WHAT IS THE HANIF?
If the true religion is based on uniting Allah, that is, being Hanif, what is this Hanif?
Hanif, originally a Hebrew word, means a heretic or a deviant who acts contrary to the religion and traditions of their ancestors. The Quran, which used this term to denigrate and exclude polytheists, reversed this concept before history, adding a whole new dimension to the polytheists' embrace of monotheism through behavior contrary to their own false beliefs.
Prophet Abraham is the greatest Hanif who opposed all irrational, perverse, unscrupulous traditions and ancestral beliefs, and even opposed his father because he was the bearer of these beliefs, and was subjected to severe tortures, even being thrown into fire.
Hanif, the root of the word "hanef," means turning away from darkness and deviation toward truth and light. A person who achieves this turning is called a hanif. The Quran and related Islamic literature define hanif as turning away from paths that contradict the order of creation and toward what is right.
104. Say, ‘O people! if you are in doubt about my religion, then [know that] I do not worship those whom you worship besides Allah. Rather, I worship only Allah, who causes you to die, and I have been commanded to be among the faithful,
105. and that: ‘‘Dedicate yourself to the religion, as a Hanif, and never be one of the polytheists. (mushrikun - those who ascribe partners to Allah, polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and those who worship others along with Allah)
31.Hunafa' Lillah (Being Hanif for Allah), not associating partners unto Him and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place.
67.Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian. Rather, he was a Hanif, a Muslim, and he was not one of the polytheists(mushrikun).
79. ‘Indeed I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, as a Hanif, and I am not one of the polytheists(mushrikun).’
95. Say, ‘Allah has spoken the truth; so follow the creed of Abraham, a Hanif, and he was not one of the polytheists(mushrikun)."
120. Indeed Abraham was a nation(Ummah) [all by himself], obedient to Allah, a Hanif, and he was not a polytheist.(mushrikun)
123. Thereafter We revealed to you [saying], ‘Follow the creed of Abraham, a Hanif, who was not a polytheist.’(mushrikun)
135. They say, ‘Be either Jews or Christians, that you may be guided.’ Say, ‘No, rather, [we will follow] the creed of Abraham, a Hanif, and he was not one of the polytheists.’(mushrikun)
125. And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face to Allah; and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer). And follows the religion of Ibrahim(Abraham), a Hanif. And Allah did take Ibrahim (Abraham) as a Khalil (an intimate friend).