His saying, the Exalted: "Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian."
3648 - I read to Muhammad b. al-Fadl b. Musa: Muhammad b. 'Ali b. al-Hasan b. Shaqiq narrated to us, Muhammad b. Muzahim informed us, Bukayr b. Ma'ruf narrated to us, from Muqatil, he said: Ka'b and his companions and a group from the Christians said: "Abraham is one of us, Moses is one of us, and the prophets are from us." So Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, said: "Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Hanif (inclined to truth), a Muslim."
3649 - My father narrated to us, Ahmad b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di narrated to us, 'Abd Allah b. Abi Ja'far narrated to us, from his father, from al-Rabi' he said: Abu al-'Aliyah said: They claimed that he died as a Jew, so Allah proved them liars and refuted their argument.
His saying, the Exalted: "But he was a Hanif."
[The First Aspect]
3650 - My father narrated to us, Abu Salih narrated to us, Mu'awiyah b. Salih narrated to me, from 'Ali b. Abi Talhah, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding "Hanif": He says: A pilgrim (hajj). Abu Muhammad said: Something similar was narrated from al-Hasan, al-Dahhak, 'Atiyyah, and al-Suddi.
[The Second Aspect]
3651 - My father narrated to us, Qabisah and 'Isa b. Ja'far said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid regarding "Hanif": He said: Following [the truth]. Abu Muhammad said: Something similar was narrated from al-Rabi' b. Anas.
[The Third Aspect]
3652 - My father narrated to us, 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-Hakam narrated to us, 'Uthman b. Salih narrated to us, Ibn Lahi'ah narrated to us, from Abu Sakhr, from Muhammad b. Ka'b regarding "Hanif": He said: The Hanif is the upright one. Abu Sakhr narrated from 'Isa b. Jariyah: I heard him say the same.
[The Fourth Aspect]
3653 - Muhammad b. Isma'il al-Ahmasi narrated to us, Abu Yahya al-Himmani narrated to us, from Abu Qutaybah al-Nadri (meaning Nu'aym b. Thabit), from Abu Qilabah regarding His saying: "Hanif": The Hanif is the one who believes in all the messengers from the first of them to the last of them.
