When his Lord said to him “Submit” he said “I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds.” Islām is sincerity ikhlāṣ and submission istislām. Its true meaning is to withdraw entirely from the states of mortal humanity bashariyya with respect to the struggles over free choice ikhtiyār and the oppositional tendencies of the lower self muʿāraḌāt al-nafs. [Abraham] said “I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds: I have accepted the command amr hearing and obeying and I have embraced the decree ḥukm as much as I am able.” He did not hold back any of his wealth body or progeny. When he was commanded to sacrifice his son he intended to do it. When [God] said to him “Release him from his bond” he did what he was com- manded to do. There was no free choice in either of the states for him and no contriving tadbīr. It is said that his saying “I have submitted” aslamtu was surely not by way of any claim for himself because the true meaning of islām is rather to absolve oneself of strength and power. So when he said “I have submitted” it was as if he said “Raise me up in what you have charged me with and [help me] carry out that to which you have commanded me.” He turned the affair over to Him without proclaiming any meaning or warrant from himself. It is said that He bid him to take on the demands of the divine power of deliberation muṬālabāt al-qudra. For what dwells in one who takes up his abode in friendship is most certainly what dwells in the other fa-inna man ḥalla fī l-khullati maḥallahu yaḥullu bihi lā maḥālata mā ḥalla bihi. Here one might ask a question: How could Abraham عليه السلام have said “I have submitted” when it was said to our Prophet ﷺ “Know” but he did not say “I have come to knowḍ” [in the manner that Abraham said “I have submitted”]. re are several aspects to the answer one of which is that the Prophet ﷺ said “I am the most knowledgeable of you about God” but since a law did not come after him it used to be said about him that he said “I have come to know” ʿalimtu.
