Tafsir of Surah Maryam - Verse 55

Mentioning Isma`il

Here Allah has commended Isma`il, the son of Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah. He (Isma`il) is the father of all of the Arabs of the Hijaz because he was true to what he promised. Ibn Jurayj said, "He did not make any promise to his Lord, except that he fulfilled it." He never obligated himself to do any act of worship with a vow, except that he fulfilled it and carried it out, giving it its full due. Some said,

صَـدِقَ الْوَعْدِ

((he was) true to what he promised.) "This was said about him because he said to his father,

سَتَجِدُنِى إِن شَآءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّـبِرِينَ

(If Allah wills you will find me of the patient.) 37:102 So he was truthful in that." Being true to one's promise is one of the praiseworthy characteristics, just as breaking one's promise is of the detested characteristics. Allah, the Exalted, says,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لاَ تَفْعَلُونَ - كَبُرَ مَقْتاً عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لاَ تَفْعَلُونَ

(O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do.) 61:2-3 The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«آيَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلَاثٌ: إِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ، وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ، وَإِذَا ائْتُمِنَ خَان»

(The sign of the hypocrite is three things. When he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; and when he is entrusted with something, he is disloyal to his trust.) Thus, if these are the characteristics of the hypocrites, then behaving contrary to these is a characteristic of the true believer. For this reason, Allah commended His servant and Messenger Isma`il, for he was true to his promise. Likewise, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was true to his promise. He did not promise anyone anything, except that he fulfilled his promise to that person. He also commended Abu Al-`As bin Ar-Rabi`, the husband of his daughter Zaynab, by saying,

«حَدَّثَنِي فَصَدَقَنِي، وَوَعَدَنِي فَوَفَى لِي»

(He spoke to me and he told me the truth, and he promised me and he fulfilled his promise to me.) When the Prophet died, the Khalifah (his successor), Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said, "Whoever received any promise from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or was owed any debt by him, then let him come to me and I will fulfill it on his behalf." So Jabir bin `Abdullah came and related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«لَوْ قَدْ جَاءَ مَالُ الْبَحْرَينِ أَعْطَيْتُكَ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا»

(If the wealth of Bahrain comes (to me), then I would give you such and such and such.) This meant that he would fill his hands with wealth. Therefore, when the wealth of Bahrain came (to them), Abu Bakr commanded Jabir to come and fill his hands from that wealth. Then, he commanded him to do so again, until he collected five hundred Dirhams. Then, Abu Bakr gave him its double along with it.(i.e. one thousand extra Dirhams). Concerning Allah's statement,

وَكَانَ رَسُولاً نَّبِيّاً

(and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet.) In this is a proof of Isma`il's favored status over his brother, Ishaq. Ishaq was only described as being a Prophet, but Isma`il was described with both prophethood and messengership. It is confirmed in Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفَى مِنْ وَلَدِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِسْمَاعِيل»

(Verily, Allah chose Isma`il from the sons of Ibrahim...) Then, Imam Muslim mentions the rest of the Hadith in its entirety. However, this statement proves the correctness of what we have said. Allah said,

وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّـلَوةِ وَالزَّكَـوةِ وَكَانَ عِندَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيّاً

(And he would enjoin on his family and his people the Salah and the Zakah, and his Lord was pleased with him.) This is also a beautiful form of praise, a commendable quality, and and upright characteristic. He was commanded in this way because of his persistence in obedience of his Lord, and enjoining his family to do so. This is as Allah said to His Messenger ,

وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلوةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا

(And enjoin the Salah on your family, and be patient with them.) 20:132 Also, Allah, the Exalted, said,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَاراً وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَـئِكَةٌ غِلاَظٌ شِدَادٌ لاَّ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

(O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.) 66:6 This means to command them to do good, forbid them from evil and do not neglect them. If you do so, and they obey your command, the Fire (of Hell) will not devour them on the Day of Resurrection. It has been reported in a Hadith from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«رَحِمَ اللهُ رَجُلًا قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى وَأَيْقَظَ امْرَأَتَهُ، فَإِنْ أَبَتْ نَضَحَ فِي وَجْهِهَا الْمَاءَ. رَحِمَ اللهُ امْرَأَةً قَامَتْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّتْ وَأَيْقَظَتْ زَوْجَهَا، فَإِنْ أَبَى نَضَحَتْ فِي وَجْهِهِ الْمَاء»

(May Allah have mercy upon a man who gets up at night to pray and he wakes his wife. If she refuses to get up, he sprinkles water in her face. May Allah have mercy upon a woman who gets up at night to pray and she wakes her husband. If he refuses to get up, she sprinkles water in his face.) This Hadith was recorded by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.

A reformer must begin his mission with his own family

كَانَ يَأْمُرُ‌ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ

"And he used to bid Salah and Zakah to his family." - 19:55.

A special attribute of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) is that he used to direct his family members to offer prayers and pay obligatory charity (الزَّكَاةِ ). Here the question arises that all Muslims are required to advise their family members to perform good deeds as the Qur'an addresses the believers

قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارً‌ا

"Save yourself and your family members from the Fire (of Hell)." - 66:6.

Then why has a special mention been made of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) in this matter? The fact is, that although this injunction applies to all Muslims, Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) used to make special efforts in following this directive. Likewise, the Holy Prophet ﷺ also received special directive to warn his family members and close relations against Allah's wrath وَأَنذِرْ‌ عَشِيرَ‌تَكَ الْأَقْرَ‌بِينَ (and warn the nearest people of your clan - 26:214). As a consequence he assembled them all and conveyed to them Allah's command. The other point to consider here is that prophets are sent by Allah for the guidance of entire people. They convey Allah's message to everyone and bind them to obey His command. Then what is the point in making special mention of the members of family? The thing is that there are certain principles which the prophets observe when calling upon people to follow the path of righteousness, and one of them is to give the call first to one's own family members before calling upon the general public. It is a lot easier to prevail upon one's own family members and to monitor their actions. Once the family members have accepted a certain way of life and have started acting on it routinely then it becomes much easier to spread the same message among others at large. When people see for themselves others following a righteous path it becomes much easier to convert them. The most effective means for bringing about an improvement in the character of the people is by creating a religious environment. Experience shows that virtue and vice both proliferate faster and wider in a receptive environment than through teaching and preaching.

Ishmael was Abraham’s son. Idris was a prophet who was probably born before Noah. Here, two special virtues of these prophets are described: first, their truthfulness and second, their diligence in exhorting people to pray to God and offer alms, or zakat, in order to give God’s other subjects their rightful dues. God says here that these qualities have put the above prophets among His favoured servants, whom He shall raise on high. The persons God selected for prophethood possessed these qualities to the fullest extent. However, the faithful in general are also expected to evince these qualities, and they too, in varying degrees, will forever partake of the divinely ordained fruits born of these qualities.