The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 345
PT. 13 IBRAHİM CH. 14 رَبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ Our Lord, I have settled. 38 XÉNERÉKMBIES some of my children in an Sacred House, our Lord,- ذِي زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا uncultivable valley near Thy لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلوةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْبِدَةً مِنَ that they may observe Prayer النَّاسِ تَهْوِى إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقُهُمُ So make men's hearts incline مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ b towards them and provide them with fruits, that they may be thankful. 1692 "22:27. 2:127; 28:58. to prayer for their forgiveness also. Thus, incidentally, the verse teaches the great moral lesson that love of one's children should always be subject to certain limitations. It goes without saying that uncontrolled parental love not unoften leads to the moral and material ruin of children. Therefore, no feelings of love and attachment should be allowed stand between God and man. But, as already stated, whereas in the earlier part of the verse Abraham disowns those of his children who should forsake his path, in the latter part he prays for Divine forgiveness for even such among his descendants as might have incurred God's displeasure by wrongdoing, for God's Prophets are full to overflowing of the milk of human kindness. Even when believer is sometimes forced to sever his connection with some of his kinsmen and friends on account of their persistent disbelief, he continues to pray to God for them. a Lord" but in this verse, he has substituted "Our Lord" for "My Lord" i. e. in the present verse he has used the plural pronoun in place of the singular. The reason for this change is that in the latter case Abraham speaks of an act in which the will of Hagar and Ishmael was joined to his own. Although it was he himself who had made his wife and son settle in "an uncultivable valley," yet his wife and son had also shared in the sacrifice, for they had cheerfully cooperated with him and willingly signified their readiness to live in the wilderness in obedience to God's command. As three persons were concerned in the matter and they had all willingly submitted to the will of God, the plural pronoun has been used in the present verse. The verse, by implication, refers to a vision of Abraham in which he saw that he was slaughtering his son, Ishmael (37:103). As the sacrifice of human beings was much in vogue at that time, Abraham set about literally to fulfil it. But the dream really meant In the previous verse, Abraham that he was to settle his son in a commenced his prayer by saying "My | barren valley; for to leave a young lad 1692. Commentary: 1553