Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)
Said he, ‘And from among my descendants?’
He said, ‘My pledge does not extend to the unjust.’
125 And [remember] when We made the House
a place of reward 1 for mankind
and a sanctuary, [declaring],
‘Take the venue of prayer from Abraham’s Station.’2
We charged Abraham and Ishmael
[with its upkeep, saying], ‘Purify My House
for those who go around it,
[for] those who make it a retreat
and [for] those who bow and prostrate.’
126 And when Abraham said,
‘My Lord, make this a secure town,
and provide its people with fruits
— such of them as have faith in Allah
and the Last Day,’
He said, ‘As for him who is faithless,
I will provide for him [too] for a short time,
then I will shove him
toward the punishment of the Fire,
and it is an evil destination.’
127 As Abraham raised the foundations of the House
with Ishmael, [they prayed]:
‘Our Lord, accept it from us!
Indeed You are the All-hearing, the All-knowing.
128 ‘Our Lord, make us submissive to You,
1 Or ‘confluence,’ or ‘resort,’ depending on whether the term mathābah is taken to mean a place of spiritual reward, a place of gathering, or a place to which one frequently returns.
2 Abraham’s Station (maqām Ibrāhīm) is a spot at a few meters’ distance from the Ka‘bah where a stone relic is kept that bears the footprint of Abraham, behind which the pilgrims offer the prayer of the ṭawāf.
