Tafseer of Ornaments of gold · Az-Zukhruf · 43:28
And he made it a word remaining among his descendants that they might return [to it].
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His statement: وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ ("And He made it a lasting word among his posterity"). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: He made his statement إِنَّنِي بَرَاءٌ مِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلا الَّذِي فَطَرَنِي ("Indeed, I disassociate myself from that which you worship, except for Him who created me") — and that is the statement "There is no god but Allah" (lā ilāha illā Allāh) — a lasting word among his posterity, namely his descendants; for among his descendants there continued perpetually to be someone who pronounced it after him.
The exegetes differed concerning the meaning of the word which the Friend of the All-Merciful (Ibrāhīm) made a lasting word among his posterity. Some of them said something along the lines of what we have said about it.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ ("And He made it a lasting word among his posterity"), he said: "There is no god but Allah."
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً ("And He made it a lasting word"), he said: "The testimony that there is no god but Allah, and the profession of [His] oneness (tawḥīd); among his descendants there continued perpetually to be someone who pronounced it after him."
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ ("And He made it a lasting word among his posterity"), he said: "The profession of [His] oneness (tawḥīd) and sincere devotion; among his descendants there continues perpetually to be someone who acknowledges Allah as One and worships Him."
Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ ("And He made it a lasting word among his posterity"), he said: "There is no god but Allah."
Others said: the word which Allah made among his posterity is the name "Islam."
* Mention of who said that:
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement: وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ ("And He made it a lasting word among his posterity"), and he recited: إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ("When his Lord said to him: 'Submit,' he said: 'I submit to the Lord of the worlds'"), he said: He made this lasting among his posterity, he said: Islam, and he recited: هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ ("He has already named you Muslims before"), and he recited: وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ ("And make us both submissive to You").
And along the lines of what we have said concerning the meaning of "the posterity" (al-ʿaqib) the exegetes spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both of them — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His statement: فِي عَقِبِهِ ("among his posterity"), he said: his children.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement: وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِي عَقِبِهِ ("And He made it a lasting word among his posterity"), he said: that is, among those who came after him.
Muḥammad related to me, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: فِي عَقِبِهِ ("among his posterity"), he said: among the posterity of Ibrāhīm, the family of Muḥammad ﷺ.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, saying: Ibn Abī Fudayk related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Dhiʾb related to us, on the authority of Ibn Shihāb, that he used to say: the posterity (al-ʿaqib) is the child and the child of the child.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning فِي عَقِبِهِ ("among his posterity"), he said: his posterity are his descendants.
And His statement: لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ("that perhaps they would return"), He says: that perhaps they would return to obedience to their Lord, and turn toward His worship, and repent of their unbelief and their sins.
And along the lines of what we have said about it, the exegetes spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ("that perhaps they would return"): that is, that perhaps they would repent, or take heed.
