Worship like IBRAHIM - فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ

The Word فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ in Quran 2:124

The verse reads: وَإِذِ ابْتَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ "And [remember] when Abraham was tried by his Lord with words (commands), immediately he fulfilled them perfectly..."

Morphological Breakdown

The word فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ consists of three parts:

1. فَ (fa-) — a connective particle meaning "and then" / "so", indicating sequence or result.

The Letter فَ (Fa)

The fa here is فَاءُ التعقيب (Fa of immediate sequence). It signals:

Meaning	Implication
Immediacy	Ibrahim acted WITHOUT hesitation or delay
Eagerness	He didn't reluctantly obey — he rushed to comply
Sequence	As soon as the commands came, fulfillment followed

2. أَتَمَّ (atamma) — the verb itself

3. Root: ت م م (t-m-m), meaning "to be complete"

4. Form/Wazn: Form IV (أَفْعَلَ) — the causative form

5. The base verb تَمَّ (tamma) means "it became complete"

6. In Form IV, أَتَمَّ (atamma) means "he completed it" / "he fulfilled it perfectly" / "he carried it out to completion"

Alternative Words — Why Allah's Choice is Superior

Consider what Allah COULD have said, and why فأتمَّهُنَّ is uniquely powerful:

Alternative Word	Meaning	Why It Falls Short
فَعَلَهُنَّ	He did them	Just doing — no sense of perfection or depth
أدَّاهُنَّ	He performed them	Implies routine performance, lacks spiritual intensity
قَامَ بِهنَّ	He carried them out	General execution, no indication of totality or perfection
أنجَزَهُنَّ	He accomplished them	Finishing a task, but not necessarily with perfection
وَفَى بِهنَّ	He honored/kept them	Close, but lacks the sense of going ALL THE WAY

فأتمَّهُنَّ uniquely combines: totality (all of them) + perfection (no shortcoming) + speed (fa) + intensity (Form IV). No other word carries all four.

 

3. هُنَّ (-hunna) —

4. Means "them" (referring to feminine plural)

5. It refers back to كَلِمَاتٍ (kalimāt, "words/commands")

Full Meaning

So فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ literally means: "and he [Abraham] fulfilled/completed them [the commands] perfectly." The choice of Form IV (أَتَمَّ rather than just فعلهنّ "did them") carries an important nuance: Abraham didn't merely perform the commands — he brought them to their full, perfect completion. Classical exegetes (like al-Ṭabarī and al-Zamakhsharī) emphasize that this completeness is precisely what qualified Abraham to be made إِمَامًا لِلنَّاسِ (a leader/imam for mankind) in the next clause of the verse.

why the plural is not ها

In Arabic, there are two ways to refer back to a non-human plural (plural of things, animals, abstract concepts):

1. Treating it as feminine singular → using ها

2. Treating it as feminine plural → using هُنَّ

Both are grammatically correct, but they carry different nuances.

The Distinction: جمع القلة vs جمع الكثرة

Classical Arabic grammarians distinguish between:

جَمْعُ القِلَّة (jamʿ al-qillah) — "plural of paucity" (3 to 10)

• Refers to a small, countable number

• Typically takes the feminine plural pronoun هُنَّ

• Each item is considered individually

جَمْعُ الكَثْرَة (jamʿ al-kathrah) — "plural of abundance" (11+)

• Refers to a large, uncountable mass

• Typically takes the feminine singular pronoun ها

• The group is considered as a single collective

Why هُنَّ and not ها in 2:124?

The word كَلِمَات (kalimāt) is a sound feminine plural (جمع مؤنث سالم), and in this verse it refers to a specific, limited, countable number of commands that Allah tested Abraham with.

The mufassirūn (exegetes) debate the exact number but mention specific counts — some say 10, some say 30, some list specific trials (circumcision, the rites of hajj, the sacrifice of his son, etc.). The point is: these were discrete, countable commands, not an uncountable mass.

Because the كلمات are:

• Few in number (plural of paucity)

• Distinct and individually meaningful

• Each one separately fulfilled by Abraham

…the Quran uses هُنَّ, emphasizing that Abraham completed each and every one of them individually and perfectly.

Contrast with Other Verses

Compare this to verses where ها is used for non-human plurals:

Quran 16:5 — وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا "And the cattle — He created them (as a collective)"

Here, الأنعام (cattle) is treated as a mass/collective, so ها is used.

Quran 2:164 — وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ where clouds are treated collectively.

But when the Quran says كلمات with a specific countable sense, it uses هُنَّ.

The Rhetorical Beauty (بلاغة)

This is not arbitrary — it's a deliberate rhetorical choice (من باب البلاغة). By using هُنَّ instead of ها, the Quran:

1. Highlights individuality: each command was its own trial

2. Emphasizes completeness: combined with أَتَمَّ ("completed"), it stresses that Abraham fulfilled every single one, not just the collection in general

3. Magnifies the achievement: making him worthy of being declared إِمَامًا لِلنَّاسِ

If the verse had said فَأَتَمَّهَا, it would have meant "he completed them [as a group]" — still correct, but less emphatic about each individual command.

