The Quran

124

Preface

۞ وَإِذِ ابتَلىٰ إِبراهيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِماتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ ۖ قالَ إِنّي جاعِلُكَ لِلنّاسِ إِمامًا ۖ قالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتي ۖ قالَ لا يَنالُ عَهدِي الظّالِمينَ

Yusuf Ali

And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands¹, which he fulfilled: He said: “I will make thee an Imām² to the Nations.” He pleaded: “And also (Imāms) from my offspring!” He answered: “But My Promise is not within the reach of evil-doers.”

Kalimat literally “words”: here used in the sense of God’s Will or Decree or Purpose. This verse may be taken to be the sum of the verses following. In everything Abraham fulfilled God’s wish: he purified God’s house; he built the sacred refuge of the Ka‘ba; he submitted his will to God’s, and thus became the type of Islam. He was promised the leadership of the world; he pleaded for his progeny, and his prayer was granted, with the limitation that if his progeny was false to God, God’s promise did not reach the people who proved themselves false.
Imām: the primary sense is that of being foremost: hence it may mean: (1) leader in religion; (2) leader in congregational prayer; (3) model, pattern, example; (4) a book of guidance and instruction (11:17); (5) a book of evidence or record (36:12). Here, meanings 1 and 3 are implied. In 9:12 the word is applied to leaders of Unbelief or Blasphemy.