Sheikh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shinqitee wrote the following clarifying explanation in his tafsir of surah al-Saffaat:

قوله تعالى : وقال إني ذاهب إلى ربي سيهدين رب هب لي من الصالحين فبشرناه بغلام حليم ، إلى قوله تعالى : وفديناه بذبح عظيم . ـ

Allah’s statement:

وَقَالَ إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّي سَيَهْدِينِ * رَ‌بِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * فَبَشَّرْ‌نَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ

And then Ibrahim said, “Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me. * My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous.” * So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy.

until His saying:

وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ

And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice [37:99-107]

اعلم أولا : أن العلماء اختلفوا في هذا الغلام الذي أمر إبراهيم في المنام بذبحه ، ومعلوم أن رؤيا الأنبياء وحي ، ثم لما باشر عمل ذبحه امتثالا للأمر ، فداه الله بذبح عظيم ، هل هو إسماعيل أو إسحاق ؟ وقد وعدنا في سورة ” الحجر ” ، بأنا نوضح ذلك بالقرآن في سورة ” الصافات ” ، وهذا وقت إنجاز الوعد . ـ

Firstly, know that the scholars have differed regarding this boy that Ibrahim was commanded in his sleep to sacrifice, and it is well known that the dreams of the prophets are wahyi (Divine revelation). Then when he was proceeding to do the act of his sacrifice in compliance with the command, Allah ransomed him with a great sacrifice – so was this Ismaa’eel or Ishaaq? And we had promised in the tafsir of surah al-Hijr that we would clarify this issue by means of the Qur’an in surah al-Saffaat, so now is the time to fulfill that promise.

اعلم ، وفقني الله وإياك ، أن القرآن العظيم قد دل في موضعين ، على أن الذبيح هو إسماعيل لا إسحاق . أحدهما في ” الصافات ” ، والثاني في ” هود ” . ـ

You should know – may Allah grant me and you success – that the Magnificent Qur’an has demonstrated in two places that the sacrificed one is Ismaa’eel and not Ishaaq. One of these places is in surah al-Saffaat, and the other is in surah Hood.

أما دلالة آيات ” الصافات ” على ذلك ، فهي واضحة جدا من سياق الآيات ، وإيضاح ذلك أنه تعالى قال عن نبيه إبراهيم وقال إني ذاهب إلى ربي سيهدين رب هب لي من الصالحين فبشرناه بغلام حليم فلما بلغ معه السعي قال يابني إني أرى في المنام أني أذبحك فانظر ماذا ترى قال ياأبت افعل ما تؤمر ستجدني إن شاء الله من الصابرين فلما أسلما وتله للجبين وناديناه أن ياإبراهيم قد صدقت الرؤيا إنا كذلك نجزي المحسنين إن هذا لهو البلاء المبين وفديناه بذبح عظيم وتركنا عليه في الآخرين سلام على إبراهيم كذلك نجزي المحسنين [ 37 \ 99 – 110 ] ، قال بعد ذلك عاطفا على البشارة الأولى : وبشرناه بإسحاق نبيا من الصالحين [ 37 \ 112 ] ، فدل ذلك على أن البشارة الأولى شيء غير المبشر به في الثانية ; لأنه لا يجوز حمل كتاب الله على أن معناه : فبشرناه بإسحاق ، ثم بعد انتهاء قصة ذبحه يقول أيضا : وبشرناه بإسحاق ، فهو تكرار لا فائدة فيه ينزه عنه كلام الله ، وهو واضح في أن الغلام المبشر به أولا الذي فدي بالذبح العظيم ، هو إسماعيل ، وأن البشارة بإسحاق نص الله عليها مستقلة بعد ذلك . ـ

As for the proof for this in the ayaat of surah al-Saffaat, then it is very clear from the context of these ayaat, and the clarity of that is that Allah said about His prophet Ibrahim:

وَقَالَ إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ * رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ * فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَابُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى قَالَ يَاأَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ * فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ * وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَنْ يَاإِبْرَاهِيمُ * قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ * إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ * وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ * وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ * سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ * كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ

And then Ibrahim said, “Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me. * My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous.” * So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy. * And when he reached working age, he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you, so see what you think.” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, to be one of the steadfast.” * And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, * We called to him, “O Ibrahim, * You have fulfilled the vision.” Thus do We reward the good-doers * Indeed, this was the clear trial. * And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, * And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations: * “Peace upon Ibrahim.” * Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. [37:99-110]