In 2:124, هُنَّ is used because Abraham's trials were specific, countable commands, and the Quran wants to emphasize that he fulfilled each one to completion.

Pondering Ibrahim's Example: Moving Beyond the Bare Minimum

The word فأتمَّهُنَّ is not just a historical description of Ibrahim (AS). It is a mirror held up to every believer. When we reflect deeply, we must ask ourselves an uncomfortable question:

Ibrahim was asked. He gave everything. We are asked. How much do we give?

Here are four dimensions of reflection based on the components of فأتمَّهُنَّ:

Dimension	Ibrahim's Way (فأتمَّهُنَّ)	Our Bare Minimum Tendency	Question to Ask Yourself
Completeness (أتَمَّ)	He fulfilled every single command with no shortcut, no exception, no compromise	We do what is required and stop there — the minimum rakat, the minimum fast, the minimum charity	Am I giving Allah the full measure — or just enough to feel I have ‘done it’?
Speed & Eagerness (فَ)	The fa shows he acted immediately, with no delay and no negotiation	We delay salah to its last moment, postpone good deeds, and defer acts of worship	Do I rush TOWARD Allah’s commands the way Ibrahim did, or do I drag my feet?
Totality (هُنَّ)	He fulfilled ALL of them — not the convenient ones, not the easy ones — every single one	We pick and choose: we fast but backbite, we pray but neglect parents, we give zakah but hoard in other ways	Are there commands of Allah I am quietly ignoring while performing others?
Spirit vs. Form	Ibrahim did not merely perform — أتَمَّ implies going BEYOND the outer form to inner perfection	We perform the ritual without the soul: praying while distracted, fasting while angry, giving reluctantly	Is my worship just a physical act — or am I striving for إتمام (itimam) — true inner completion?

A Companion Ayah: Surah Al-Isra 17:19

Ibrahim's فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ does not stand alone in the Quran. Allah reinforces the same principle in Surah Al-Isra, now addressing every believer directly:

ومَنْ أرَادَ الآخِرَةَ وسَعىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولُٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُمْ مَّشْكُورًا

"And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it with the striving due to it, while he is a believer — it is those whose striving is appreciated by Allah."

— Surah Al-Isra (17:19)

The Key Word: سَعْيَهَا (Sa'yahaa)

The most powerful phrase in this ayah is سَعْيَهَا — not just 'strives for it' but 'strives for it with THE STRIVING DUE TO IT.' This is the Quran setting a standard, not just a direction.

Component	Arabic	Meaning
Verb	سَعىٰ	He/she strives / makes effort
Preposition	لَهَا	For it (for the Akhirah)
Object (key word)	سَعْيَهَا	Its OWN striving — the effort the Akhirah itself deserves

سَعْيَهَا is a masdar (verbal noun) with a possessive pronoun — 'its striving.' Allah is saying: the Akhirah has a specific level of effort it DESERVES. Not any effort. Not a comfortable effort. The effort befitting its infinite value.

How Both Ayahs Speak to Each Other

Read together, these two ayahs form a complete picture of what genuine effort for Allah looks like:

	فأتمَّهُنَّ  (Al-Baqarah 2:124)	سَعْيَهَا  (Al-Isra 17:19)
Who it describes	Ibrahim (AS) — the model of the past	Every believer — the call for today
The standard demanded	Complete each command with إتمام (full perfection)	Strive with the striving the Akhirah DESERVES
The core warning	Partial fulfillment does not earn the reward	The wrong level of effort loses the reward
The key word	أتَمَّ — he PERFECTED the fulfillment	سَعْيَهَا — ITS OWN due striving
The result	Allah declared him Imam of all mankind	Allah declares their striving مَّشْكُورًا (appreciated, rewarded)
The failure mode	Doing the commands partially or reluctantly	Striving for the Akhirah with dunya-level effort

What Does سَعْيَهَا Look Like in Practice?

The Quran is asking: does your effort MATCH the thing you are striving for? Ibrahim's effort matched the commands given to him. The believer's effort must match the Akhirah he claims to desire.

You cannot desire an infinite Akhirah while giving it a finite, minimal effort. The effort must match the prize.

Claim	Minimum Effort Given	What سَعْيَهَا Demands
I want Jannah	Praying 5 times but distracted, no extra worship	Prayers prayed early, with khushu‘, as if standing before Allah
I want Allah’s forgiveness	Saying Astaghfirullah casually	True tawbah: remorse, stopping the sin, rectifying harm done
I want to be a person of Quran	Reading occasionally for blessing	Daily recitation, memorisation, tadabbur, acting on its commands
I want to die as a believer	Believing without striving to grow	Consistent self-accounting (muhasabah), seeking knowledge, improving character