore, it is usually a sign of their impending doom. Allah knows full well what they do, and He is delaying them for a day unlike no other: “Do not ever think that Allah is oblivious of what the unjust are doing. He only defers them to a day when the eyes will stare in horror.” (14:42)
• A good word goes a long way. Never underestimate the value of what you say to others, for its consequences can be truly grand: “Have you not seen how Allah has set forth a parable? A good word is like a good tree, having its root firm and its branches in the sky. It brings its fruits at all times by its Lord’s leave. Allah strikes parables for people so that they may reflect.” (14:24-25)

Virtues and Valuable Information

The sūrah speaks about the story where Ibrāhīm left his wife Hājar and his son Ismāʿīl in the barren desert of Makkah (14:37). It is reported that, upon turning away from her and their son, Hājar repeatedly asked Ibrāhīm why he’s leaving them behind. She did this until she realised it must have been a divine command. She asked him: “Did Allah command you to do this?” Without turning back lest his heart softens and he is unable to fulfil Allah’s behest, he said: “Yes.” She replied: “Then He will not forsake us.”