إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿۷۹﴾ وَحَاجَّهُ قَوْمُهُ قَالَ أَتُحَاجُّونِّي فِي اللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانِ وَلَا أَخَافُ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ بِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ رَبِّي شَيْئًا وَسِعَ رَبِّي كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا أَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿۸۰﴾ وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَا أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا فَأَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِالْأَمْنِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۸۱﴾

﴾79﴿ Innnee wajjahtu wajhiya lillazee fataras samaawaati wal arda haneefanw wa maaa ana minal mushrikeen
﴾80﴿ Wa haaajjahoo qawmuh; qaala a-tuh'haaajjooonnee fillaahi wa qad hadaan; wa laaa akhaafu maa tushrikoona bihee illaaa ai yashaaa'a Rabbee shai'anw wasi'a Rabbee kulla shai'in 'ilman afalaa tatazakkaroon
﴾81﴿ Wa kaifa akhaafu maaa ashraktum wa laa takhaafoona annakum ashraktum billaahi maa lam yunazzil bihee 'alaikum sultaanaa; fa aiyul fareeqaini ahaqqu bil amni in kuntum ta'lamoon

﴾79﴿ Indeed, I have turned my face (my whole being) towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, firmly adhering to monotheism, and I am not among the polytheists.
﴾80﴿ And his people argued with him. He said, “Do you argue with me about Allah when He has surely guided me? And I do not fear those whom you associate with Him, unless my Lord wills something. My Lord encompasses everything in His knowledge. Will you not then take heed?”
﴾81﴿ And how should I fear what you associate with Allah, while you do not fear that you have ascribed partners to Allah—something for which He has not sent down any authority upon you? So which of the two groups is more deserving of safety from punishment, if you only knew?

[79] After the disassociation from shirk, the affirmation of tawḥīd (oneness of Allah) is mentioned, similar to the declaration lā ilāha illa Allah.
In this, the belief in tawḥīd is openly expressed, and it serves as the reason for disassociating from shirk.
(Innī wajjahtu wajhiyya) — “Indeed, I have turned my face” — Qurṭubī states that the meaning of this is: I have directed my worship and tawḥīd (oneness) toward Allah.
The mention of the face refers to the whole being—body and soul.
(Faṭara as-samāwāti wa al-arḍ) — “Who created the heavens and the earth” — this includes the stars, the sun, and the moon, for all of them are creations.
(Ḥanīfan) — Ḥanīf in its original meaning refers both to turning away and to uprightness.
That is, one who turns away from every false religion and stands firm upon the true religion.
Sharbīnī has explained it in this way.
(Mina al-mushrikīn) — “I am not of the polytheists” — this is a declaration of disassociation from the community of the polytheists, following the earlier disassociation from polytheism itself.
[80] It became clear that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) debated with his people in rejection of shirk (polytheism).
Such a method of debate is considered a form of jihad (striving in the path of truth).
(Waḥājjahu qawmuhu) — “And his people argued with him” — from their side, it was merely argumentation; they had no true evidence.
The term muḥājjah (mutual argument) is used here only in appearance, but in reality, the people had no valid proof.
Their argument was against tawḥīd (the oneness of Allah).
(Waqad hadānī) — “And indeed, He has guided me” — this refers to the evidences mentioned earlier in the verse Malakūt as-samāwāt (the dominion of the heavens), indicating the signs that led to guidance.
(Wa-lā akhāfu) — “And I do not fear” — this is a response to their claim when they said: Fear our gods, or they might afflict you with madness or disease.
(Illā an yashā’a rabbī) — “Except if my Lord wills” — this is an inqaṭī‘ (disconnected) exception, meaning: if my Lord wills to send a misfortune, then He is capable of doing so.
This statement was mentioned because it is inevitable in human life that one will face illness or hardship from Allah.
However, the polytheists would attribute such things to their false gods.
Therefore, in order to refute that illusion, this exception was made—similar to what is found in verse 89 of Surah Al-A‘rāf.
[81] They said to him: “Stay away from our gods, or else harm will come to you.”
He responded to them in a manner of logical argument, meaning: You do not fear the All-Powerful Being, so why should I fear your powerless gods?
(Ashraktum) — “You associated” — Samanī says that shirk (association) refers to attributing partners to Allah in something that is only rightful for Allah alone.
(Mā lam yunzil) — “That for which He has not sent down any authority” — this clause further emphasizes the ugliness of their act.
Meaning, there is absolutely no evidence for it, so how could any revelation have been sent in its support?
This indicates that proving such beliefs requires divine revelation.
Analogical reasoning (qiyās) holds no weight in matters like these.
(Al-farīqayn) — “The two groups” — refers to the monotheists and the polytheists.
(Al-amn) — “Security” — refers to complete safety from the punishment of Allah in both this world and the hereafter.
This amn (security) is not to be misunderstood as mere peace of mind or heedlessness.