And after that and in addition to the first glad tidings He said:

وَبَشَّرْ‌نَاهُ بِإِسْحَاقَ نَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

And We gave him good tidings of Ishaaq, a prophet from among the righteous. [37:112]

So that proves that the first glad tidings were something other than what was being given in the second instance, for it is not permissible for the Book of Allah to be interpreted here [i.e. 37:101] to mean that “so We gave him glad tidings of Ishaaq” and then to say again after concluding the story of the sacrificed one, “and We gave him glad tidings of Ishaaq” [37:112], for that would be a repetition which contains no benefit – which is something that the Speech of Allah is free of. And it is clear therein that the boy for whom glad tidings were initially given and who was ransomed with a great sacrifice is Ismaa’eel, and that the glad tidings of Ishaaq were appointed by Allah to occur in the future after that.

وقد أوضحنا في سورة ” النحل ” ، في الكلام على قوله تعالى : من عمل صالحا من ذكر أو أنثى وهو مؤمن فلنحيينه حياة طيبة الآية [ 16 \ 97 ] ، أن المقرر في الأصول : أن [ ص: 318 ] النص من كتاب الله وسنة رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، إذا احتمل التأسيس والتأكيد معا وجب حمله على التأسيس ، ولا يجوز حمله على التأكيد ، إلا لدليل يجب الرجوع إليه . ـ

And in surah al-Nahl during our discussion of Allah’s statement:

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ‌ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَ‌هُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. [16:97]

we have clarified that it is well-established in terms of usool that if a text of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His messenger (ﷺ) are able to carry both a meaning of providing new information or of reaffirming previously-stated information, then it is obligatory to interpret it as providing new information and it is not permissible to interpret it as reaffirming previously-stated information except in the presence of some evidence which necessitates referring back to something previously stated.[1]

ومعلوم في اللغة العربية ، أن العطف يقتضي المغايرة ، فآية ” الصافات ” هذه ، دليل واضح للمنصف على أن الذبيح إسماعيل لا إسحاق ، ويستأنس لهذا بأن المواضع التي ذكر فيها إسحاق يقينا عبر عنه في كلها بالعلم لا الحلم ، وهذا الغلام الذبيح وصفه بالحلم لا العلم . ـ

And it is known in the Arabic language that placing two nouns near to one another entails their being distinct, so this ayah of surah al-Saffaat is a clear proof for the impartial person that the sacrificed son is Ismaa’eel and not Ishaaq. And that position is supported upon consideration of the fact that when Ishaaq is mentioned, then without fail it is designating him in every instance with ‘ilm (knowledge) and not hilm (forbearance), but this sacrificed boy is described with hilm and not ‘ilm.

وأما الموضع الثاني الدال على ذلك الذي ذكرنا أنه في سورة ” هود ” ، فهو قوله تعالى : وامرأته قائمة فضحكت فبشرناها بإسحاق ومن وراء إسحاق يعقوب [ 11 \ 71 ] ; لأن رسل الله من الملائكة بشرتها بإسحاق ، وأن إسحاق يلد يعقوب ، فكيف يعقل أن يؤمر إبراهيم بذبحه ، وهو صغير ، وهو عنده علم يقين بأنه يعيش حتى يلد يعقوب . ـ

And as for the second place which demonstrates this point that we mentioned, it is in surah Hood, and it is Allah’s statement:

وَامْرَ‌أَتُهُ قَائِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتْ فَبَشَّرْ‌نَاهَا بِإِسْحَاقَ وَمِن وَرَ‌اءِ إِسْحَاقَ يَعْقُوبَ

And his Wife was standing, and she smiled. Then We gave her good tidings of Ishaaq and after Ishaaq, Ya’qoob. [11:71]

Because the angelic messengers of Allah gave them glad tidings of Ishaaq, and that Ishaaq would bear Ya’qoob, so how could it be reasonably thought by Ibrahim that he was commanded to sacrifice him while he was only a small boy and while Ibrahim had certain knowledge that Ishaaq would live long enough to bear Ya’qoob?

فهذه الآية أيضا دليل واضح على ما ذكرنا ، فلا ينبغي للمنصف الخلاف في ذلك بعد دلالة هذه الأدلة القرآنية على ذلك ، والعلم عند الله تعالى . ـ

So this ayah is also a clear proof of what we have mentioned, so it is not befitting for an impartial person to differ in this after the evidence of these Qur’anic proofs has been brought regarding this. And the knowledge is with Allah, the Most High.[2]