By Brother Tajuddeen Alawiye
– All prophets and pious faithful in monotheism bow down and worship Allah (SWT), Abraham (AS) Does
Abraham (AS) Is Neither A Jew Nor A Christian; but he was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered himself to Him. He was not of those who associate partners with God.” (Verse 67)
Here, we have a clear statement of what has already been implied, that Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, since both the Torah and the Gospel were revealed after his time. It is further stated that Abraham had no interest whatsoever in any creed or doctrine other than complete devotion to God. He was a Muslim in the broad sense of Islam, meaning total surrender to God. “He was not of those who associate partners with God.” This is again implied in the preceding statement that Abraham “was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered himself to Him.” That it is re-emphasised here is significant because it indicates first that both the Jews and the Christians, who had over the years come to accept deviant beliefs, were in effect associating partners with God. Hence, Abraham could neither be a Jew nor a Christian, but an upright man who surrendered himself to God. It further indicates that Islam and polytheism are two diametrically opposed doctrines. Islam means the absolute oneness of God with everything that this oneness entails. Hence, it can have no common ground with any form of polytheism. Moreover, it shows that the claim of the Quraysh idolaters that they followed Abraham’s religion since they were the custodians of the Ka`bah, the House he built for worship in Makkah, is also false. Abraham believed in God alone and surrendered himself to Him, while those people of the Quraysh were idolaters.