The Bee
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE[16:120]
VERILY, Abraham was a man who combined within himself all virtues, devoutly obeying God’s will, turning away from all that is false, and not being of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God:

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* v.120 : This is one of the many meanings of the term ummah and, to my mind, the one most appropriate in the above context. – The mention of Abraham at this place contains a subtle allusion to verse 118, where the Jews are spoken of: for the latter claim to be “the chosen people” on account of their descent from Abraham, whereas the Qur’ān consistently rejects all claims to a special status by virtue of one’s descent. Moreover, the Qur’ān states in many places that whereas this particular ancestor of the Hebrews – and, by the way, of most of the Arab tribes as well – was a personification of all that is good and upright, so that “God exalted him with His love” (4:125), his Jewish descendants always tended to rebel against God and, thus, “persistently wronged themselves.”
* For an explanation of this rendering of the term hanīf, see sūrah 2, note 110.