Islam and Status of Abraham in Quran
The Quran refers to Islam as true religion.
Islam comes from the word “Tasleem” both of which mean submission and obedience. It means one being submissive to another one without ever disobeying him. The word Islam has been used for Abraham in the Quran as we read in verses 127 and 128 of Surah Al-Baqara: “And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (supplicating): 'O our Lord, accept this from us, You are the Hearer, the Knower. Lord, make us good Muslims (one who submits himself to God) and from our descendants make a good Muslim nation. Teach us the rules of worship and accept our repentance; You are All-forgiving and All-merciful.”
In these verses and others like them Islam means absolute submission to God and His commands and whatever has been received from Him. Submission to God’s commands has different levels. The lowest level of Islam is the declaration of faith in one God and other divine teachings, which is called Shahada. What is said about Abraham in these verses of Surah Al-Baqara, though, is at a higher level. That is to say, submission to God in a way that one realizes that he owns nothing and God is the true owner of everything, even his self. Hence, God’s desire would become his and he would make every efforts to gain God’s approval.
It is interesting that in addition to verses of the Quran that contain addressing the messenger of God and the faithful, such as “O you who believe!”, “O Prophet!”, etc, there are also many verses that address people: “O people!” or “O mankind!”, which shows that this book does not belong to a certain race or tribe or group, but has invited all mankind to worshipping the one God and fighting any Shirk (idolatry or polytheism) and deviation from Tawheed (monotheism).
Source: Tafsir al-Mizan by Allameh Seyed Mohammad Hossein Tabatabaei
