And _remember_ when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House[219] (_that is, building it_), together with Ishmael, _and they said_, O our Lord, accept of us _our building_; for Thou art the Hearer _of what is said_, the Knower _of what is done_. O our Lord, also make us resigned[220] unto Thee, and _make_ from among our offspring a people resigned unto Thee, and show us our rites (_the ordinances of our worship, or our pilgrimage_), and be propitious towards us; for Thou art the Very Propitious, the Merciful. (_They begged Him to be propitious to them, notwithstanding their honesty, from a motive of humility, and by way of instruction to their offspring._) O our Lord, also send unto them (_that is, the people of the House_) an apostle from among them (_and God hath answered their prayer by sending Moḥammad_), who shall recite unto them Thy signs (the Ḳur-án), and shall teach them the book (_the Ḳur-án_), and the knowledge _that it containeth_, and shall purify them _from polytheism_; for Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.—And who will be averse from the religion of Abraham but he who maketh his soul foolish, _who is ignorant that it is God’s creation, and that the worship of Him is incumbent on it; or who lightly esteemeth it and applieth it to vile purposes_; when We have chosen him in this world _as an apostle and a friend_, and he shall be in the world to come one of the righteous _for whom are high ranks?—And remember_ when his lord said unto him, Resign thyself:—he replied, I resign myself unto the Lord of the worlds.—And Abraham commanded his children to follow it (_namely, the religion_); and Jacob,_ his children; saying_, O my children, verily God hath chosen for you the religion _of El-Islám_;[221] therefore die not without your being Muslims.—_It was a prohibition from abandoning El-Islám and a command to persevere therein unto death._ (ii. 121-126.) _When the Jews said, Abraham was a Jew, and we are of his religion,—and the Christians said the like_, [the following] _was revealed_:—O people of the Scripture, wherefore do ye argue respecting Abraham, _asserting that he was of your religion_, when the Pentateuch and the Gospel were not sent down but after him _a long time_? Do ye not then understand the _falsity of your saying_? So ye, O people, have argued respecting that of which ye have knowledge, _concerning Moses and Jesus, and have asserted that ye are of their religion_: then wherefore do ye argue respecting that of which ye have no knowledge, _concerning Abraham_? But God knoweth _his case_, and ye know _it_ not. Abraham was not a Jew nor a Christian: but he was orthodox, a Muslim [or one resigned], _a unitarian_, and he was not of the polytheists. (iii. 58-60.) _JACOB, JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN._