وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ رَبِّ ٱجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا ءَامِنًا وَٱرْزُقْ أَهْلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُم بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُۥ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُۥٓ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ ٱلنَّارِ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
“And when Abraham prayed: My Lord! Make this a region of security and bestow upon its people fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day, He answered: As for him who disbelieveth, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the doom of Fire - a hapless journey's end!” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Taberî explains the word 'âmin' in Ibrahim's supplication 'Lord! Make this city secure' as meaning the city is protected from the domination of tyrants and oppressors, as well as from other punishments and trials that befall other settlements such as earthquakes and drowning. He also conveys the disagreement regarding readings and interpretation concerning the phrase 'and whoever disbelieves,' whether this is Ibrahim's words or Allah's response; by preferring the reading of Übey b. Ka'b, he states that this is Allah's words, meaning that Allah provides sustenance in this world to both believing and disbelieving people of Mecca, but ultimately drives the disbelievers to the Fire.
فتأويل الآية: قال الله: يا إبراهيم قد أجبت دعوتك، ورزقت مؤمني أهل هذا البلد من الثمرات وكفارهم متاعا لهم إلى بلوغ آجالهم، ثم أضطر كفارهم بعد ذلك إلى النار.
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this text, Ibrahim's supplication is restricted to the believers, because the station of prophethood and leadership is not fitting for the wicked; however, sustenance can reach both the obedient and the disbeliever. Furthermore, Allah informed that He gives worldly sustenance to the disbeliever but this is limited by the span of his life, a very small share between eternity past and eternity future. For the believer, worldly blessings are connected to the blessings of the Hereafter, whereas the disbeliever's blessings are cut off at death and turn into punishment.
لأن منصب النبوة والإمامة لا يليق بالفاسقين ، لأنه لا بد في الإمامة والنبوة من قوة العزم والصبر على ضروب المحنة حتى يؤدي عن الله أمره ونهيه ولا تأخذه في الدين لومة لائم وسطوة جبار ، أما الرزق فلا يقبح إيصاله إلى المطيع والكافر والصادق والمنافق
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, this verse concerns Ibrahim's supplication for security and sustenance for Mecca; scholars have disagreed about whether Mecca was a sacred/secure zone even before Ibrahim's supplication. Furthermore, the phrase 'and whoever disbelieves, I grant him enjoyment' has been debated whether it is Ibrahim's or Allah's words, and this distinction has been supported by reading differences (fatha/damma readings). It is stated that the purpose of Ibrahim's supplication was security from fear of famine and plunder, not, as some have thought, the prohibition of bloodshed when a killer seeks refuge in the sacred sanctuary.
واختلف هل هذا القول من الله تعالى أو من إبراهيم عليه السلام فقال أبي بن كعب وبن إسحاق وغيرهما : هو من الله تعالى وقرءوا فأمتعه بضم الهمزة وفتح الميم وتشديد التاء بقطع الألف وضم الراء
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
Ibn Kesîr states that the subject of the verb 'qâla' (He said) belongs to Allah according to the majority's reading, and that Ibrahim's supplication ends with the phrase 'and whoever disbelieves...'. Ibrahim asked for sustenance only for those who believe, but Allah rejected this and informed that disbelievers too will be given sustenance in this world, but ultimately will be driven to the Fire. While some exegetes (Mujâhid, Ikrima, Ibn Jarîr) support this view, the anomalous reading that considers this entire phrase as part of Ibrahim's supplication is, according to Ibn Kesîr, contrary to grammatical structure and the readings of the seven Quranic reading imams.
فان الضمير في قال راجع إلى الله تعالى في قراءة الجمهور والسياق يقتضيه وعلى هذه القراءة الشاذة يكون الضمير في قال عائدا على إبراهيم وهذا خلاف نظم الكلام والله سبحانه هو العلام
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this text, the phrase 'and provide sustenance for his family' in Ibrahim's supplication is restricted as 'those among them who believe in Allah and the Last Day,' and then the phrase 'and whoever disbelieves among them' is connected to it; the meaning is 'and provide sustenance for whoever disbelieves among them.' According to Beydâvî, Ibrahim made an analogy between sustenance and the matter of leadership/prophethood, and Allah responded that sustenance is a worldly mercy that extends to everyone without distinguishing between believer and disbeliever, emphasizing that this is different from the station of leadership/prophethood in religion. It is also stated that the phrase 'whoever disbelieves' can be a mubtada' carrying conditional meaning, and that disbelief, although not being a cause for little enjoyment, is a reason that diminishes that enjoyment, because it restricts him only to worldly blessings and does not make them a means to reward.
قال ومن كفر عطف على آمن والمعنى وارزق من كفر، قاس إبراهيم عليه الصلاة والسلام الرزق على الإمامة، فنبه سبحانه على أن الرزق رحمة دنيوية تعم المؤمن والكافر، بخلاف الإمامة والتقدم في الدين.
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the text presents a grammatical explanation regarding different readings (qirâ'at) of the word 'khâlisah'; it is stated that the word can be read as nasb indicating the state (hâl) or as raf' indicating a second predicate (khabar). Furthermore, the meaning of the verse is explained as that those who escape worldly punishment will not escape punishment in the Hereafter.
وقرىء : ( خالصة ) بالنصب على الحال ، وبالرفع على أنها خبر بعد خبر
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes discuss the question of whether the phrase 'and whoever disbelieves, provide him sustenance' in Ibrahim's supplication is Ibrahim's words or Allah's response, debating this through reading differences (fatha/damma readings), and the majority agree that this is Allah's response, meaning that worldly sustenance is given to everyone without distinction between believer and disbeliever, but spiritual stations such as prophethood and leadership are exclusively for believers.
Differences
While Taberî and Ibn Kesîr approach the matter primarily through transmission of reports and readings, preferring the reading of Übey b. Ka'b and the majority's view, Zemahshahri and Beydâvî examine the subject more from grammatical and rhetorical perspectives (i'rab, conjunction, relationship between condition and predicate); Râzî handles the matter within a theological framework, emphasizing the distinction between sustenance and prophethood and the difference in continuity between worldly and Hereafter blessings; Kurtubî combines both transmissions and linguistic analysis while also adding the question of Mecca's security as a separate topic of discussion.
Historical context
While the early exegete Taberî primarily addresses the matter on the basis of transmission and reading transmission, in later periods with Zemahshahri and Beydâvî, grammatical and rhetorical analysis came to the foreground, theological argumentation was added with Râzî, and Kurtubî and Ibn Kesîr combined this accumulated knowledge by presenting transmission, language, and juridical-theological elements together; the fundamental matter (the comprehensiveness of worldly sustenance, the restriction of spiritual stations) remained constant over the centuries, with only the explanation methods becoming diversified.
Modern connection
This comparative reading can remind us that worldly blessings may be open to everyone but true peace and meaning gain value when integrated with knowledge, faith, and moral responsibility. In the context of social solidarity and tolerance, it offers cautious inspiration regarding the importance of just dealing in the sharing of basic needs when living together with people of different beliefs and ways of life. Furthermore, one might consider that harmony between knowledge and faith, as in the different ways of interpreting this text, is made possible through patient and multifaceted effort in research.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar