وَاذكُر عِبادَنا إِبراهيمَ وَإِسحاقَ وَيَعقوبَ أُولِي الأَيدي وَالأَبصارِ

And remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men of strength and insight.

EXEGESIS

Ayd (strength) was explained in the commentary on verse 17.

Abṣār (insight) comes from baṣar, meaning to see. This has the meaning of seeing with the heart and understanding truth,^{‎[1]Tabari, 23/109.} which is conveniently translated to English as insight. It is also said to mean an understanding of religion.^{‎[2]Tibyan, 8/571; Tabari, 23/109.}

EXPOSITION

This third exhortation to remember directs Prophet Muhammad (s) and his nation to look to three great prophets, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom God praises with three qualities in this verse and two more in the following verses. Once again these men are lauded with having the qualities of servitude to God, strength, and insight. They had both wisdom and insight to know what is right, and the strength and determination to act on it.^{‎[3]Razi, 26/400.}

The command to remember also ties into the beginning of the surah, By the Quran bearing the reminder. We are not told any story of these men here, but merely to remember their qualities, and that is one of the reasons why the Quran is called the reminder, because it reminds the reader of these exemplars and mentions them.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some scholars have argued based on this verse that it was Prophet Isaac (a) who was to be sacrificed by Prophet Abraham (a) rather than Prophet Ishmael (a),^{‎[4]This is the opinion adopted in Razi, 26/400; Qurtubi, 15/217.} although in light of 37:112 this is incorrect.

[1] Tabari, 23/109.
[2] Tibyan, 8/571; Tabari, 23/109.
[3] Razi, 26/400.
[4] This is the opinion adopted in Razi, 26/400; Qurtubi, 15/217.