Part 5: Millah Ibrahim, al-Bayt and the Hanif Path

Series: The Change of Qiblah

Introduction

When we speak about the Qiblah, we cannot avoid speaking about Prophet Ibrahim A.S. In the block of verses that discusses the story of the change of Qiblah, namely al-Baqarah 2:119 to 2:152, the Qur’an first brings us to Prophet Ibrahim A.S before bringing us to the verse of the change of Qiblah itself.

This, to me, is very important. After the Qur’an mentions the Jews and the Christians, and after Allah says that they will never be pleased until the Prophet S.A.W follows their millah, the Qur’an does not immediately bring us to the verse of Qiblah. Allah first brings us to Ibrahim.

From my reading of the structure and context of this block, I find that this is not an ordinary arrangement. If the Jews come with their claim, and the Christians come with their claim, then the Qur’an brings the name of Ibrahim as a reference older than both of them. Ibrahim is not a minor figure in this block. Ibrahim is central to the question of millah, al-Bayt, human lineage, Islam and finally the direction of Qiblah.

That is why Part 5 is devoted to Millah Ibrahim. We have not yet reached the stage of looking at all the millahs on a wider scale. Without understanding Ibrahim, we may see the change of Qiblah merely as a transfer of prayer direction. But when Ibrahim appears within this sequence of verses, the issue of Qiblah begins to appear as something much larger. It is not merely an issue of direction. It is connected to the foundation of religion, the sacred center, and who truly inherits the path of the prophets.

Ibrahim Was Tested Before Being Named an Imam

The discussion of Ibrahim in this block begins with a very major verse:

وَإِذِ ابْتَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا

“And when Ibrahim was tested by his Rabb with certain kalimah, and he completed them. He said: Indeed, I am making you an imam for mankind.”

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:124.

This verse begins with a test, not with a nation, not with lineage, not with Jews or Christians. It begins with the story of Ibrahim being tested by his Rabb with certain kalimah from his Rabb.

As information for everyone, the delivery of kalimah from the Rabb is one form of Allah’s communication with human beings. It is the same methodology that Allah used in delivering the command of the revelation concerning the change of Qiblah to Prophet Muhammad S.A.W during prayer.

This means that kalimah, Rabb and test are important matters. In the story of Prophet Ibrahim, which appears within the Qiblah block, Prophet Ibrahim completed the test of those kalimah. Only after that did Allah mention his position as an imam for mankind. Do you see how important the themes of Kalimah, Rabb, Test and Imam are?

If you read this block of verses properly, together with some other verses from other surahs related to Ibrahim, you will find that there are several parties claiming to be the most correct followers of Ibrahim’s path. The Qur’an shows that Ibrahim’s position is not merely an issue of lineage. It comes together with obedience, completion of the test and Allah’s choice.

When Ibrahim asked about his descendants, Allah answered:

لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ

“My promise will not be obtained by the wrongdoers.”

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:124.

This verse shows that a genealogical relationship with Ibrahim is not an automatic guarantee of inheriting Allah’s promise. When Ibrahim asked about his descendants, Allah did not answer that all of Ibrahim’s descendants would receive that position. Instead, Allah set a clear boundary:

My promise will not be obtained by the wrongdoers.

Therefore, not everyone who descends from Ibrahim is automatically upon the path of Ibrahim. Not everyone who claims the inheritance of Ibrahim automatically inherits Allah’s promise. The measure is not blood alone, but obedience, justice and loyalty to the path that Allah is pleased with.

So from the very beginning, the Qur’an has already placed a disclaimer and a prerequisite. The inheritance of Ibrahim cannot be claimed merely through bloodline, national name or group label. Allah’s promise does not operate on names alone. It is tied to obedience and justice, because the wrongdoers are not included in that promise.

Ibrahim and al-Bayt

After mentioning Ibrahim as an imam, the Qur’an then brings us to al-Bayt. This al-Bayt is what we refer to as Baitullah or the Kaabah.

وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا

“And when We made al-Bayt a place of return for mankind and a place of security.”

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:125.

Here, I think you can see the very close relationship between Ibrahim and al-Bayt. Ibrahim is not only mentioned as a figure of tawhid. Prophet Ibrahim is also connected to the sacred house. Allah made al-Bayt a mathabah (مَثَابَةً), meaning a place to which human beings return, and a place of security.

The word mathabah carries the meaning of a place of repeated return. People come to it, turn back toward it and are constantly drawn to return to it. So al-Bayt is not merely a building. It becomes the center of human return in worship. That is the Kaabah that makes us long for it.

Then Allah mentions:

وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى

“And take from Maqam Ibrahim a place of prayer (musalla).”

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:125.

This becomes even more interesting. In the block that will eventually bring us to the change of Qiblah, Allah has already begun mentioning al-Bayt, Maqam Ibrahim and a place of prayer. So the issue of Qiblah certainly cannot be separated from Ibrahim and al-Bayt. It is the root or foundation of worship that is older than the Millah of the Jews and the Christians.

Our main discussion is the direction of the Qiblah of this ummah being returned to Masjidil Haram. Here, the Qur’an has already rebuilt the position of al-Bayt in our minds. If we have read this block of verses, we are already prepared. Al-Bayt is not merely a stone house. It is a center of return, a place of security and a place connected to Ibrahim. This is the place that Allah commanded to be purified.

Ibrahim and Ismail Purified al-Bayt

In Surah al-Baqarah 2:125, Allah S.W.T. mentions:

وَعَهِدْنَا إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ أَنْ طَهِّرَا بَيْتِيَ

“And We made a covenant with Ibrahim and Ismail that the two of you should purify My House.”

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:125.

Here, the figure of Prophet Ismail A.S appears together with Prophet Ibrahim A.S. This is also important. When the Qur’an brings us to al-Bayt, Allah does not mention Ibrahim alone. Allah mentions Ibrahim and Ismail. This means that the history of al-Bayt is not the history of one person alone. It is a collective history. It is the history of a father and a son who both submitted to the command of Allah.

But what does it mean to purify al-Bayt?

Purifying al-Bayt does not merely mean cleaning the building physically with a broom, mop, cleaning material, changing the kiswah or carrying out maintenance work on the Kaabah. All of that may be included in the physical care of Allah’s House, but the meaning of purification in this verse is far greater than that.

Allah continues the verse by saying:

لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْعَاكِفِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

“For those who perform tawaf, those who remain in devotion, and those who bow and prostrate.”

This shows that al-Bayt is purified for worship. It is purified from syirk, from idols, from false practices and from anything that contaminates servitude to Allah. Al-Bayt must become a place where human beings return to Allah, not a place where human beings glorify other than Allah.

So the purification of al-Bayt is not only about clean floors or maintained walls. The true purification is when the House is returned to its original function: a place where human beings perform tawaf, remain in devotion, bow and prostrate to Allah. It becomes a sacred house because we purify it as Allah commanded.

Here we begin to see the major relationship between al-Bayt and the Qiblah. When the Qiblah is later redirected to al-Masjid al-Haram, we already understand that this direction is not merely a direction. It is a direction toward the House that was purified by Ibrahim and Ismail by the command of Allah. It is a direction toward the center of worship purified from syirk and restored to servitude to the Rabb of all worlds.

That is why I am bringing us to see that the change of Qiblah did not begin only at the moment the prayer direction changed. We need to see it from the moment al-Bayt is mentioned, from the moment Ibrahim is tested, from the moment Ismail appears with Ibrahim, and from the moment the House of Allah is commanded to be purified.

The Prayer of Ibrahim for a Muslim Ummah

As we continue within this block of verses, we then encounter the prayer of Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail:

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ

“Our Rabb, make us both Muslim to You.”

