قُل إِنّي أُمِرتُ أَن أَعبُدَ اللَّهَ مُخلِصًا لَهُ الدّينَ
وَأُمِرتُ لِأَن أَكونَ أَوَّلَ المُسلِمينَ
Say: ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship Allah, making religion pure for Him,
and I have been commanded to be the first of those who submit [to Him].’
EXEGESIS
There are three questions that pertain to the exegesis of these two verses: 1. Why does the second verse repeat I have been commanded to …? 2. What is the difference between the command to sincerity (in verse 11) and the command to submission (in verse 12)? 3. Compared to a few other similar verses in the Quran (6:14, 10:72, 10:104), verse 12 involves an extra letter lām before an, meaning: I have been commanded so that I may be (li-an akūna) … What difference does this extra lām make?
As with the first two questions, it could be that verse 11 concerns sincerity, which is an inward act by the heart, while verse 12 concerns the outward compliance of one’s organs and limbs. It could also be that the second verse adds to the first one and introduces a higher requirement on the Prophet: not only am I ordered to submit to God with sincerity, but I should be the first and foremost among the submitters to Him. This justifies the repetition of I have been commanded to.
As with the third question, based on the cited verses without the lām, most exegetes have suggested that the lām here is extra, meaning that it does not alter the meaning of the verse. There are many such cases in Arabic (and other languages) where a verb is used in different forms or with different letters, without making a difference in the meaning. Another explanation is that according to Arabic grammar, an akūna (‘to be’, in infinitive form) should be used with a letter like lām, as is the case here, although the letter is often omitted because it is implied (an instance of nazʿ al-khāfiḍ). Hence, this verse clarifies that the omitted letter in the other verses is a lām. A third explanation – which would also be an answer to the other two questions – is that the lām has its usual meaning: to denote the purpose of something. In this case, the lām would indicate the purpose of the command to worship Allah, making religion pure for Him. Hence, the second verse means: I have been commanded the above so that I may be the first of those who submit to God. In other words, there is an omitted ‘the above’ or ‘that’ (dhālika) after I have been commanded (umirtu) in the second verse. The omitted part is implied and justified by the repetition of I have been commanded. Based on this interpretation, the path to surpassing all submitters and becoming the foremost of them (in terms of the degree and level of submission) is to worship Allah, making religion pure for Him.
EXPOSITION
These verses sum up the previous verses in short, clear, and practical sentences. God ordered the Prophet at the beginning of this surah to worship Allah, making religion pure for Him (verse 2). This is one of the central themes and messages of this chapter, which is repeated in various ways time and again. Here, the Prophet is ordered to explicitly declare his submission to God, just as Prophet Abraham (a) did: When his Lord said to him: ‘Submit,’ he said: ‘I submit to the Lord of all the worlds’ (2:131). Then it would be up to the audience to follow the Prophet as a model and guide (3:31, 33:21).
Another connection between these verses and the previous ones is the link between sincerity (ikhlāṣ, discussed here) and gratitude (shukr, discussed in verses 7-8). See the Exposition of verse 66 for more on the link between these two concepts.
These verses are evocative of the Quran’s criticism of those who command others to good but leave out themselves (2:44, 11:88, 61:2-3). The Prophet, on the other hand, is as equally subject to his message as anyone else. Rather, he is required to be the first of those who submit. Historically speaking, this implacable determination and dedication of the Prophet and the unbiasedness of his message served to disappoint his opponents who were hoping for some compromise (17:73, 68:9, 109:1-6), and strengthened the hearts of the believers.
One difference between these verses and chapter 109 (al-Kāfirūn) is that these verses involve an extra element: Indeed I have been commanded to … This emphasises the fact that whatever the Prophet did or said was based on God’s command, as opposed to any other cause or motivation, such as following one’s ancestors or surroundings, tribal hostility, greed, desire, or seeking political power.
Submission here is not the initial level of faith, which is a verbal affirmation. Rather, it is to fully submit to God’s will and decree, including what He brings about in the universe (takwīn) and what He legislates through revelation (tashrīʿ). This is confirmed by the following verse: I have been commanded to be among the faithful (10:104), which shows that submission here is a level above faith, not below it.
I have been commanded to be the first of those who submit [to Him]: there are two possible meanings for this first-ness, both of which could be true: 1. The apparent meaning is that the Prophet had to submit to God before anyone else. This is a logical requirement of anyone who calls others to subscribe to his message. Thus, the first of those who submit means the first among the people of his time, not the first among mankind, including the previous generations. Based on this interpretation, there will be no contradiction between this verse and the claim of Prophet Moses (a) that I am the first of the faithful (7:143), for each of the respective prophets was first among his own nation. 2. Prophet Noah (a) also said I have been commanded to be of those who submit [to Allah] (10:72), and the same idea is seen in the story of Prophet Abraham (a) (2:131, quoted earlier). What sets Prophet Muhammad (s) distinct from the other prophets, however, is that he is the first one to submit. Looking at the verse from this angle, the Prophet’s precedence in submission cannot be in a temporal sense, because there were many individuals who submitted before his birth, long before his entrance into the world where there are legislative commands that make submission applicable. Hence, the first of those who submit means first in terms of degrees of submission. This is also of no surprise, for the Prophet was sent with the most complete religion, so he should be the most submitted servant to God, especially because submission (islām) completed His religion and was chosen as its name (5:3). Say: ‘If the All-Beneficent had a son, I would have been the first to worship [him]’ (43:81).
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
The following account has been narrated about the context of revelation of these verses: the infidels of Quraysh told the Prophet: ‘What makes you carry on with this religion of yours that you have brought for us? Why do you disregard the religion of your father, grandfather, and the great men of your tribe, who used to worship the idols al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā?’ At this, God revealed to the Prophet: Say: ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship Allah, making religion pure for Him.’
Overall, this account confirms the idea that these verses disappointed those who were hoping to dissuade the Prophet from his message, as discussed in the Exposition. However, the idea that the Prophet’s fathers and ancestors were idolaters lacks historical proof, not to mention its rejection by multiple narrations and according to theological arguments. Perhaps a middle ground to combine between the two sides is to say that ‘your father and grandfather’ in the above account denote ‘your tribe’ in general; or that worshipping idols denotes a general attitude of tolerance against idolaters and not opposing them as the Prophet did, not the specific meaning of worshipping them personally.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
King David gave the following advice to his son, which is similar to these verses:
- And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
[1] Mizan, 17/247.
[2] Razi, 26/431.
[3] 1 Chronicles 28:9.