Commentary
Though the Quraish had become fond of the benefits afforded by the existence of the Holy Ka‘bah, they had shirked their responsibilities and duties to the Lord of the House and forgotten the objectives for which their forefathers Ibraaheem and Ismaa‘eel ‘alayhimussalaam had built this House. They built the House to make it the centre of the Islamic movement to invite people of the world toward the exclusive devotion, submission and worship of Allaah, the only true God. Ismaa‘eel ‘alayhissalaam and his family settled in this lawless and barren land in dedication to that mission. To meet their food and safety needs, they prayed to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala to fulfill those needs. Allaah did it so superbly that since then Ismaa‘eel ‘alayhissalaam’ s progeny, the Makkans, continuously enjoyed the provision of food and security. However they had abandoned their work for which their forefather had settled in Makkah. Instead, they had become worshippers of idols. When Allaah sent the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to remind them of their real mission and the real teachings of their forefathers Ibraaheem and Ismaa‘eel ‘alayhimussalaam, they were opposing him. Through this Soorah they are being invited to submit exclusively like slaves to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, the Lord of the House Who has taken care of their needs.
Arabs revered the House because they believed it to be House of Allaah built by His friend Ibraaheem ‘alayhissalaam. Now imagine if Abrahah would have been able to demolish it, the Arabs’ belief that it is Allaah’s House would have been shattered. The Quraish would have also lost their respect and influence among the Arabs and the privileges of the safe passage they enjoyed. Thus, after the incident mentioned in Soorah Al-Feel, their devotion to Allaah, the Lord of the House, should have grown tremendously and they should have thrown out the idols that were all useless at the time of need, and they should have gladly joined the mission of the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and accepted his call towards exclusive dedication to Allaah, the one true God.
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