The saying of the Exalted and Majestic:

"O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds." "And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will they be aided." "And when your Lord tested Ibrahim with words, and he completed them, He said, "Indeed, I am making you a leader for the people." He said, "And of my descendants?" He said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers."

Al-Hasan and others read "My favor" with a silent ي to lighten it; because its original form is with a vowel like the vowels of the pronouns: to you and by you, then Al-Hasan omitted it for the sake of meeting. And in the seven readings, there are those who pronounce the ي, and among them are those who keep it silent.

If we consider the virtue of the Children of Israel as being specific due to the abundance of prophets and other than that, then the worlds are a generality. If we consider their preference in general, then the worlds are the scholars of their time, because the Ummah of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, is better than them by text. And the saying has preceded regarding such verses up to His saying: "they will not be aided." (p-339) And the meaning of "nor will intercession be accepted from it" is that there will not be any intercession there, and it does not mean that someone will intercede for them and then be rejected, but rather it negates that there will be intercession as it is in this world. As for the intercession that is for hastening the reckoning, it is not beneficial for these disbelievers in particular. And as for the latter intercession, which is by permission of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, for the people of sins among the believers, it is after the punishment has taken its due, and there is nothing for these threatened disbelievers from it.

The operative word in "when" is a verb, its estimation is "and remember when," and "tested" means "examined," and "Ibrahim" is said to be interpreted in Arabic as "a merciful father."

Ibn Amer read throughout the entire Surah Al-Baqarah as "Abraham." And the subject is placed before the doer for emphasis, as the fact that the Lord is testing is known. The listener is concerned with whom He tested, and the fact that the pronoun of the object is connected to the doer necessitates the precedence of the object. Thus, the speech is built upon this emphasis.

The people of interpretation differed regarding the words. Ibn Abbas said: They are thirty arrows, which are Islam in its entirety, and no one completed them perfectly except Ibrahim, blessings of Allah be upon him. Ten of them are in Al-Bara'ah: "The repentant, the worshippers" [At-Tawbah: 112], and ten in Al-Ahzab: "Indeed, the Muslim men and the Muslim women" [Al-Ahzab: 35], and ten in: "A questioner asked" [Al-Ma'arij: 1].

(p-340) And Ibn Abbas also said, and Qatadah: The words are ten characteristics, five of them in the head: rinsing the mouth and inhaling water, trimming the mustache, using a miswak, and parting the hair. It is said that instead of parting the hair, it is letting the beard grow. And five in the body: trimming the nails, shaving the pubic hair, plucking the armpit hair, using water for istinja, and circumcision. And Ibn Abbas also said: They are ten characteristics, six in the body, and four in Hajj: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, plucking the armpit hair, trimming the nails, trimming the mustache, and washing on the day of Friday, and performing Tawaf around the House, and Sa'i, and throwing the pebbles, and the pouring out.

Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan said: It is the six characteristics by which he was tested: the star, the moon, the sun, fire, migration, and circumcision. It was said that instead of migration, it is sacrifice. A group said: It is the rites of Hajj specifically. It has been narrated that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, revealed to him to purify himself, then to rinse his mouth, then to purify himself and to use the miswak, then to purify himself and to take from his mustache, then to purify himself, and to part his hair, then to purify himself, and to perform istinja, then to purify himself, and to shave his pubic hair, then to purify himself, and to pluck his armpit hair, then to purify himself, and to trim his nails, then to purify himself, and to look at his body to see what he should do. He was circumcised after twenty-one and one hundred years, and in al-Bukhari it is mentioned that he was circumcised when he was eighty years old with the arrival of the messenger.

And the narrator said: So Allah revealed to him: "Indeed, I am making you an Imam for the people". They will follow you in these characteristics, and the righteous will take you as a guide.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is the strongest opinion in the interpretation of this verse. Based on all these opinions, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is the one who completed.

Mujahid and others said: The words are that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said to Ibrahim: "Indeed, I am testing you with a matter, so what is it?" Ibrahim said: "You make me an Imam for the people." Allah said: "Yes." Ibrahim said: "You make the House a place of return." Allah said: "Yes." Ibrahim said: "And grant us safety." Allah said: "Yes." Ibrahim said: "And show us our rites and accept our repentance." Allah said: "Yes." Ibrahim said: "You make this city safe." Allah said: "Yes." Ibrahim said: "And provide its people with fruits." Allah said: "Yes."

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Based on this saying, Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is the one who completed. The commentators have elaborated on this, and mentioned things in it afterwards, so I have summarized it.

These characteristics are called words because commands are associated with them; they are words. It has been narrated that when Ibrahim, blessings and peace be upon him, completed these words, or Allah completed them for him, Allah wrote for him safety from the Fire. This is His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "And Ibrahim who fulfilled" [al-Najm: 37].

The Imam is the leader, and from it, a thread of construction is called an Imam. Here it is a singular name, and it has been said in other contexts that it is a collective term, its form is fa'il, its root is 'amma. It comes like qa'im and qiyam, ja'i and jiya, na'im and niyam. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, made Ibrahim an Imam for the people of His obedience, and for this reason, the nations gathered around the call in him. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, informed that he was a hanif. And Ibrahim's saying, peace be upon him: "And of my offspring" is in the context of supplication and desire towards Allah, meaning: "And of my offspring, O Lord, make [them so]." It was said that this is in the context of questioning about them, meaning: "And of my offspring, O Lord, what will it be?"

And the offspring is derived from dhara yadhrū, or from dhara yadhri, or from dhara yadharu, or from dhara'a yadhra'u, and these are actions that have similar meanings. Abu al-Fath has elaborated on this and has clarified.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "He said, My covenant does not include the wrongdoers." This means Allah said. And the covenant, according to Mujahid, is the leadership. And Al-Suddi said it is prophethood. And Qatadah said it is safety from the punishment of Allah. And Al-Rabi' and Al-Dahhak said the covenant is the religion, the religion of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. And Ibn Abbas said the meaning of the verse is: there is no covenant upon you to obey a wrongdoer. And the mention of "the wrongdoers" is because the covenant is attained as it is attained. And Qatadah, Abu Rijah, and Al-Amash read "the wrongdoers" in the nominative case. If we interpret the covenant as the religion or safety or that there is no obedience to a wrongdoer, then the wrongdoing in the verse refers to the wrongdoing of disbelief. Because the sinful believer attains the religion and safety from the punishment of Allah, and his obedience is required if he has authority. And if we interpret the covenant as prophethood or leadership in religion, then the wrongdoing refers to the wrongdoing of disobedience and nothing more.