وَإِبراهيمَ الَّذي وَفّىٰ

And of Abraham, who fulfilled [his summons].

EXEGESIS

Waffā (fulfilled) means to fulfil what is one’s rightful duty in a complete manner.^{‎[1]Mizan, 19/45.} It is said here to be referring to Prophet Abraham (a) fulfilling all the tests as per the verse, And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them (2:124).^{‎[2]Tabrisi, 9/272; Tabari, 27/42-43; Mizan, 19/45-46.} Examples of those tests are given as being ready to sacrifice his own son, to be thrown into the fire, and to be patient throughout all the years that he was denied by his people.^{‎[3]Tibyan, 9/435; Tabari, 27/43; Thalabi, 9/151.} While these are all great examples of the determination of Prophet Abraham (a), what is more apparent is that it means he fulfilled all that was required from a true man of faith in fullest quality, such as those mentioned in 9:112, 23:1-10, and 70:23-34.

EXPOSITION

While the scriptures of Moses, as we mentioned, is referring to the books of the Torah, the book of Prophet Abraham (a) has no name that is known to us and it is simply called al-Ṣuḥuf. It has been said that the books of these two prophets are mentioned because they were the most well-known to the Arabs at the time.^{‎[4]Tantawi, 14/81.}

Although different opinions have been mentioned as to why Prophet Moses (a) has been mentioned before Prophet Abraham (a), the clearest reason is for it to fit the rhyme scheme; this is also why Sūrat al-Aʿlā mentions Prophet Abraham (a) first, followed by Prophet Moses (a).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Ḍurays al-Kunāsī, that he was sitting in the company of Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) and Abū Baṣīr, when the Imam said: ‘Certainly David inherited the knowledge of the prophets, and Solomon inherited from David, and Muhammad (s) inherited from Solomon. We have inherited from Muhammad (s) and with us are the scriptures (ṣuḥuf) of Abraham and the tablets (alwāḥ) of Moses.’ Abu Baṣīr said: ‘Certainly this is the [real] knowledge.’ He said: ‘O Abū Muhammad, this is not the [real] knowledge; rather, knowledge is what is given during the night and day, day after day, hour after hour.’^{‎[5]Kafi, 1/225.}
2. From Abū Dharr, that he asked the Prophet: ‘O Messenger of God, how many books did God reveal?’ He said: ‘104 books were revealed by God. He revealed ten ṣuḥuf to Adam, and fifty ṣuḥuf to Shīth, and thirty ṣuḥuf to Ukhnūkh – who is Idrīs – and he was the first one to write with a pen – and ten ṣuḥuf to Abraham; and He revealed the Torah, the Injīl, the Zabūr, and the Furqān.’^{‎[6]Tabrisi, 10/722.}

Note: The hadith has been quoted only partially here. Zabūr refers to the book of Prophet David (a), and Furqān refers to the Quran.

[1] Mizan, 19/45.
[2] Tabrisi, 9/272; Tabari, 27/42-43; Mizan, 19/45-46.
[3] Tibyan, 9/435; Tabari, 27/43; Thalabi, 9/151.
[4] Tantawi, 14/81.
[5] Kafi, 1/225.
[6] Tabrisi, 10/722.