Excerpt from al-Baqarah 2:128.

This is also a very important verse in our journey to understand Millah Ibrahim. Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail did not ask for a group name. They did not ask for their descendants to be known by a particular label. They prayed that they would become Muslim to Allah. Their prayer did not stop there.

Then they continued praying:

وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُسْلِمَةً لَكَ

“And from our descendants, make an ummah that is Muslim to You.”

Excerpt from al-Baqarah 2:128.

Here we see that Islam did not appear only after Prophet Muhammad S.A.W became a prophet and conveyed it to us. Islam existed earlier, and Ibrahim also asked to be within Islam, in the sense of true submission to Allah. Islam is the path of the prophets. Ibrahim was Muslim, and Ismail was also Muslim. They prayed that their descendants would become an ummah that is Muslim to Allah.

Therefore, when the Qur’an later mentions Millah Ibrahim, we cannot read it as a name that is automatically pure merely because it is linked to the name of Ibrahim. Ibrahim himself prayed that he and Ismail would be made Muslim to Allah. This shows that the measure is not merely the name of a millah, but the real state of a person: is he hanif, and is he Muslim to Allah?

Here too we need to be careful. Millah Ibrahim may be described as a path originating from Ibrahim, but not everyone who claims the inheritance of Ibrahim is necessarily upon the state of Ibrahim. Just as the Jews may claim Musa and the Christians may claim Isa, people may also claim Ibrahim while no longer carrying the hanif and Muslim qualities that Ibrahim had.

So what the Qur’an wants to restore is not merely the name “Millah Ibrahim”, but the reality of Ibrahim himself: a person who turned away from syirk and submitted himself to the Rabb of all worlds.

Ibrahim Does Not Represent Group Claims

In al-Baqarah 2:130, Allah mentions:

وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ

“And who turns away from Millah Ibrahim except one who makes a fool of himself?”

Excerpt from al-Baqarah 2:130.

Allah mentions Millah Ibrahim as something that should not be abandoned. The one who turns away from it is described as someone who makes a fool of himself.

But the verse after that explains the reality of Ibrahim:

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“When his Rabb said to him: Submit. He said: I have submitted to the Rabb of all worlds.”

Excerpt from al-Baqarah 2:131.

Here we see the most basic action of Ibrahim. When his Rabb commanded, “Submit,” Ibrahim did not object. Ibrahim did not ask in order to negotiate. Ibrahim did not bring the name of his nation, lineage or personal status. Ibrahim immediately answered:

أَسْلَمْتُ

“I have submitted.”

This is the great action of Ibrahim. He surrendered himself to the Rabb of all worlds. Therefore, the reality of Ibrahim is not merely in a name, lineage or millah claimed by human beings after him. The reality of Ibrahim lies in submission to Allah. Ibrahim became Ibrahim because he submitted when commanded. He accepted the command of his Rabb and surrendered himself to the Rabb of all worlds.

That is why when we speak about Millah Ibrahim, we cannot stop merely at the name “Ibrahim”. We need to look at the action of Ibrahim. He was tested, he completed the test, he was commanded to submit, and he submitted. This is the deeper reality.

So if any party wishes to make a claim, whether Jews, Christians or even Muslims, the path remains the same: submission to the Rabb of all worlds. That is the reality of Millah Ibrahim.

The Will of Ibrahim to His Children

After the Qur’an explains that Ibrahim said, “I have submitted to the Rabb of all worlds,” the following verse brings us to Ibrahim’s will to his children.

Allah mentions in Surah al-Baqarah 2:132:

وَوَصَّىٰ بِهَآ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَـٰبَنِىَّ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰ لَكُمُ ٱلدِّينَ  

And Prophet Ibrahim instructed his children with that religion, and so did Prophet Ya‘qub, saying: “O my children! Indeed, Allah has chosen this religion for you.”

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:132.

This is a very important point. When Ibrahim gave his will to his children, he emphasized the reality that they must carry until death. What was inherited was the ad-din that Allah had chosen, submission to the Rabb of all worlds, and the state of being Muslim before Allah.

Rather, his will was:

فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

“So do not die except while you are Muslim.”

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:132.

This shows that the inheritance of Ibrahim is not merely bloodline. The inheritance of Ibrahim is submission to Allah. What Ibrahim wanted to pass down was not a name, not a nation and not a group claim, but the ad-din that Allah had chosen, namely the state of being Muslim to Allah.

Here we see a very clear continuity from al-Baqarah 2:131, where Ibrahim himself had said:

أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

I have submitted to the Rabb of all worlds.

Then Ibrahim gave a will to his children that they too should die in a state of being Muslim. So from Ibrahim himself to his descendants, what is emphasized is not a group label or lineage, but Islam to Allah. That is why before the Qur’an refutes the claim that “Ibrahim was a Jew or a Christian,” the Qur’an had already shown what Ibrahim’s will actually was. That will was not about the label of Jew, not about the label of Christian, and not merely about the name Millah Ibrahim. That will was to be Muslim to Allah.

What Does the Hanif Path Mean?

I believe many have heard the term “agama hanif”, or “hanif religion”. This term is also often linked to the belief of the ancestors of the people of the Nusantara, who are said to have once been upon the hanif religion before the arrival of later religious layers.

But what does agama hanif actually mean?

This is where we need to pause for a moment at the word hanif. In the Qur’an, this term is not merely a general label for an “old religion” or an “ancient religion”. It has a more specific meaning.

The Qur’an does not only mention “Millah Ibrahim”. Allah says:

مِلَّةَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ حَنِيفًۭا

Millah Ibrahim that is hanif.

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:135.

Then Allah immediately adds:

وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

And he was not among the musyrikin.

Excerpt from Surah al-Baqarah 2:135.

This shows that hanif cannot be separated from the negation of syirk. The hanif path is not a path mixed with the worship of other than Allah. It is not a path that submits to idols. It is not a path that turns human beings, stones, statues, stars, the sun, political power or religious institutions into rivals to Allah.

To me, hanif is not merely “believing in Tuhan”. Many people can say that they believe in Tuhan, while at the same time still mixing worship with intermediaries, symbols, idols, holy figures, other centers of power and rituals that are no longer clean from syirk.

If you have read the series “Series: Malaysia Is About to Be Attacked, Because This Is the Land of Bani Israel”, in the sections “The 10 Commandments of Allah to Bani Israel in the Bible and the Qur’an” and “The 10 Complete Commandments of Allah to Bani Israel According to the Qur’an”, you will find that the command not to associate partners with Allah is the first command.

The hanif path in the past, before this, now and after this remains the same. It is the path of those who turn away from every form of syirk and return to facing Allah alone. That is why Ibrahim is not only described as a figure who believed in Allah. Ibrahim is described as hanif. This means that he did not merely stand upon tawhid, but also turned away from the system of syirk that lived around him.

This is important because in the time of Ibrahim, syirk was not merely a matter of personal belief. Syirk had become a system of society, a system of family, a system of power and a system of ritual. An idol was not merely a stone being worshipped. The idol had become a center of human identity. So when Ibrahim became hanif, he was not merely choosing one religious view. He exited the entire system of syirk and returned to the Rabb of all worlds.

Here, I believe, you will begin to understand why the Qur’an brings Millah Ibrahim as the answer to the Jews and Christians. This means:

• The hanif path is not the path of a group that merely takes pride in the name of inheritance.
• The hanif path is not the path of people who say, “We are Jews, therefore we have guidance.”
• The hanif path is not the path of people who say, “We are Christians, therefore we have guidance.”
• The hanif path is the path that returns to Allah with purity, without syirk, without empty group claims and without making the inheritance of prophets the exclusive property of any nation or religious institution.

Do Not Judge Ibrahim Through the Lens of Later Groups

After the Qur’an mentions Millah Ibrahim that is hanif in al-Baqarah 2:135, the following verse brings us to the continuity of revelation among the prophets.

قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ

“Say: We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Ya‘qub and al-Asbat.”

Excerpt from al-Baqarah 2:136.

The first part of the verse above brings us to the great family of Ibrahim, namely Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Ya‘qub and al-Asbat. This is important because the Qur’an is showing that revelation cannot be read through later group labels. Revelation descends within the continuity of the prophetic family, not within the framework of Judaism and Christianity as identities that emerged later.

Al-Asbat refers to the branches of the descendants of Prophet Ya‘qub A.S, namely the tribes of Bani Israil.

Then Musa, Isa and the other prophets are also mentioned.

وَمَآ أُوتِىَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ ٱلنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ

and also what was given to Prophet Musa, Tawrat, and Prophet Isa, Injil, and what was given to the prophets from their Rabb.

Excerpt from al-Baqarah 2:136.

This second part brings us to Musa, Isa and the other prophets. Here the Qur’an expands the earlier principle. It is not only Ibrahim and his family who cannot be monopolized by later group labels. Musa, Isa and the other prophets are also within the continuity of revelation from the same Rabb.

Then the verse closes with:

رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُۥ مُسْلِمُونَ 

We do not differentiate between any one of them, and to Him we are Muslim.

Excerpt from al-Baqarah 2:136.

The closing of this verse locks the entire meaning. We believe in all the revelation of the prophets, without breaking them apart and making them the property of particular groups. And once again, the term that reappears is Muslim.

So the structure of 2:136 is very beautiful.

First, the Qur’an mentions the family of Ibrahim.

Second, the Qur’an mentions Musa, Isa and the other prophets.

Third, the Qur’an closes with the principle of not differentiating between them and being Muslim to Allah.

So we should not read Ibrahim through the lens of Jews and Christians. We should also not read Musa and Isa through the lens of later group labels. All of them are within the continuity of revelation and Islam to the same Rabb.

Conclusion

From this entire arrangement, we begin to see that the Qur’an does not allow the name of Ibrahim to be fought over without a standard of measurement. The measure is clear. Prophet Ibrahim was tested, then he completed the test. Prophet Ibrahim submitted himself to the Rabb. Prophet Ibrahim is connected to al-Bayt. Ibrahim and Ismail performed the act of purifying al-Bayt. Then Prophet Ibrahim prayed that he and his descendants would become Muslim to Allah. Ibrahim also willed Islam to his children.

So the issue of Millah Ibrahim in the block of verses we are discussing is not merely an issue of name. It is an issue of reality: who truly carries the qualities of Ibrahim? Who is merely claiming the name of Ibrahim? Who returns to the hanif and Muslim path? And who merely defends the inheritance of a particular group?

That is why the discussion of Ibrahim is very important before the verse of the change of Qiblah. The Qiblah that will be returned to the final ummah is not merely an ordinary change of direction. It is connected to al-Bayt, and al-Bayt is connected to Ibrahim and Ismail. When the Prophet S.A.W was commanded to face al-Masjid al-Haram, it was not merely a change of direction from one place to another. It was the return of humanity to the center that Allah connected to Ibrahim, not to the claims of the Jews and Christians.

That is why the Qur’an carefully arranges the position of Ibrahim before bringing us to the change of Qiblah. If we do not understand Ibrahim, we will not understand why al-Bayt is important. If we do not understand al-Bayt, we will not understand why the change of Qiblah became a great test for all human beings. If we do not understand Millah Ibrahim, we may think that the change of Qiblah happened only for Muslims. But it is deeper than that.

The change of Qiblah is connected to the separation of this ummah from the claims of other millahs, and to their return to the path of Ibrahim, who was hanif and Muslim.