“When his Lord said unto him: Surrender! he said: I have surrendered to the Lord of the Worlds.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, the Islam mentioned in this verse is Ibrahim's submission to his Lord with obedience and dedicating worship to Him alone; Allah called Ibrahim to this Islam, and he responded by saying 'I have submitted to the Lord of all worlds.' This matter is of the same nature as the Islam commanded to the Prophet (peace be upon him): the submission of the heart and the limbs to Allah and making worship exclusively for Him.
قال إبراهيم مجيبا لربه: خضعت بالطاعة، وأخلصت بالعبادة لمالك جميع الخلائق ومدبرها دون غيره
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
In this section, Râzî conveys that the particle 'idh' (when) can be explained in two different ways from a grammatical perspective, reports the disagreement regarding when the command 'aslim' (submit) was given, and mentions the view of the majority that it occurred before prophethood and maturity, as well as various narrations transmitted from the exegetes regarding the reason for giving the epithet 'Khalil' (friend). According to him, Ibrahim's submission to Allah and his good response were already well-known matters, and Allah chose him for the mission because of these qualities.
فالأكثرون على أن الله تعالى إنما قال ذلك قبل النبوة وقبل البلوغ ، وذلك عند استدلاله بالكوكب والقمر والشمس ، واطلاعه على أمارات الحدوث فيها ، وإحاطته بافتقارها إلى مدبر يخالفها في الجس
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the context of the passage relates to the polytheists calling the Prophet to the religion of his fathers; in response to this call, Allah commanded him the speech he would give. That is, the content of the verse informs the answer that would be given in response to this call.
وكانوا دعوه إلى دين آبائه فأمر أن يقول هذا قوله تعالى
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
This text passage appears to be a compilation of explanations made by Ibn Kesîr regarding various verses; it touches upon different matters such as Ibrahim's entry into Islam being both a legal and destined response, those who bequeath to their children maintaining their adherence to religion until the moment of death, and Shuayb being called 'the orator of the prophets' because of his eloquence.
أي أمره الله بالأخلاص له والإستلام والانقياد فأجاب إلى ذلك شرعا وقدرا
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the expression 'when his Lord said to him, submit' reminds of that moment when Allah addressed Ibrahim; this is in order to show that he was a chosen and righteous servant worthy of leadership/precedence, and that he attained this station through his unquestioning submission to Allah's proofs and sincere response. Additionally, it is narrated in the text that this verse was revealed concerning the event of Abdullah ibn Selâm calling his nephews Selem and Muhâjir to Islam; Selem became Muslim while Muhâjir rejected it.
روي أنها نزلت لما دعا عبد الله بن سلام ابني أخيه: سلمة ومهاجرا إلى الإسلام، فأسلم سلمة وأبي مهاجر.
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes read the expressions 'aslim/aslamtu' (submit/I have submitted) in the verse as Ibrahim's complete submission to Allah, his obedience, and his unquestioning response; the emphasis that this submission formed the basis for his selection/prophethood is common among them. Furthermore, many of them use the grammatical/lexical analysis of the particle 'idh' as an important tool in understanding the verse.
Differences
While Taberî grounds the matter at the grammatical level with linguistic and poetic citations, Râzî adds theological/rational argumentation to the grammatical discussion and conveys the disagreements regarding when the command was given. Kurtubî reads the verse in the context of the polytheists' call based on the cause of revelation, while Ibn Kesîr takes a report-heavy and compilatory approach, touching upon the distinction between legal and destined response; Beydâvî, on the other hand, conveys both grammatical analysis and a different revelation narration (the Selem-Muhâjir incident). These differences stem from each exegete's school preference for methods emphasizing language/grammar, theology, narration, or context.
Historical context
Early exegete Taberî presents a straightforward explanation based on language and narration; in subsequent periods, Râzî diversified methods by incorporating theological argumentation, Kurtubî by contextual/juridical reading, Ibn Kesîr by report compilation, and Beydâvî by combining concise linguistic analysis with revelation narration. The fundamental message—Ibrahim's submission—remained constant, while the interpretive tools became increasingly enriched over time.
Modern connection
This comparative reading demonstrates that Ibrahim's exemplariness points to the integrity of heart and action, namely sincere submission. In our time, this can be understood as a person not leaving their faith merely in words but reflecting it in their life, conducting both knowledge and spiritual devotion together, and maintaining their stance with patience and sincerity in the face of difficulties. The methodological diversity of different exegetes also reminds us that approaching the same truth from different perspectives is possible, and this can inspire a tolerant learning environment.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar