Transliteration:( Wa man ahsanu deenam mimmman aslama wajhahoo lillaahi wa huwa muhsinunw wattaba'a Millata Ibraaheema haneefaa; wattakhazal laahu Ibraaheema khaleelaa )
“And who is better in religion than the one who submits his face (entire being) to Allah [373], while being a doer of good [374], and follows the religion of Ebrahim, who was upright (and separate from every falsehood) [375]. And Allah took Ebrahim as His intimate friend [376].”
Although the literal meaning of “face” is the countenance, in this verse it refers to one’s entire self.
Submitting one’s face to Allah means to fully surrender oneself to the will and command of Allah Almighty. It is a symbolic way of saying that a person has handed over their entire being in devotion and obedience to their Creator.
The phrase “while being a doer of good” refers to performing righteous actions after submitting to Allah.
Two important lessons emerge from this:
Faith alone is not sufficient; after accepting belief, one must actively strive to do good deeds to the best of one’s ability.
Belief precedes action, which is why the one who submits his face (faith) is mentioned before the doer of good (action).
This verse teaches that in order to truly obey Allah, one must follow the religion of Prophet Ebrahim (عليه السلام)—which is now perfectly preserved in the religion of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Without this foundation, even charitable deeds lose their value.
Just as watering branches is useless once the root is cut, similarly, good deeds outside the path of true monotheism and Prophetic guidance hold no merit.
The word “Khalil” (intimate friend) comes from Khullat, which means to cut off all unrelated ties and be fully devoted to the beloved.
In this context, Khalil refers to a friend who is completely devoted to Allah, seeking His pleasure above all.
A Khalil is one who seeks Allah’s pleasure.
A Habib is one whose pleasure is sought by Allah.
Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is both Khalil and Habib. As Allah says:
“And undoubtedly, soon your Lord shall give you so much that you shall be satisfied.” (Surah Ad-Duhaa, 93:5)
This shows the elevated status of Prophet Ebrahim (عليه السلام) and the even greater rank of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The tafsir of Surah Nisa verse 125 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Nisa ayat 123 which provides the complete commentary from verse 123 through 126.
(4:125) And whose way of life could be better than that of he who submits his whole being to Allah, does good, and follows exclusively the way of Abraham whom Allah took for a friend?
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
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